I need some ideas/thoughts for shade

[RW1984]

80% of the day my birds have great shade from the trees surrounding their run and coop.
The other 20% they are in direct sunlight. In the winter that won’t be so bad because it will be chilly (no snow). Some nights get to below freezing but most the days are just cold (N.C.)
However I’d like to provide some extra shade options for them and I’m on a budget.
I have tarps and cord. A few 2x4s and 4x4s (PT) and miscellaneous scrap wood.
Anyone have some suggestions?

 

[ajohn151]

WOW! What a fantastic run! You have some lucky birds! You could make a small pergola?

 

[21hens-incharge]

Lowes sells shade cloth by the foot.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Easy-Gardener-Shade-Fabric-By-the-Foot/3037702

I use it on my hoop run. Double layer is really shady. It won't catch rain water or the wind like a tarp will.


Single layer here. I have since added a second layer. You can see on the ground the shade under the chair compared to what a single layer provides.

Also tarps....they get HOT under them. The shade cloth does not.

 

[aart]

The other 20% they are in direct sunlight.

Pics must show the 20% part of the day?
Morning or afternoon?
Tarps can work but will hold rain water, which can be disastrous.
Tarps also can block airflow, but so can shade cloths depending on the percentage and where they are placed.

Your coop looks like it could use a lot more ventilation and/or a fan to blow cooler air inside later in day.
How big is your coop and run, in feet by feet?
Pics of inside coop, please?

This is what I do to help beat the heat here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/aarts-hot-weather-spiel.75893/

Oh and shade cloths, kinda help too.

 

[3KillerBs]

I'd suggest tarp or shade cloth over part of the run so they can pick sun or shade and regulate themselves.

Support it in such a way that rain will run off outside the run.

 

[Matejka]

Beautiful run. I would use shade cloth.

 

[RW1984]

The run is appx 30x20ft and the coop that is blocked off for them is 10x10 inside of the shed.
The 20% of direct sunlight comes in the afternoon.
if it was morning it wouldn’t bother me so much cause mornings are cooler but in the afternoon it can be hot.
I can run a fan out there and let it run as well.
I’m just currently trying to come up with a good idea how to use the tarps I have without buying stuff, maybe a TP or a lean to if some kind?. Money is tight atm.
I am planning to use one tarp under their perches in the run to make poop removal easy to do two-5 times a week.

 

[Matejka]

I also needed something for shade. My run is covered, but gets morning sun til about 11 a.m. I simply grabbed an old bed sheet, punched holes and bread tied it to the hardware cloth. Left the bottom untied. It's ugly but it provides shade.

 

[aart]

The 20% of direct sunlight comes in the afternoon.
if it was morning it wouldn’t bother me so much cause mornings are cooler but in the afternoon it can be hot.

BRUTAL!!
It's the same here, why I have a shade cloth stuck way up on coops west side...
...and fan in east coop window.

 

[NatJ]

By afternoon, the sun is usually coming from some side, not directly overhead. So the tarp can be more upright and still block a lot of it. (You might have to adjust the angle until it's right.)

You might be able to attach the tarp directly to the fence, making it completely vertical, depending on the angle of the sun at that time of day.

In the first photo, I see something in the run shaped like a capital letter A built of wood. If you put tarp over one side of that A, will it provide shade at the right time of day? You could use it, or make another similar structure that faces whatever way is right for blocking the sun.

You might be able to attach the top of the tarp to two of the uprights in the run, and the bottom to some other things in the run. Easy way to test locations and angles, and then you could add more boards if you need to stabilize it more.

The air right under a tarp can get hot, but if the tarp is upright or at an angle, that hot air can just go up and away. And of course rain can run off if the tarp is angled or upright, but not so well if it's completely flat. Although if you just want shade, and you put the tarp flat--you could poke holes to let rain run through, so it doesn't make big, heavy puddles on top.