Question about clear roofing material

[urbanfarmette]

i am thinking of using something like tuftex to roof my run. i really want a peaked roof as well. what would i put at the peak to join to two peices together?

thanks in advance for any ideas!

 

[mchl]

They have a metal flashing that goes over both sides of corrugated metal roofing that might work for you

 

[elmo]

You can buy the ridge cap to go with the corrugated panels. See, for example:

http://www.palramamericas.com/CorrugatedAccessories

I woudn't use clear roofing. Well, actually I did use clear roofing but had to rip it out and replace it. The inside of the coop got way, way, way too hot in the sun. Plus I think the chickens felt really exposed in there with a clear roof.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

A plastic ridge vent would work well:

http://www.google.com/search?complete=1&hl=en&source=hp&q=plastic+ridge+cap&aq=f&aqi=g10&aql=&oq=

 

[urbanfarmette]

Quote:
where are you located (i.e. what kind of weather do you get)? i am in wisconsin and although we do get some hot humid weather in summer, i don't think heat is too much of an issue. the coop and run will be shaded in summer and not so shaded in winter (when the leaves are off the trees). plus i plan to have really big windows on two of the sides and adequate vents on the other 2 sides. do you think the smoke gray panels would help keep the heat down?

i am interested in these panels because they would allow more light in winter when are days are very short here (light only about 12 hrs a day) and the snow would slide right off if there's enough pitch. maybe i could have the roof be removable and use an opaque roof for summer...

 

[elmo]

Quote:
where are you located (i.e. what kind of weather do you get)? i am in wisconsin and although we do get some hot humid weather in summer, i don't think heat is too much of an issue. the coop and run will be shaded in summer and not so shaded in winter (when the leaves are off the trees). plus i plan to have really big windows on two of the sides and adequate vents on the other 2 sides. do you think the smoke gray panels would help keep the heat down?

i am interested in these panels because they would allow more light in winter when are days are very short here (light only about 12 hrs a day) and the snow would slide right off if there's enough pitch. maybe i could have the roof be removable and use an opaque roof for summer...

Use the white panels, then. That's what I ended up using when I replaced the clear ones. It's just as light inside the coop, but not so hot in the summer. Natural shade of the coop in the summer is your best approach.

I live in Texas where we routinely get 90's and 100's in the summer. The coop that has this kind of roof is sited where it gets afternoon sun (big mistake). I use it now only in the winter and shoulder seasons as isolation housing, since I now have a bigger, better coop sited in the right part of the yard.

I had thought that the clear roof would make the coop warmer in the winter, but this didn't turn out to be the case. Yes, it heats up in the sun, but as soon as the sun goes down the heat dissipates quickly because the roof isn't insulated. So my coop was hotter than usual during the day (when the chickens weren't inside anyway) and just as cold as the outdoors at night.

 

[patandchickens]

Uh, the two times I've been in Madison for a week for professional meetings it was *pretty darn hot*. Also pretty darn sunny.

If you lived in Seattle I'd still encourage you not to do it but would admit it might *possibly* turn out ok.

In Wisconsin, I sincerely don't think so. Roast chicken in a box.

Furthermore, you will need to insulate under them for wintertime or you will get bad condensation (->humidity->frostbite), which would pretty much negate the whole 'let light in' thing then ANYhow.

Light can come in the WALLS much more safely than in the roof. Put your light-transmitting material -- glass, plexiglas, those corrugated panels, whatever -- on your WALLS.

Seriously!!!

Good luck, have fun,

Pat