Sydney Acres
Songster
Much to my neighbor's dismay, yes, I have used sheets on my chicken coops, and they do great. I haven't used them for this purpose, but one year we had terrible wind and snow at the same time (which almost never happens in Seattle, so I wasn't set up for it), and the snow was blowing across the pen to the point that it was filling up the feeder. We were snowbound and I didn't have enough plastic sheeting to cover the welded wire sides of the run, so in desperation I tied sheets to the sides of the pen. Wow, it was the perfect solution to lots of things. Not only did it accomplish the goal of controlling snowdrifts, but the temp in the run increased by at least 10 degrees, and the drafts went down to almost nothing. But because the sheets let some air pass, the ventilation was still excellent. In short, I accidentally created a giant tent with a solid ceiling and thin cloth walls. The birds, who had been huddled up in the house, came out into the run and enjoyed their day, and I was able to throw a flake of alfalfa hay in for them to tear apart. I left the sheets on all winter (my poor neighbors), and it kept the rain drifts under control so not only did their house stay dry, but their entire run stayed dry. So after a long day of free ranging in a rainstorm and getting soaked to the bone, they could come into a dry place and run around and flap to help dry off, instead of huddling up in their house soaking wet.Thanks "peeps"! I live in a very small town, so the only nearby suppl stores that aren't outrageous is the ACE Hardware & TSC in the next town over and a Lowe's in the next town over on the opposite side of us. There's one in town, but it's owned by a local & unfortunately, costs more than it would to drive to another town & buy from a corporate store. ACE by far, has been the cheapest with fencing wire, and they'll cut it to any length you want, rather than make you buy the whole roll. I think I'll take a ride down there this evening to get enough to cover the door & roost area. The only thing I'd be hesitant about is using a sheet to cover the gap. I don't have any extras, so I'd have to go buy one (I could totally get one on the cheap from GoodWill next to ACE), but I'd be worried with the type of summer weather we have here, it'd be growing mold in no time. Have you used a sheet outdoors where your at & it last a while? Here, I can't even leave my little one's plastic toys out on our porch when it's humid, bc they begin growing black mold on them. We have moderate rain during spring & summer here. Regardless, I'll make it better than it is & show ya'll once the weekends over
Since that time I've searched the second hand stores and obtained sheets that are better colors, so it doesn't look so tacky. Because they dry out regularly and sun bake, they don't tend to get very moldy in this climate. At the end of the season I take them down and wash them, using double detergent, double bleach, and one cup baking soda in the washing machine, and that gets rid of any mold that may have grown in the folds that don't dry out well between rains. Since that time I've tried to find something else that does the same things just as well (because my husband is a little embarrassed about how it looks), but there's just nothing else that works as well.
You should be able to find a flat sheet for $2-4 at Goodwill. Be sure to measure how big you need it, then add a foot in each direction to tie it down, if possible. If it doesn't work perfect you can always use it for other things. But if you secure it properly, that will protect against hawks until you can afford better pen security.
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