Snow in the coop

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For context, it snowed 6+ inches here in central Texas for the first time in decades. I'm in a bit of a pickle. My coop has large sections that are just hardware cloth, which is perfect here in the hot summers but was a massive backfire for the snow.

To prep for the winter storm I got some bales of hay and laid it down as thick as I could (tried to get straw but everyone was sold out). I also stapled tarps over 90% of the hardware cloth to brace for the cold, but at the last second had an uneasy feeling and decided to just bring the chickens inside. I only have 3, so they are all hanging out in a dog crate in the garage right now.

This was probably lucky, as I went outside this morning and two of the tarps were blown off and there was snow all over the inside of the coop. The hay is totally covered in snow, which is going to be a nightmare when it starts to thaw. I assume all of it will have to be removed, else it will mold... is that correct? Its just coastal hay.

I'm also worried for the rest of week, when temps go back up into the 20s and 30s. There's no way I can completely dry out coop with the amount of snow in there. Best I can do is shovel all the hay out and try to add more dry bedding. Will that be enough? Are they going to be at risk if I put them back out?

I'm in Ohio, by Lake Erie. Lots of blowing lake-effect snow. I use coroplast pieces, available cut to my specifications from a local plastics place. It's reasonable in cost, very lightweight, but rigid, and easy to store. I get the translucent, which lets a good amount of brightness through. It's the rigid corrugated plastic that so many signs are made of. Easily hung with staples or nails. Waterproof. Cut easily with a razor knife. I use it a LOT. Holds up for several years. (Will eventually get brittle from the u.v., but it's given me my money's worth! ) I believe my place (Team Plastics in Cleveland) gets the panels in 4' x 8' sheets. Even cardboard, or old wall paneling, will work for you for a few days. Floppy things like tarps are difficult to secure in the wind. Go with something lightweight but rigid.

 

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I'm in Ohio, by Lake Erie. Lots of blowing lake-effect snow. I use coroplast pieces, available cut to my specifications from a local plastics place. It's reasonable in cost, very lightweight, but rigid, and easy to store. I get the translucent, which lets a good amount of brightness through. It's the rigid corrugated plastic that so many signs are made of. Easily hung with staples or nails. Waterproof. Cut easily with a razor knife. I use it a LOT. Holds up for several years. (Will eventually get brittle from the u.v., but it's given me my money's worth! ) I believe my place (Team Plastics in Cleveland) gets the panels in 4' x 8' sheets. Even cardboard, or old wall paneling, will work for you for a few days. Floppy things like tarps are difficult to secure in the wind. Go with something lightweight but rigid.

Later you can use the Coloplast for things like shading tender plants, shading the small fishpond on hot days...lots of uses. Just remember to save appropriately sized pieces for next winter...the climate is changing.

 

[ChickensForEggs2500]

If I hadn't gone with my gut they would have been snowed on directly. I assume in Wisconsin you've designed your coop to be suitable for winter conditions. Nearly half of my coop is just open hardward cloth, no covering.

Garage isn't heated but is warmer than outside. Outside temp is around 9 degrees, temp in garage is in mid 30s, which is about what it will be here outside later in the week.

My entire coop is open HWC except for the nesting boxes. The younger ones roosted all day to stay up of the snow and the elderly ones went into the nest boxes to warm up. They all had some snow on them, but they seemed fine! I only had 12.5 inches though. Also their coop is covered with sheet plastic. I did nothing special except give them warm water in buckets (to make it last longer) every so often. Good luck!