SO. MUCH. MUD. Thinking of putting a metal roof on run....

[Bob 1313]

We live on the front range in Colorado and the snow is hit and miss. Lately it has been a BIG Hit.
With clay soil, even a small amount of moisture turns into a sticky, slippery mess.
When it snows, even a little, we shovel and then throw down a couple of inches of chopped straw and alfalfa. Chickens love it. They spend hours scratching around looking for whatever it is chickens look for. Very entertaining for both them and us. When the snow returns, we scoop out the old, dirty straw and start over. Bonus is that the straw makes the snow easier to remove and most of the poop comes with it.
A little bit of straw may get in their water, but it floats and is easily removed.
After ten years of wading in the mud, we started this procedure a few years back. So far we are quite happy doing it this way.
With around 450 Square feet of runs to keep clean, this has turned out to be a great time saver.

 

[Teabone]

I have my five bantam hens in a small 10 foot by 4-foot pen and raised 4 X 4 roosting and nesting area. I let them out every day into 30 foot by 40-foot screened-in yard. The pen has a sandy loam floor in it and they spend most of any rainy day in the pen where they are protected by the roof.
When I started with My wife and I being somewhat pragmatic did not consider the chickens as anything but an expense for the fun we get from watching them and having them underfoot whenever we are working in their ranging area. We do not get snow but 60 inches of rain does happen. The short day began the first of October and the girls stopped laying, not certain they will start again when days are long but we will see. Their feet get quite muddy but I do not see it on the house floor. I try to keep an 8-inch layer of fall leaves in their free-range area because they seem to love digging in it to the point that once a month I have to replenish the leaves. I feel the leaves keep the somewhat clean and from my observation they do not seem to like getting muddy even though they enjoy their every other day or so dust bath.
We originally had a yard that was 60 X 30 for them and I lost one to a sparrow hawk So we had to cover them with netting and that made us reduce their ranging area.
Another thing I observed was they really liked to eat green weeds in the late afternoon so I made a raised bed 4 X 8 covered in white clover and lawn grasses which they really enjoy grazing on before I but them in their coop pen every day.
Do not let the chicken become a choir for you or else you will lose interest in them and for the amusement value, I can not think of any other animal as much fun as Bantum chickens.

 

[schmedlap]

a bonus to a pitched roof would be to put a gutter along at least one side. you can collect rainwater in a tub and use that for watering, cleaning, whatever. you'd be amazed how much water you can get from a little bit of rain.

 

[My 3 chix]

I have a small run with a metal roof. I keep the feeders in there. I live it except it needs a small gutter to direct the rain out away from the run. I’ll be adding it before next fall for sure

 

[akddr]

I can't take it anymore.... the snow, the mud, the rain, the wet feed, the geese looking like they've applied a mud pack from Sephora.... We're thinking of pulling the black rafters, putting in some cross beans and putting on a metal roof (flat seam panels such as those at Home Depot et al). It will be a flat roof and we are in lower NY so we will have some snow load. Anyone have any advice they'd like to share? The run currently looks like this with HWC and rafters. And mud because its been raining for two days... Thanks BYC community!

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We use the corrugated plastic roofing and we have LOTS of rain and snow in Juneau, AK. It does get some damage allowing leaks. We later covered it with heavy duty clear plastic that is reinforced with nylon twine. That we overlapped along the roof support beams and stapled to the wood.

 

[chickencoop57]

I agree totally with DobieLover and ColoradoPip!

 

[Charlenesmom]

We did an 8x12’ run, with a 4x6’ coop built inside. All of this is under a slanted metal roof, 12’ high in front, 8’ high in the back.
All wood stained and wrapped in plastic for a warm and cozy winter run. The top sides were intentionally left open, no plastic to allow for air circulation. This run has stayed so dry all winter that they are able to dig and dust bathe. I have tires filled with sand, but they prefer digging in the dirt floor. The ground in there never freezes because it never gets wet. Metal roof is great, I just had to add a gutter in the back so on rainy days I didn’t get poured on when I was working in the back clean out doors. I put down straw in part of the run, under the coop structure just to give them a cozy place to all nestle together on really cold days, and so they can admire themselves in the mirror, lol
We live in Massachusetts so have installed Cozy Coop radiant heat panels that turn off and on depending on the inside coop temperature using a thermoplug.

 

[Chickenclaude]

I smiled at your post...I’m in nw CT and also sing the mud song...it’s temporary for sure but not for the faint of heart. It’s what made hunter boots so popular...dump the chips if you can get some for free..good luck.

 

[leslielbk]

Please forgive me if I responded to this already. I have a metal roof with the panels from Home Depot that you mentioned. Run a bead of silicone caulk (below is what I used) between the panels before you screw them down with roofing screws. If this is a temporary measure forget the caulk. Just get them up there. You can take him down and fix the rafters later. You'll be glad you did this.

 

[Onyxflock]

I can't take it anymore.... the snow, the mud, the rain, the wet feed, the geese looking like they've applied a mud pack from Sephora.... We're thinking of pulling the black rafters, putting in some cross beans and putting on a metal roof (flat seam panels such as those at Home Depot et al). It will be a flat roof and we are in lower NY so we will have some snow load. Anyone have any advice they'd like to share? The run currently looks like this with HWC and rafters. And mud because its been raining for two days... Thanks BYC community!

View attachment 2023514

Your run just needs a few additions. You could add a sheltered lean to along the rock wall side of the run to send the rain to that lawn area. Then cover the side walls to keep the water from blowing in. Last I'd add a perch if some sort, such as a big log or railroad ties to get them off the ground.
Our 20' run is enclosed on 1 end, 3 walls covered in clear plastic because the water was blowing in. You could use any kind of water proof material