Please show me photos of your covered (as in with metal or other) runs

[Rare Feathers Farm]

Quote:
One side is 4' x 12' and the back side is 8 x 25' and the east side is about 10 x 10'. So LOTS of roof....

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

This was the stuff I was thinking of....

http://www.homedepot.com/Building-M...1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053&omni=b_Suntuf

 

[chickerdoodle]

Quote:
Yes he did. My hubby also built a 1,100 gallon above ground fish pond for me this year too! He is a wonderful hubby of 18 years

The girls do get to go out of the coop each day as well. Your henhouse looks huge

compared to ours! How many chickens do you have?

The coop is 4x13' and henhouse 4x5 for our 5 lovely girls. Here is a picture during the building process:

Its near our patio to make it easy to go to the nest box in the rainy winter:

 

[Minniechickmama]

I looked at different roofing materials when I was building our brooder house. Metal is expensive, but it holds up way better than any of the fiber type roofing materials, and it will sheet off snow and ice much better. I think it is worth the price to use metal. At Lowe's I paid about $16 per sheet of 2'X8'. What are the posts you have for your pens? They look round. Are they sunk into the ground? If so, how far. If they are sturdy enough, maybe you can use those as the support to attach to and it would cut down on some of the expense. You don't have to use OSB underlayment for the roof if you have strong enough cross pieces (I think they are called purlins) to attach it to and be able to secure it all the way to the edges so you don't get the wind catching it and flapping it or tearing it off. I know it is pretty open at your place from the pictures on your sight, but I don't know how strong of winds you get there. Here in Minnesota you have to tie everything down that you don't want blown away.
theri

 

[Cluckn Crazy]

We found used metal roofing from a steel collector. The run is high and dry, but only 5 1/2' tall at its highest.

 

[kla37]

Nice and dry under there.

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
Suntuf is good stuff IME. It is polycarbonate, not the cheapie destructable pvc. I have one, soon to be two, runs roofed with it, and have been quite happy with it so far. I used the translucent white rather than clear (I think the company calls it "opal" or something dumb like that, but it is white and like 70%-ish light transmission). Two thumbs up.

Pat

 

[allieloveschickens]

I also love the SunTuf roofing, we don't get snow here in San Diego, but it the white really helps reflect the heat in the summer- and its very durable.

Good luck with the run!

 

[Lilacfeather]

Here's ours with Tuftex, purchased from Lowe's. We've only had it 2 months, so I can't tell you how it holds up to snow, but it did survive a tornado quite well....

 

[bills]

If you get a lot of snow, I can't express enough the need for good cross bracing, and overall a good strong support system. I would be tempted to not cover the entire area, just enough that the hens can get out for some fresh air. They tend to stay within the sheltered areas. I have a smaller covered run inside my larger run.