Roofing!

[SarahYoungner]

I am in the process of building my chicken coop and have an enclosed coop connected to a 10x13 run. Do I need a roof? Or can I just have a screen roof? We will make it predator proof either way, but I was wanting to know if you need a roof, like a tin roof, to keep them dry.
Thanks

 

[RiddleMe]

You'll probably get better replies if you let people know where you are at. For examply, I'm in the PNW, but Central Oregon, where it is actually high dessert (ie dry) climate. So my run just has a wire roof and my chickens are outside probably 360 days out of the year. On the other hand, if I was over in the valley (ie what most people think of the PNW - rain), then I would definitely have a roof over at least part of the run so they have a dry area to get outside.

 

[SarahYoungner]

I live in South Georgia, and I live on the marsh. So, we get rain, but maybe only two or three times every two weeks. We have a few freezes during the Winter months, but nothing major.

 

[chfite]

The coop should have a roof. The run, not necessarily so.

My run has no roof. The chickens come in out of the rain at times. Other times, they stay out and carry on. They don't seem to mind being wet.

Hope this helps.

Chris

 

[Nsampsel]

1 of my runs has a piece of tarp over the wire on a small area for shade & feed protection, another has the coop up about 18-20 inches off the ground so the chickens can get underneath, & the duck pen has a piece of board across 1 end to shelter the food bucket.

However, that being said, all but my youngest birds tend to stand out in the rain like nothing is happening unless we get an absolute downpour. All 3 runs have coops/boxes with roofs. Mostly my extra cover is to protect food from rain. I even put my food under the coop on the one that is up off the ground. It's not really needed for shade as my coops are under several really nice shade trees.

I would say this: Make sure you have a sheltered area to place your feed & enuf shade to cover the majority of the birds if the sun gets too hot for them. Otherwise, as long as your coop is roofed & not too drafty, they will go in if they feel the need.