Prepping for our first long New England winter - DIY tarps

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

I use clear, heavy duty shower curtains strung up with rope. I have 2 more bands of rope in the middle and near the bottom. My run at it’s tallest is 7 feet so the shower curtains work well and I can leave plenty of space for ventilation. They get folded and put away for the summer and are easy to install and remove. And they come with metal grommets. I do an overlapping thread so there’s no gap between the sections.

 

[saysfaa]

... I thought I would share the process and successes/failures as we go in case it helps anyone else down the road!
...

Thank you for sharing the process and what you learn. For what it is worth (not much, smile), I don't have a position on wrapping runs or not wrapping them.

 

[AnnPann]

Your coop is beautiful! I can see why you would not want to cover it up with a tarp all winter. Eager to see how your project comes out, so please post updates when you’re done! I’m with you on trying to avoid “one season” materials. I used some clear shower curtains and cheap tarps for part of my run last year and they were in such bad shape, there was no reusing them, which made me sad to have the waste. This year I made wood frames and stapled heavy duty marine vinyl to them, so hopefully they last at least a few winters.

 

[Wendy Bee]

You have a lovely coop/run!

Last Winter, when it came time for us to 'winterize', I too, wanted it to look nice. More importantly, I wanted for the chickens to be able to see out of, and for us to be able to see in to the run.

Last year I bought a roll of this:

It was just under $90 for a 4' x 75' roll. We cut panels of the plastic sheeting sized for our needs and attached furring strips with deck screws into the wood along the sides, against the hardware cloth for a draft-free fit. It worked great - with one big drawback - dust. We use the deep litter method in the run, which is so easy to maintain, but when turning it over periodically, the DUST!

So this year, I opted to use a combination of last year's panels and two large, clear tarps, one covering three panels on the West side of the run, and one coving the two panels on the East side of the run, next to the door. That way, when I do a big litter turnover, I can peel back the tarps and open the door to allow the dust an escape.

Last year:

This year:

We kept the clearer plastic around the front where there are roosts, and the more opaque material is along the side (just out of sight in the last pic), and it's not too bad. It's still clear enough to see through, just less clarity, but will still let light and the sun shine through.

This is the 6.6x13 ft tarp I ordered from Amazon: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B09KTL87CD?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1

It seems sturdy enough. The key to keeping tarps from wearing prematurely is keeping them from flapping in the wind. This tarp would be better with more grommets for securing, but I ordered these to compensate, which I can add where needed: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B09NGCGLQL?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

On the East side, the two panels next to the door are even less important to be completely transparent, so I went with this tarp (which should arrive within the week, so not yet installed - ugly silver tarp there temporarily): https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07113QPKN/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Note that we only covered up to the eaves and not over them, to maintain good ventilation. We also have large triangle areas of ventilation in the peaks of the roof.

For the door, I just zip tied bubble wrap to the outside, ha. Easy, lets light through, and effective! I love zip ties - they are so very useful and versatile!

Note: The Warp's Plastic Window Material has held up pretty well. I hosed it down when we removed it, hung the panels on the clothesline, and then we rolled them up and stored them in the garage. The plastic is a bit wrinkly this year, but it's also cold, so hasn't had a chance to relax yet. Any small tears or holes are easily fixed with a bit of clear packing tape. I'm guessing we'll get another year or two - maybe more - from what we have. I'd like to make framed panels that I could just install and remove as needed with turn buttons, but that will have to wait for another year!

This is only our second winter, so we're still working through what works best for us .
Enjoy your journey in what works best for you!

 

[sals_chicks]

Back with an update It has definitely been a journey, but we are almost done, and despite a few challenges, I am very happy with the outcome!

Cutting the vinyl, and the canvas was easy.

Sewing WOULD have been easy, if I had a proper heavy duty sewing machine, rather than the little singer machine that I have used. Half way through the project, my husband offered to drop $1000 on a new machine, but... Being the stubborn Sagittarius that I am, I was bound and determined to make it work with what I had... And I did. Although I did break about 14 sewing needles in the process! Let it be known that your every day average sewing machine WILL work, but you will swear a lot.

That being said... Here's where we are:

The 4 main panels (6.5'x10') each are done and installed. Grommet installation was a piece of cake, we used a hammer kit with 3/8" brass grommets, and it turned out great!

We decided to install permanent hardware, so that we would not be screwing into the wood each year. So hubby installed threaded inserts, and we used bolts and washers to screw the tarps into place. On warm days, we can unscrew the tops and let them down for some nice ventilation, and easily screw back in. No damage to the wood.

I will get a better photo of the hardware to share!

I am still working on the small panels that will go around the sides and the panels for under the coop as well... the small panels will be a piece of cake compared to the large ones! I am so happy with the clear vinyl! My birds dont seem to be bothered by it, and there is NO NOISE from the wind... Definitely worth it!

That's all for now, more updates soon!

 

[Iluveggers]

Mine is nowhere near as beautiful as yours. I am not a farm girl, not handy, but I wanted chickens and vowed to figure out how to do everything they need without relying on DH to do it for me.

I put this up today. We had an old clear sheet of plastic balled up in the shed. I cut it as best as I could, and used a staple gun to stick it up. I think if I’m careful & it doesn’t rip, I should be able to take it down with a staple puller & reuse again next year. I only covered the bottom part on the sides facing where the wind blows. Went in the run (we had high winds today) and could feel the difference after putting it up. Girls went from huddled in a corner to scratching around the run once I was finished! I wish I could’ve put up something that looks as nice as yours!

 

[AmyMon]

We just finished this exact same project today. We purchased a remnant of 6 mil clear vinyl from FarmTek that was big enough to fit our 8’x16’ run in pieces, we measured, cut, punched (a lot) of grommets and used (a lot) of zip ties fastened to the hardware cloth, leaving space at the top for ventilation. We think this should last a few years and should be easier in subsequent years since all we have to do is snip the zip ties, label the pieces to where they belong and zip back up next year. We are in PA and it is already going down to 19 tonight with very strong, cold wind this weekend. Unseasonably cold for November.

 

[sals_chicks]

We just finished this exact same project today. We purchased a remnant of 6 mil clear vinyl from FarmTek that was big enough to fit our 8’x16’ run in pieces, we measured, cut, punched (a lot) of grommets and used (a lot) of zip ties fastened to the hardware cloth, leaving space at the top for ventilation. We think this should last a few years and should be easier in subsequent years since all we have to do is snip the zip ties, label the pieces to where they belong and zip back up next year. We are in PA and it is already going down to 19 tonight with very strong, cold wind this weekend. Unseasonably cold for November.

Zip ties is a great idea as well!! You could even get the reusable ones to cut down on plastic waste, and then you could easily open up for ventilation on warmer days too!

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Typically a run would only be tarped on two or three sides, prevailing winter wind is from North and West, leaving the Southern exposure open.

This provides ample wind breaks and ensures the chickens still use the coop at night where they have best predator protection. I'd think creating a green house would be problematic for several reasons.

 

[sals_chicks]

Typically a run would only be tarped on two or three sides, prevailing winter wind is from North and West, leaving the Southern exposure open.

This provides ample wind breaks and ensures the chickens still use the coop at night where they have best predator protection. I'd think creating a green house would be problematic for several reasons.

As would I. If you had read more carefully you would see that I do not intend to create a greenhouse. . Please see my signature line for more details.