Wet and muddy... Should I build a wall?

[Tanichca]

Hi everyone! Well, it's that time of year when the gigantic monsoons come a'roaring in. Now, for a few months every year, it is ridiculously hot and dry here, so my coop is pretty much entirely open, except for the back wall. But, with the way our storms come through, rain pours through the three open sides (covered in chicken wire) and soaks the coop, the nest boxes, the ground, and the birds! The chickens aren't very happy, needless to say, and there isn't anywhere to go that's dry enough to protect them. So my question is, should I build a door on hinges for one of the sides, where the rain comes in most, and just close it when it's raining and open it when it's not? Should I build a half wall? I don't want to lose any ventilation during the long, hot days of early summer. Any advice would be great! Thanks in advance!

 

[10 point]

A door with a window (or plexie glass) would be your best bet for one or all of the sides that are open.

 

[Time-Out]

How about a gazebo-type cover? It'd be wind and rain proof, but you'd need to secure it down properly. Then, you just fold it away the rest of the year. It'd save you spoiling what sounds like a perfectly-designed house the rest of the year round.

 

[Tanichca]

Both good ideas... It needs to be cheap too, and NOT ugly at all. Right now, one side is covered with an old tarp, which is just

not pretty, to say the least.

 

[Chick named Lola]

I have the same problem. I went to Big Lots and got those bamboo stick type roll up blinds. They say for indoor use but who cares, it's wood. Air gets thru, even some light. When I don't need them, I roll them up. Looks great and it keeps a considerable amount of rain out. My next improvement will be to get a truck load of fill dirt and raise the floor and the ground around the coop/run. i found a home improvement company that does a lot of landscaping and they not only give the fill dirt away for free, they load your truck! They have to pay to get rid of it the end of every year! Best part, they are right next door to Southern States! Kill two birds with one stone...no pun intended.

 

[ailurophile23]

Depends on the size of the run, but I ended up putting some metal conduit (PVC pipes work too) in arches over the top and then attaching a tarp over that - looks clean and neat, keeps the run dry except for the worst storms, and also provides much needed shade in the summer. You could either take it off for the non-monsoon season or leave it up for shade. And you could add a matching tarp side/wall if needed.

 

[Tanichca]

I like the bamboo idea... But wouldn't they get blown around by the wind? The wind here, on top of our hill, is pretty strong..

 

[teach1rusl]

How deep is your run?? Even in an open coop type of situation, I'd still want at least 3 ft. or so depth of sheltered area. So I'd actually build a wall out on both "sides" (front left open) deep enough to where they would have a sheltered area of roost space.
Also, if you go online, they sell nice looking tarps of many colors (to coordinate w/your house/yard colors). Tarps don't have to look bad - if you chose the "roll it down and secure it as needed" options for the sides.