Roofing choices for covered run?

[chickyturkeyemulady]

I spent years with my coops covered in mesh and shade cloth. It was ok, but could be a mess when it rained. Then I redid things with corrugated metal about 9 years ago. I love it! The floors stay dry in winter (unless we get the sideways rain on a really windy day) and my birds stay a whole lot cooler on hot summer days. I live where it is typically in high 80s to mid 90s in the summer with occasional days of 100-115. BTW, my chickens and turkeys would never allow plants to grow inside their coops, so sunlight for plants is a non-issue. There are trees and shrubs out in their big daytime yard, but NOTHING grows inside their coops

 

[MaryJanet]

You mean like a Chunnel? We have a large barn fan in their covered run. We live in the woods and the trees block most of our breeze unfortunately

Oh, well if there's no natural breeze, building a breezeway would be a waste of time and materials.

It works well at my place because there's almost always an afternoon sea breeze.

 

[TaylorGlade]

Oh, well if there's no natural breeze, building a breezeway would be a waste of time and materials.

It works well at my place because there's almost always an afternoon sea breeze.

They do like the fan though! They hang around it all day in the summer

 

[BonnieBlue]

I have a completely covered run, and used an opaque (gray) poly. Because of the heat (south Louisiana, so much like you in Florida), I did not want to use clear because of the radiant heat from the sun. The girls get enough sun in the morning since the east side is open. The north, west, and part of the south sides are enclosed, just because of in the corner against a stockade fence was the only place I had in my small yard to place a run. In addition, I wanted to make sound barriers to help make the chicken noises quite so noticeable to neighbors, plus help with the heat on the roof, so I put a layer of reflective particle board under the poly. The temperature stays shade temps even in the hottest part of summer. (I have sound barrier walls on the north and west sides also.) To help with ventilation and air circulation, I have a large wet rated oscillating fan blowing into the coop. So far, everyone is happy and healthy.

 

[chicken1234]

We are building a new coop right now and the run will be covered in tin again. We are using one pitch so it gets lots of light. We have the poly on our greenhouse and I find after a few years it cracks or depending on where you are...we had a hail storm and it put holes right through it. If you want plants you could put them on the outside of your run.

 

[Racsan]

I would worry about the clear poly turning the run into a hot greenhouse, with mine I have a 8x22 4’ high kennel run with bigger kennel panels on it as a roof- mostly as protection from hawks & eagles. the first 6 ft from the chicken house is covered for shade & rain (the feeder hangs under that area too) With your design Id go with galvanized metal panels . Id like to do something similar eventually or use 16’ hog panels in a big arch. A walk-in run is a good thing, I have to be bent over to enter mine.