To tarp or not to tarp?

[PeepBird]

Hey y’all!

First-time urban chicken owner here in need of y’all’s expert advice.

My girls’ coop is mostly wire, with a little covered area on the back. They spend most of their day in a separate run and for the most part only go in the coop at night. My next-door neighbor has a seriously bright fluorescent floodlight that shines like a spotlight right into the coop. Because I’m worried this will disrupt their sleep, and because I live in a place that’s prone to sudden nocturnal rain showers, I’ve been covering them with a tarp so they can have a dry and restful night.

I’m concerned, however, that the tarp prevents sufficient air circulation in the coop. There is a little space where the walls meet the floor, so it’s not like the area is completely sealed, but I want my girls to be as comfortable as possible in there and would hate it if it was too stuffy.

Does anybody have any thoughts, opinions, or creative solutions?
Thanks!

 

[Weeg]

My night time coop has 0 opening due to predator safety, and my hens are fine. I would nt worry about the floodlight with them, but the rain is a factor. For me I use metal roofing, which might help with air circulation because they have the rivets that dip outward, so air could get in that way, and not rain. If you leaved roofing up again the sides or some how attached it to the sides of the coop, where the rain hits, then it would keep rain out, but still have room for ari to circulate. Hope this isn't too confusing.

 

[Weeg]

Heres a picture. I couldn't find one with roofing walls, but the rowing not the top is how I see it, just on the top, and on the sides.

You can see how the roofing has rivets for air int his picture.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Knowing what part of the world you are in and seeing a pic or two of your set up will help us to help you.

 

[Meg-in-MT]

Hello! Welcome to BYC!!

In the absence of a covered run, I always kept at least a portion of mine tarped to keep the weather out. We get a lot of rain in the spring, a lot of hot sun in the summer, and a lot of snow in the winter. Is the front open or do you tarp the entire thing? Just make sure you do have sufficient ariflow.

As far as the light goes, I don't light my chickens so they stay on their natural schedule. It doesn't take much for their coop to be "lit" enough to keep up egg production. If you don't want that, you'll want to cover it up.

 

[Weeg]

I try to stay away form tarps "look" wise, and use roofing, since it is more study and long term. For me with wind, rain and snow, roofing holds up better to the elements because a tarp will blow away, or fail to hold up with watering snow. Whatever works best of you though, Avery

 

[21hens-incharge]

Tarps can also catch the wind and depending on the construction of the structure they can tip it or tear it apart.

 

[Weeg]

Agreed, for me, roofing is the way to go!

 

[aart]

Knowing what part of the world you are in and seeing a pic or two of your set up will help us to help you.

Ditto Dat!^^^^
Can't possibly suggest a viable solution without seeing what you have and knowing where you are.
So, pics please

Oh, and... Welcome to BYC! @PeepBird
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!

 

[PeepBird]

Wow, thank y'all so much for your prompt and helpful responses!
I'm located in southeast Louisiana. Attached are a couple of photos of my humble little setup. It's really just a chicken tractor propped up on cinderblocks, but it seems to work for my 3 girls to shelter in at night.
It's also been a particularly active hurricane season, which makes me nervous about the whole thing blowing away, like y'all mentioned.

Thanks for all the great ideas!