Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[saysfaa]

Some of the hail near the tornado in Kankakee was 5"-6".

Newspaper blip about it

 

[Hillbilly Hen]

How big was the hail? I heard reports that Grand Rapids and west of there had some 2" diameter hail.

High winds tonight into tomorrow. I'd trade this for "just winter hanging on" with snow and cold.

I don't know, I was too tired to get up and look, but I sure heard it and my bedroom is in the basement.

 

[1muttsfan]

Bad weather abounds, reminding us up here that Winter is not done yet. At least 8 inches of snow today, and we have one to three FEET in the forecast for Sunday. Not time to put the snow shovels away yet!

 

[mi5chicks]

On the topic of bad weather.. there's been a few times this winter that it's snowed in my coop and I'm assuming with this big storm coming it'll happen again. Not with every snow but probably with the high winds. We left the eaves open for ventilation and that is where it's coming in. How do people avoid that in areas of heavy snow?

 

[NatJ]

On the topic of bad weather.. there's been a few times this winter that it's snowed in my coop... How do people avoid that in areas of heavy snow?

DO people avoid that in areas of heavy snow? Or is it just a thing that happens?

 

[mi5chicks]

DO people avoid that in areas of heavy snow? Or is it just a thing that happens?

I don't know! I assumed other more experienced people had it figured out

 

[Folly's place]

Big roof overhangs help a lot, and because most wind come from the west and north, less openings on those sides. We have a house type louvered vent (forget what it's called) on the west side, high up, and need another one there. We also have a hardware cloth covered window on the other part of the coop on the west, with vinyl sheeting over the lower section over winter. And wide roof overhangs on all sides.
When there's a storm from the SE, some snow or rain will get in, but not a lot, ever.
Yesterday, high winds, cold snow, and sleet, our birds didn't go outside, the doors were not opened for them.
Probably because I didn't want to be out there under the trees...
Mary

 

[mi5chicks]

Yes we should've done larger overhangs but didn't realize at the time. It's probably about a 1 foot overhang. It's not terrible when it happens but I've been feeling guilty because I figured I should've prevented it somehow. Just not sure how at this point without covering all the ventilation.

 

[TheDandyLion]

Not sure if it will help with as much snow as you get in the UP, or with how your coop is designed, but I followed aart's advice and put the blue furnace filters in the eaves. https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/ventilation-baffling.75434/

She talked about snow sitting on the lower roof and blowing into the higher eave, figured if it solved her problem, it was worth adding.

 

[mi5chicks]

Not sure if it will help with as much snow as you get in the UP, or with how your coop is designed, but I followed aart's advice and put the blue furnace filters in the eaves. https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/ventilation-baffling.75434/

She talked about snow sitting on the lower roof and blowing into the higher eave, figured if it solved her problem, it was worth adding.

Thank you! We'd have to add something like that to the outside though as we put chicken wire across the ceiling inside to prevent rafter roosting so can't access the eaves anymore from inside. Took care of one problem but created another we do have the roof of the run that comes up near the roof of the coop and I have wondered if that's mostly where it blows in.