Looking for easy/cheap roof ideas for run!!!

[Mr. Frizzles Hen House]

Quote:
My husband suggested hay, but I read that post about the surgery on the hen with all that hay that was removed and it kindof scared me. Will most hens eat hay?

Oops, forgot to ask. Are we talking hay or straw?

 

[mtnhomechick]

Another idea then would be to buy two more dog fencing panels ( usually on sale now ) and attach them accross the top with the hinges they come with and put wood under one side to raise it up from the bottom.

We just finished a second run and used all chain link panels for sides and roof.

Or you could put cement bricks , like the 4 inch blocks under one side.

Then you could wire the corrugated panels to the roof.

Just brainstorming here.

 

[Mr. Frizzles Hen House]

I appreciate it. The kennel is bolted into the coup and I have the chicken wire on top and any gaps zip tyed in place. So, I would prefer not to move it and work from the top. Aren't the dog panels heavy for the top? How did you secure it? I guess I'm gonna have to price out the corragated panels, dog panels, etc. and way my options. Then hopefully the rain here will take a rest to play around with it

 

[mtnhomechick]

No, as long as you secure it with the hinges they come with you can attach them to the sides and to eachother......will need a few extra hinges. It's metal holding down metal and it actually makes it stronger with the added weight. Punch some holes in the corrugated and wire them to the fence links on the roof. I can stand on top of my run.

 

[mtnhomechick]

Going to bed.

Tomorrow I will take pics of both runs and post them here for you.

Good Night and Good Luck!!!

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

Our silkie pen is a 7-/2' x 13' dog kennel with hardware cloth and pvc panels across the top. The land is sloped, so any rain water runs down and to the east. It works really well. Were it not angled, i suppose i could put a beam across one side of the pen then mount the panels to that so the water would slope down off the roof. i always buy the cheapest panels, sometimes they have some on sale as they are the unpopular color. They can range from $5 - $12 for 26' wide by 8' long panels. They are easy to drill through and attach, and very sturdy. You can use wire to attach them to the top of a run with hardware cloth on top, then just put a smudge of silicone sealer over the hole to seal it against rain.

We just erected a new coop and pen tonight and used those pvc panels. i screwed them down into place and put the silicone over the nail heads to seal them. i think you can buy special nails with a rubber head to seal the hole, but couldn't find them at Home Depot, so improvised.

Here is a pic of my silkie pen. Not pretty, but functional. It's the one in the back. At the point i took this pic, i hadn't yet fastened down the panels. It was summer and they worked well for sun protection, too.

 

[Imp]

Mr. Frizzles Hen House :

Imp.... Are the corragated panels strong enough to run across 7' and overlap with out a wood frame? That would be much nicer than a tarp. And I could create an eve if they come long enough. I'll have to price them out. Did you angle yours? I hesitate to use metal because of the noise from the rain and we get pretty gusty here in the woods of Seabeck, WA. And yes the rain has been coming down sideways lately. My chickens just go out and stand it. Silly birds

Mr. FHH
No problem with strength. They haven't moved in 5 years(The Dec 14 Storm a couple years ago brought two trees down on the garden shed and coop with no damage) . A few of the zipties have fallen off this year and I need to replace before we get a major windstorm.(I guess they have a 5 year shelf life) They(the panels) were 8 x 2 and a little spendy, not horrible, just more than wood or metal. I liked them cause they were crystal clear and wouldn't be dark.(Although they are getting a little mossy- doesn't everything here) I bought 3 to cover a 6 x 6 dog run. They overlap a little. I don't have any wood exposed on my coop or run. the coop is a rubbermaid storage/garden shed and the run is a 4 sided chainlink dog run. I have the chainlink top, bottom, back and front w/ gate. The rt and lt side are the stick built shed and the coop. For an eve I put an extra piece of 6 ft chainlink pole down the middle and slightly bent the panels over it so the water/rain runs off. Still grows moss??? But so am I.
I might like the sound of rain on a metal roof, but then again I thought I'd like the sound of tree frogs in my backyard at night. OMG what was I thinking. Picture me yelling out my bedroom window every hour on the hour. SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! (that's not actually what I was yelling.) They're gone now.

 

[Mr. Frizzles Hen House]

Wow. If it's that strong it probably could be done with out an angle. My current tarp just sags into the chicken wire. Then a puddle forms in the middle of the run. Thanks for all your great suggestions!

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

Our last coops, down in LA were tarped on top. Fine in summer, but when it rains they're a disaster. The PVC wavy panels are super strong, easy to drill into and fasten down, and slough the rain off like nothing. Check out your local Home Depot and scoop up the cheapest ones, and you will be very happy.

 

[Mr. Frizzles Hen House]

Thanks imp and airheart43. I think if the cost is doable I'm going to try to go the same route as the two of you. It seems to be the easiest and most functional longterm. The pics really help. Thanks. As for the tin/rain sound, I wouldn't be able to bear it at all. I lived in a 30' travel trailer with my whole zoo while building our house. The sound of Wa rain on the roof is like nails on a chaulk board to me now. First week was cool. Eleven months later... I'd take a tent over the sound of that trailer roof