Pen Top Design for Areas that Get Deep Snow

[Amiga]

I will be poking around the archives, but if anyone has had a brilliant inspiration or a link with an idea worth considering, please share.

I have the materials list for Day Pen II, and I would like to avoid having to shovel the pen out. That means more effort and expense up front, yes it does.

In my perfect world, the top would let snow slide off easily, and have rain gutters to a rain barrel as well. I have seen gutter systems that do both, by the way - it has to do with the angle between the roof and the outer edge of the gutter. It would also let in lots of light, and not weigh much.

Anyway, I am looking around.

This is for the pen the ducks will be in when I am not nearby, so it needs to be rather sturdy. The pen itself I have designed. Just been cogitating on the top….

 

[Amiga]

I think I'm going to go with polycarbonate panels, keep it simple. Have them pitch toward the downhill side, install gutters to a rain barrel and call it a day.

 

[cayugaducklady]

That is what we are are going to do (poly carb or the see through fiberglass stuff that is sued to let sunlight through in barns & agriculturel building--cant think of its name now) if the sheltered depression in the yard allows too much snow to filter through the top of the kennel pen.

Lat year, even with the deep snow we had on the ground the ducks area didn't have more than 6 inches of snow it. For comparison I had to use my first ever pair of snow shoes to navigate everywhere else in the yard. It was minimum of crotch deep in some places.

I plan on having to shovel or snow blow their area for now.

I don't know how much snow your area get. There might be roofing guidelines for supporting snow weight available for your area. You may need to build in some extra support for the snow weight.