snow in run

[gtaus]

if the snow stuck to my glacier greenhouse so that I had to push it off, it will stick to a hoop house made from cattle panels for sure, or a carport tent. It may not *always* or even often stick, but sometimes it will. If you want something that’s guaranteed to slide off, a true A-frame seems to me like your best bet.

Yeah, I'm really thinking of a good A-Frame design because I don't want to brush/shovel off snow after every storm. I was thinking a hoop house with a domed top would work, but with a wet snow it would probably stick to the plastic and build up.

 

[Zach123]

If hail is an issue where you live, the plastic roof on a car port will look like Swiss cheese by the end of June. We don’t have a lot of car ports around these parts. Hail is one reason why, most green houses don’t typically have a long shelf life out here.

One thing to think about is that a roof, whether it’s on a shed, house, coop, or run is that it doesn’t have to shed snow 100%. So long as it is constructed well it will hold up to snow. How much depends on how well it is built, but if you want to maximize space by not useing an A-frame, you can still have a covered run with a roof that you don’t have to clear snow off of after every storm. Not that there is anything wrong with an A-frame though. If we had a small flock I wouldn’t mind one, they are pretty neat.

 

[gtaus]

One thing to think about is that a roof, whether it’s on a shed, house, coop, or run is that it doesn’t have to shed snow 100%. So long as it is constructed well it will hold up to snow. How much depends on how well it is built,

Yes, my gambrel roof on my chicken coop should stand up to any snow we get this winter. But it is built pretty good. For a chicken run, I'm trying to find something that is light weight, lost cost, and still does not collapse from a snow fall. I might build a small A-Frame run for next winter, as it seems to be the option that fills most of my requirements.

I just want something covered that is big enough for the chickens to stretch their legs in the winter. They have no desire to leave their coop with the chicken run covered in snow. Fortunately, I planned for that and built my coop about twice the recommended size for my 10 birds. So far they are doing well, but it's a long winter ahead.

 

[Phoenix rizing]

Im in northern Maine on Canada border pretty much and I'll tell u my 7 month old pullets won't step foot out in it but to encourage outside time I put a wooden limb with a curve so they can perch off the snow and they do.. i ALSO spread old soiled shavings in their roaming pen door them r.i.p walk on and they come out even it'd only the appearance of something other than snow.. they better eat their wheaties cuz it's already 7 degrees at night ( zero degrees real feel aren't I lucky?) It's cold already it's not even officially winter..we are in storm #5 twelve now inches due in tonight on top of 8 inches we got like 4 days ago. Oh btw CAN USE HAY TOO ..(BONUS...soiled shavings aid in melting this ice crap) I SPREAD THE OLD SHAVINGS IN THEIR ROAMING PEN TO GET THE WHIMPS OUTSIDE LOL .
THEY ALSO CLEAN UP the SPILLED OR FOOD LEFT BEHIND on floor...KEEPS EM BUSY.. IT SNOWED SO FAST I RIP GREEN GRASS FROM UNDER TRUCK THAT HAS NO SNOW OR ICE YET..BOY DOES THAT KEEP THEM BUSY... GUNNA GET A BALE OF ALFALFA TO HELP ENCOURAGE MY 8 GIRLS OUT OF THE COUPE MORE.. GRASS WORKS GOOD BUT IT'S NOT CALCIUM RICH LIKE ALFAFA..

 

[Phoenix rizing]

taken when pen wasn't complete...
my boyfriend used 4 pop up tent poles and 4 foot tall chicken wire sewed sections together got 12x8 roam pen (better than nothing) green house shaped pop up roaming pen in under an hr... enclosed fully too..cost me under 20.00.. snow is not an issue up here even.. sewed 3 four ft wide sections with tent poles shown in secondpic... works slick

 

[jreardon1918]

In the midst of a storm now. About 5". Got a few more coming. At some point today Iwill use a roof rake to clear the ridge vent and flat run roof. As you can see some snow blows into the run.

*** edited to correct for fat cold fingers.

 

[Duckfarmer1]

Ugh..we get a ton of snow and our run is huge. The chickens have stayed in mostly, and I hate admitting this, but we’ve been busy with the rest of the farm to figure out how to keep snow out of the run. I suppose I found today’s project. Thanks for the inspirational pictures!

 

[aart]

I don't know why anyone would give you a bad time about that chicken run. It looks perfectly good to me.

Well, they thought the rafters, couplers, and mesh roof were overkill when I was building it. They just didn't have my vision <haughtysniff>

If you want something that’s guaranteed to slide off, a true A-frame seems to me like your best bet. It’s not an efficient shape space-wise,

Agrees. And it would be dark in there unless you used clear poly panels. Make it big enough that you can easily get in there if needed.

snow is not an issue up here even.. sewed 3 four ft wide sections with tent poles shown in secondpic... works slick

Really no snow there?

 

[featherhead007]

Yeah, it was never meant to carry snow load, spacing fits 6' mesh width, just keep hawks out and slow down most everything else.

I remember the habitrail for hamsters, but until now, I have never seen one made for chickens! Looks great!

 

[featherhead007]

Yes, my gambrel roof on my chicken coop should stand up to any snow we get this winter. But it is built pretty good. For a chicken run, I'm trying to find something that is light weight, lost cost, and still does not collapse from a snow fall. I might build a small A-Frame run for next winter, as it seems to be the option that fills most of my requirements.

I just want something covered that is big enough for the chickens to stretch their legs in the winter. They have no desire to leave their coop with the chicken run covered in snow. Fortunately, I planned for that and built my coop about twice the recommended size for my 10 birds. So far they are doing well, but it's a long winter ahead.

That sounds like the wife i was looking for. "Light weight, Low cost, and performs well in snow" I like to ski!