Keeping snow off the run roof?

[Country4ever]

I have a run that's about 16/21. Sometimes in the winter the door to the run is pretty darned hard to open, so I just hope I don't need to go in there.
But yesterday we had a big snow. The ceiling of my run is covered with welded utility wire on top of 2 kinds of netting. The snow always gets caught in the smaller netting. It was building up quite a bit, so I went it and with the wide handle of a shovel, pushed on it everywhere, so the snow would fall through (onto my head).
But I'm thinking I could do something else that wouldn't require my going into the run:
How about if I tied rope to several areas in the run, to the utility wire and then brought it to the outside of the run? I'd have to keep it fairly high up so the chickens wouldn't fly into it (maybe 5' off the ground). My run is about 6'6". Then I could just walk around the outside of the run and yank a few times on these ropes, and it would shake the snow off. How does that sound?
Any better ideas? Too bad they don't make intermittently-vibrating welded utility wire. haha

 

[patandchickens]

Do you really need the netting there in the winter? By far the simplest solution would be to decommission it til after the last snowfall

Otherwise, if the whole structure is very good and strong, you could take a long supple not-heavy pole and whack the run from the outside, which should dislodge much of the snow.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[Keri78]

I have one of my runs covered with a tent and the other covered with plastic drop cloth that we just stapled on...our plan was to cover them with left over tyvec(the house stuff) but Hubby was too busy before we got hammered with all of this SNOW! But...the plastic drop cloth is doing the trick so they have a very very snow insulated little chickie igloo thing going on! They are toasty even in the mist of this HUGE Snow Storm! Oh...my runs are A framed...so that helps alot too. I'll try attaching pics soon. But in the meantime here are some pics of a NICE run I found the other day on here!

Here's a pic of one of my "tractors" without snow!

 

[Keri78]

Here's a pic from this morning...mind you it has been snowing ever since and is STILL snowing as I write this...so UMMM..YEAH.."Chickie Igloo"!!!!


Updated Pics from tonight! Here's my tractors/ Igloos!!!! If you can find them!(LOL) I'm in NJ!

 

[Country4ever]

The roof is so big and flat and tall, it would be very difficult to take the netting off and put on again.
the entire run is framed with 4x4s and 2x4s, so whacking the side would only make my teeth fall out.

Keri.........wow! That IS an igloo! It will keep them nice and warm though.

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
It IS a nice run, and I bet that its builder (fellow BYC member Omran) would appreciate being given credit if you are going to repost his pics...

No offense meant,

Pat

 

[Keri78]

No prob!!! Will do in the future!!! I've been bragging about his coop!!!! I LOVE IT!