I need help with my run

[welasharon]

Any way you could rig a tarp over it? Maybe run a rod or something from the outer edge of the fence to the top of the coop so that it angles upward then you could walk to the door?
sharon

 

[BWKatz]

U could attach bird netting to coop and put PVC tubing over ur posts to drape it over. Then u wouldn't have a problem opening ur door.

 

[Qi Chicken]

Yes, I would connect the netting across the top of the building portion and angle it down to the far fence. I didn't look to see where you live but a tarp would catch a lot of snow and could also buckle in a heavy rain. You could have a strip of wood along the top of the building and secure the netting under it. That would look neater. You will have a triangular opening on each side it looks like. You might have to drape some netting over that too because once they have the taste of freedom they will probably want to get out more. The poultry netting will probably be the cheapest option but if you're in a sunny place they also have shade cloth that could be nice for them. Good luck, I like your coop!

 

[harleyjo]

Thanks for the ideas. I had them out of their coop after work for a total of 5 minutes and they started flying out again. So I put them all back in. I will let them out about 15 minutes or so before dark because they stay close then. We plan on doing something different with this whole situation but work has been slow enough we just couldn't do it now. I will work on this and see what I can come up with.

 

[TrystInn]

The cheapest and easiest solution is to buy a 10x10 tarp and use zipties to connect it. Should take you a whole ten minutes, perhaps, to zip it in place. That said, if you have some old fishing line, you could weave a grid for it - likely take you better part of an hour or more to do so. They won't be able to see it, but it will keep them in (you'll have to make the gaps very small) and should frighten them enough that they don't attempt it again.

Good luck!

 

[harleyjo]

I just don't know if the tarp is going to work for me this winter. I live in IA and although last year was unusual we had over 60 inches of snow last winter. It would buckle in no time. I am also in a quite open area and it is pretty windy sometimes so you get a build up of snow or a heavy rain and it is down in no tme.

 

[TrystInn]

Harleyjo, in that case you'll likely have to go with something like PVC corrugated roofing. Its cheap enough, around $10 foot per section - you'll need 5 of them, at least, with that size. Make sure you put a sharp angle on the roof so the snow slides off or you'll have to go knock it off every day.

Good luck.

 

[secuono]

You can use bird/deer netting and one or two real tall T-Posts, attach the netting to the coop and over the posts, {A-Frame, but netting} then over the other side to the fence. For the door, use keyring clips attached to the netting and the top of the gate. This way, you can easily detach the net from the gate to get in.