shade cloth- how do you use it?

[gabbyscritters]

We are building several new runs and are looking into shade cloth.
It sounds like everyone who uses shade cloth for there runs has happy chickens with it.
How do you use it on your runs, just on the top or do you use it on the sides too?

Watching the sun in the pens I wonder if doing just more than the roof might help.
Our runs are 4'6" in front and angle up to 7' in the back.
Any ideas?

 

[Cetawin]

Hi well pics of your runs would help and also, do they have wire covered tops on them already? If they have sturdy wire tops, putting shade cloth over it is much easier, less sag and more predator proof...so grab some pics to post and let's see if we can help you.

 

[Toothless Willie]

Hi,

We have found that even in our blistering heat the girls like to sunbathe believe it or not! I suggest covering only a portion of the top/sunny side. Also I was surprised how dark it made the coop when fully covered. We have three coops, only one has shadecloth on the side facing the midday sun.

 

[stilldeb]

We leave a bit of ours exposed for sunbathing, but cover probably 3/4 of it up to the coop. We have had a blistering hot summer, and that and locating the coops under tree shade has made a huge temperature difference. I keep a remote temp sensor out there with a readout in the house (got it for Christmas and couldn't think of anything else to do with it - ha) so I know how hot it is. Did have it in one of the least used nesting boxes for awhile, til one of my broodies decided she would try to 'hatch' it! (pretty constant 100 degrees under a Silkie's butt)

deb g

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

In the extreme heat of our summers, my chickens avoid the sun. Shade cloth helps make their coop habitable for egg laying during the worst part of the day. The front (westward) exposure to their coop receives a couple of hours of direct sun in the afternoon so I made layers of shade cloth to limit the amount of sunlight that reaches the coop interior. Layers of shade cloth work very well to allow for the free-flow of air while blocking out most of the sunlight. Grape vines cover the run to provide additional shade.

 

[annie3001]

Quote:
i love your grapevines covering the run!!!! beautiful!!!

we use shade cloth, ours is the blue stuff from home depot. the whole top of the run is covered as well as the back side. i like it. have it on for about 3 years and weathers very well.
i do have a completely covered wired run, so there is not much sag. however i must tell you, slit with a knife some points for water/rain because although our run is wire covered, if theres a hard rain, it could cave in. i had this happen not to long ago.
i like that our animals are covered in case of rain. they love to be outdoors.
good luck to you. oh yeah, a photo of your coop/run set up will help us answer your question a bit better.

 

[Azriel]

My shade cloth is ike a plistic mesh, so there is plenty of air flow through it. I have mine hanging on the south and west sides of the run, not over the top. I tried it on the top, but unless the sun is right over head, it didn't put the shade where I wanted it. I use mine mostly in the area that the younger ones are kept while I'm getting everyone used to each other. My big girls free range and use natural shade

 

[secuono]

I use a regular utility blue tarp, it'll last longer than shade cloth.
That's awesome with the grape vine! How long does it take to grow like that??

 

[nwfl]

I have black shade cloth covering the south sides of my chick and juvenile runs and green shade tarps along 1/3 of the unroofed sections of the breeding pens. The layer run has 2 portable shade cloth structures 4x4 and tall berry bushes for shade. Even with trees they all have sun for some portion of the day in areas of each coop. * covering top to bottom in most cases.

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

Quote:
Thanks! There are three four year old vines in the run. They first sprout in Mar. and completely cover the run by June.