serious coop issues (Pictures are up page 2)

[L&Schickens]

I now have 15 chickens in my little 12 X 12 kennel/coop. My Jersey Giant/Welsummer cage will colapse tonight or tomorrow. The roof is welded wire and tarps. The coop is covering a grape arbor. It was ment to keep out Washington RAIN, not feet of ice and snow. We have had more snow then ever already and a big storm is coming tonight with major winds, rain and more snow. I am positive the roof will not hold till it all melts. So I now have my champion award winning Welsummers cooped together with the riff raff just so they are not killed when it colapses.
I have tried to re-enforce it, but the snow and ice is so heavy I can't get anything under it and it is so frozen I can't get the ice and snow off of it. It is just crazy!
I will get pictures when the sun comes up.
Just thought I would vent a little.

We left New Hampshire for Washington thinking we were getting away from weather like this!!

 

[Mahonri]

Wow... thanks for helping me love Phoenix. (In June, July and August, it's a "tough love")

 

[waynesgarden]

Can you get a kerosene heater or two, put them inside and melt the snow or ice off it before it collapses? The heat may even soften it enough to break it off with a garden rake or some other appropriate tool.

Wayne

 

[LynneP]

I'm so sorry, I know from the posts in other threads how difficult this winter is getting for you. Do you have a roof rake or something safe to use to scrape snow off the roof? I know you have moved the birds, but getting the load down might save the building. Be careful, you too can get hurt. We're awaiting winter storms 6 and 7, both expected before Christmas. It's been tough here, but for those of you not used to this weather, well, my heart goes out.

ps- my chickens are *all* riff-raff!

and the best layers imaginable!

 

[L&Schickens]

I have been up there with shovels, rakes you name it but the ice is so hard and I am on a ladder when I am working on it so it does not have much effect. I have gone underneath it and pushed up also to try and get some of the snow and ice off, but the ice is so hard it does not move and the tarps are now ripping.
As for useing heaters, I don't think that would work either. There is a lot of rick hard ice at lease 2 inches thick with a foot of snow on top of that. It is just a covered pen, not an actual building.

*PS* my Welsummers WERE Riff Raff until this past weekend when they won Champion Large Fowl and Champion Continential and best Trio at a show with over 700 birds entered!!

 

[s6bee]

Do you know of anyone that will help you transfer them temporarily to and more secure location?

 

[L&Schickens]

They are in the kennel now and that has a metal roof. They are just crowded in there.
No I know no one where I could keep them anyway. I am the loan chicken keeper on my road and my only chicken family lives in CA.

 

[FrChuckW]

Depending on how high your run is I would suggest taking some 2 X 4's and bracing the roof. Make an inverted U shape with them and take a sledge hammer to knock the uprights inplace so that the cross beam is helping to support the roof.

I would make at least 3-4 of them to spread out the weight of the snow load.

 

[LynneP]

Congratulations on your success at the shows!

I guess when the weather eases you'll be re-designing. It's a hard lesson but you'll have the *best* chook housing in time, too!

 

[L&Schickens]

Quote:
I can't get anything under it. The ice if too heavy and too frozen. Believe me, I have been trying.