Help on my run please re: a cover....

Amethyste

For Love of Boo...
11 Years
Jul 19, 2008
753
21
151
Silverlake/Mill Creek, WA
Ello ello all... I was a member on the original board a while back..for some reason it seems to be not the same now. Guess it got split or something...but anyway...

I need some help
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We have 4 hens now from 8....and we wil be redoing their run in the spring along with a new coop AND new little chicks to push us back up to about 10-12. Yes I know lol but I am addicted!! Lucky for me my hubby is too
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We are getting a new coop and fixing it up etc this coming spring, as well as an addition to our run to double it. ATM it is a 10x10 dogkennel and it is wonderful
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BUT, we live in Washington..and we get rain. Tend to get a lot of rain, and their little run is a mess. I need to figure out a way to get a cover over the top that will give them a place to have shade when they have the sun, as well as rain/snow protection. We are already planning to even out the dirt, rake it down, lime it and add sand for drainage cos frankly its a mess in the rain. ATM its covered with deer netting but I put my foot down and told DH I want a real cover next year! I want my girls to go out and be able to play in the run when the weather is bad if they want to..and not have to worry bout mud/snow etc.

Now, the current idea is that we are getting another kennel , same type etc with the chain link and hardware wire on the bottom as usual to keep those rotten masked bandits out. I was thinking that when we connect them, we will have 2 extra panels...and they could fit on top of the run <with maybe a bit of help> to keep them from the hawks and owls.

Now tho, I am VERY interested in finding something that is nice looking and will last thru the winter to keep snow off and rain. I am thinking maybe Suntuf panels like we have on the coop <its in a mostly shaded area in summer and mostly sunny in winter> but DH suggested maybe some plants... like vine growing?

I love the idea, but...are there any plants that would grow in winter and not die off? And do well in partial shade? Their run is situated in a spot where they will have a lot of sun in winter when its not raining, and partial sun in summer so they wont get too hot. We are thinking maybe a melon vine... or zucchini but I have no idea how well they would hold up and if the left over foliage would last over the winter here near Puget Sound.

Any ideas at all would be well taken and ever so much appreciated!!
 
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A cover is a great idea, but I gotta ask: is your run on a graded/sloped hill??? Cause if it's positioned just right, it doesn't matter how much of a cover you got on their run, the water will run down and into your girls' play area. I don't know of any plants that grow during the winter, other than pine trees......I think the panels that you're talking about would be a good idea to keep it somewhat dry, but depending on what your budget is you can try building a custom cover with some lightweight metal/angleiron and a heavyweight tarp or corrugated tin roofing.
 
No, not really....our back garden is rather flat except for occasional tree roots. I was debating about planting a bunch of plants around the sides of the run, and barring that maybe do like a water director...DH is thinking maybe a gutter of sorts that will direct the water to go in a certain area if we use the suntuf stuff again.

It's still in the planning stages atm, our Ladies are used to this atm so we won't fuss too much this winter.
 

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