Help with windy run

[WalnutTree]

In case it wasn't clear. Pictures. Ages. Dimensions.

There are some easy fixes - the theory is the same regardless - but which fix is best requires details not yet provided.

Also, you should look up the direction of your prevailing winter winds - because those are the ones most concerning to you.

A source like this tells us that Seattle area tends to be wettest and most windy in November to early December, and that the winds in that time period are primarily from the south and south east - so those are the sides of your run you need to focus on.

When you post pictures, please indicate those directions for our reference.

Thank you for helping us help you.

Just posted pictures! They're almost 4 months and getting red on the comb.
The run is 10 x 11 ft and the coop is the overEZ medium (we thought it was bigger in pictures). I'll find out wind stuff after school! See y'all then!

 

[3KillerBs]

It ought to be possible to put some windblocks on part of the run, there are lots of options from tarp or shower curtains to plastic panels to plywood to metal siding/roofing.

Just blocking the bottom half on the direction the worst winds come from would probably be enough.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

It ought to be possible to put some windblocks on part of the run, there are lots of options from tarp or shower curtains to plastic panels to plywood to metal siding/roofing.

Just blocking the bottom half on the direction the worst winds come from would probably be enough.

^^^ Agree. All you really need to do is ensure winds are blocked at the chicken's level - its fine if winds continue above their heads. Dry and draft free, so their down coats work as intended, is what's needed. Whether coop or run, that truth is unchanged.

I've not looked at your overEZ coop specifically, but if troll this forum, you will find numerous complaints with them. Not that they are poorly built - that's generally reserved for TSC "Producer's Pride" coops and similar - but that they (like every mfg of prefab coops) overpromises the number of chickens they can hold and underdelivers on useful 24/7/365 free ventilation. Its something to be aware of, and something you may be able to compensate for partially by how you locate your coop in the run, and how you structure your wind break(s) at the perimiter of the run.

 

[bruceha2000]

I agree on the need for wind blockage of some sort but what has me more worried is the easy access predators have to your run!

 

[Sally PB]

Last winter I used clear shower curtains to block of the west (prevailing wind) side of my run. I wrapped it about 3' around the NW and SW corners, so there was a good wind break. The shower curtains are cheap, and they are pre-grommeted.

The wall is about 4' tall, and I laid the excess on the ground and piled raked up leaves on it to hold it down. Then snow helped. I tied it on with zip ties (half of my run is held together with those), and it was in good enough shape to reuse this year.

This fall, I put on a polycarbonate panel roof. Last year I used heavy duty tarps, and as someone said, it was DARK and GLOOMY in there. I used the leftover pieces of the polycarbonate to make a wind break for the west side. It's not clear, it's "diffusion" poly, so it cuts about 17% of available light. (It's what Menards had.) But it's nice and bright in there now!

 

[WalnutTree]

I've decided to eather do polycarbonate panels or wood barriers around the edges. Love your ideas! Thanks for the help! I'll update once ive made a final decision or made progress!