Plexiglass walls in run?

[khind]

Yes, do not use anything wet or green.
Are the pine needles long and soft?
Raking up some dry ones might be a good addition.
Don't put too much of anything in there until you fix the wet ground problem.
Have you looked at drainage issues around the coop and run?
What about those pics?

I don't know how long these pine needles are, but in my hand they're definitely soft. And they're dry...

 

[aart]

Kind of like speed bumps on the dirt. Tall enough to make a difference in how much water flows downward, but not so tall that he can't take his riding mower right over it.

Called berms and swales...can work good!

 

[lacrandall]

I put plexiglass on the bottom three fourths of one side of the run...the side that gets the most rain splatter. The rest of it I left open for vemtilation. It has worked well and so far hasn't been an issue in the heat this summer. I also have a fan that blows into the run and coop area when it's really hot out.

 

[keltown]

Bizarre question, I'm sure. But we've started to have torrential rain the past few summers. Although the run has a metal roof, the dirt floor just gets drenched. Hubby got some large plexiglass to make outdoor run "windows" to attach over the wire run walls, thinking they could be closed if rain is suspected or certaintocome. That way, especially in the event we are leaving town for several days, a sitter could close the "doors" to protect the run. But in our hot summers (90, mid-90s, upper-90s), I'm afraid that would be the worst material for keeping cool. I've only read about the temperature advantage of plexiglass in winter.
Ideas?

 

[MappaM]

Thanks. That was my concern as well on the plexiglass (greenhouse effect).
When I say dirt floor, I guess I mean that the coop is on the ground and it's not raised up. (Which I now know was a mistake. At least we have it secured so that critters can not break in or dig under.) The floor is the dirt ground, but I do also use some pine shavings & dried leaf litter on the dirt in fall, winter, & spring. In the summer the chickens spend a lot of time outside & not in the run, unless it's very rainy, so during this time of the year I don't usually use shavings or leaves. And then if the ground gets wet I clean up and mix some PDZ stall refresher in the dirt. But it sounds like it would still be a good idea to use shavings & leaves in the summer anyway?

Groundwater per se doesn't seem to be the issue, But I think what has happened is, since the chickens dig to dust bathe on the dirt floor, and then they do the same thing on the ground right outside the coop, I've got some areas where the coop floor & the ground right on the other side has become too low, & also has too many depressions in which water accumulates. It also seems to me that there might be some water that gets onto the coop floor just under and around the door and outer walls for the same reason: water pooling in those spots has further lowered the ground level right there. To handle that problem I often get dirt from elsewhere on the property and haul it in. Ugh. (Should've built a raised coop.)
Overhangs: Great idea, which I only just recently thought of too, and placed right outside the coop door, to help stop additional pooling up right there. I'm trying to come up with ways to place others in strategic locations.
I'm also looking at gutters (if I don't tear this coop down and start over...).

Straw in the run, when it gets wet molds quickly. I too have a run that gets wet, and dirt floor. In the winter I put rippled plastic around the run to hold some heat in and protect from cold winds but summer makes it an oven if left up. In one side in summer I put up an awning. It keeps a lot of fun out and keeps the rain out. In the door side, when I know a storm is coming, I mean one long plastic piece at the bottom to keep splashing from the roof out but it does get wet. Taking and pine shavings if it's too wet is the best I can do.

 

[reddogmaster2]

Bizarre question, I'm sure. But we've started to have torrential rain the past few summers. Although the run has a metal roof, the dirt floor just gets drenched. Hubby got some large plexiglass to make outdoor run "windows" to attach over the wire run walls, thinking they could be closed if rain is suspected or certaintocome. That way, especially in the event we are leaving town for several days, a sitter could close the "doors" to protect the run. But in our hot summers (90, mid-90s, upper-90s), I'm afraid that would be the worst material for keeping cool. I've only read about the temperature advantage of plexiglass in winter.
Ideas? Knowledge? Experience?

Picture would help!

 

[goldgal]

I also had a problem with rain water puddling in the coop. We filled in with sand...every time we clean the coop we add more sand...river sand. Sand is built up enough that rain water runs off the side....Problem solved. Hope this helps

 

[SkyBlue49]

I have a small run outside the main coop with a smaller run. A pen within a pen so to speak. We are now getting torrential rains also and the water was running into the inner pen and making the outer pen a mud bath. We used sand and I built in up more near the inner pen so to protect the inner pen. The chickens are quite happy digging in the sand, poop is easier to pick up and we are all happy. They do have other areas for dust baths. I also use D.E. to keep down the flies and smell.

 

[dirkandlorie]

I don't know that this will help with your setup, but in my old setup, I bought cheap plastic shower curtains (clear ones). I strung twine along the side of my run and used it like a curtain rod. I pulled the curtains out over the run when it rained and weighed the bottoms down with bricks and rocks I had just laying around. When it was dry, I'd open them. Cost me about $5 total. The run wasn't perfectly dry, but it kept out the "sideways" rain. Sometimes I'd only close one side of the curtains, depending on the direction of the wind/rain. The curtains would be thrashed by the end of the season, but for $5, it wasn't a big deal.

You are a genius! Going to steal this idea.

 

[knurse1]

Bizarre question, I'm sure. But we've started to have torrential rain the past few summers. Although the run has a metal roof, the dirt floor just gets drenched. Hubby got some large plexiglass to make outdoor run "windows" to attach over the wire run walls, thinking they could be closed if rain is suspected or certaintocome. That way, especially in the event we are leaving town for several days, a sitter could close the "doors" to protect the run. But in our hot summers (90, mid-90s, upper-90s), I'm afraid that would be the worst material for keeping cool. I've only read about the temperature advantage of plexiglass in winter.
Ideas? Knowledge? Experience?
We use plexiglass all through the winter but nothing in the summer.