Topic of the week - Chicken run management

[urbanchick1950]

Our problem is we have no roof structure under the tarp. Because our enclosure is a chain link dog kennel we arent sure how to roof it in a more permanent way. We ARE Late 60'S And I aM Disabled SO We Are Looking For DIY solution.

 

[SNJchickens]

Well, if you are 1950 I have a few years on you (and DH has a few more than that!)
Don't despair. There are ways to boost the shedding power of your tarp.
When I first started with the tarp I tried using a stiff wire sub-strata but it held snow. It was flat so rain/snow just sat in the tarp and I had to bail it out. (Why is frigid water in the dead of winter so much heavier than warm water in the summer??)
Sooo, I cut some plywood triangles and placed them along the wire. I covered them in rags so they would not cut the tarp. This worked better.
The final boost was to drill a hole at the peak of each triangle and put a dowel (actually a bamboo pole) as a support under the tarp. That worked like magic for the entire snowy winter!
What I was going to do next was use the triangles to support the wire I had previously used flat, but we opted for the frames you see in the pictures.
My 2017 project will hopefully be to reinforce the side walls to hold weight then roof the run with a permanent roof. We shall see how I feel.

 

[urbanchick1950]

We are thinking the pvc arched roof bracketed to the kennel top rails with tarp roof will be our best option...gotta figure out the details though.

 

[SNJchickens]

That's a great idea!! Easy to attach the PVC to the chain link. Lightweight so it will be easy to handle. PVC has some great joining pieces to make fabrication a breeze.

I hope you take photos as you do the roofing.

 

[Redneck81]

I bought a dog kennel 10 * 6 and used 1/2" hardware cloth all around. Put it 12" deep in the dirt, and extended it out 12". Then I later 3/4 inch stone, and added edging. The hardest part for me was the door for me to get in. My roof now is poultry fence, covered by a tarp. I like the PVC idea and will fabricate that and then secure the plywood triangle for the outside edge of the roof.

 

[gmfwlbrdr]

Use pvc water pipe or cpvc and bow them at arch fasten to kennel top like you would frame the roof then fasten tarp down tight on the bows.

 

[Ballerina Bird]

How do you keep rain from pooling on the tarp roof?

This drove me crazy, too, on my run, and so I ended up building simple angled framing onto the top of the run to attach polycarbonate roofing panels. The framing causes the panels to sit on a slant so rain runs off them. It is more of an initial investment than a tarp (small amount of lumber and the panels, which are easy to get at Home Depot), but to me it has been worth way more than the cost to have a no-maintenance roof that lets light in and no standing water.

 

[NaJoBeLe]

Our problem is we have no roof structure under the tarp. Because our enclosure is a chain link dog kennel we arent sure how to roof it in a more permanent way. We ARE Late 60'S And I aM Disabled SO We Are Looking For DIY solution.

I see there have been a few recommendations of PVC(which I love). Another option and possibly stronger would be metal conduit. The key will be that it needs to be arched. If you go flat it will hold water and eventually fall in.

 

[Ballerina Bird]

@urbanchick1950 asked me to post some photos of the roof I described, so here they are in case they are helpful. I am a little too short to shoot from the ideal angle, but basically, you can see how I added a series of right triangles (made of spare lumber from building the run) to the top of the run and then attached the polycarbonate panels. I did have help with this, but I think someone a little handier than me could do it pretty easily. The polycarbonate is easy to work with as it doesn't shatter if you use a power screwdriver to attach it to the frame. For me it was hard to stretch a tarp tight enough over the frame so that it would never sag anywhere (plus my run is quite tall, which made it harder), but I think that could work fine if you are stronger and handier than I am and have a shorter run.

 

[urbanchick1950]

Wow! If we could have built our enclosure would Def steal idea but because of easement restrictions we had to have something we could dismantle (in theory anyway).I'm using your idea of covering the ceiling with wire BEFORE roofing with PVC and tarp though...Much easier than worrying about separation if the arches fail.
Thanks so much.