Winterizing Run

we are in Michigan and are wondering the same thing. We are new to chicken keeping.
We have a heated waterer but are planning to avoid using any supplemental heating. Here are some pictures of our Coop. The coop faces the West. Was wondering about putting up some clear plastic on the front and or maybe the north also. Dont want to block the sun but wondering if it is wise to block some of the winds coming from the north and or west. the run is covered but wondering what snow may blow in. Curious about what others in similar climates might suggest..
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we are in Michigan and are wondering the same thing. We are new to chicken keeping.
We have a heated waterer but are planning to avoid using any supplemental heating. Here are some pictures of our Coop. The coop faces the West. Was wondering about putting up some clear plastic on the front and or maybe the north also. Dont want to block the sun but wondering if it is wise to block some of the winds coming from the north and or west. the run is covered but wondering what snow may blow in. Curious about what others in similar climates might suggest..
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Did you read the replies??
 
I made the covers in 6 sections that I labeled. I store them in the cellar when they come down. I ripped deck boards in half and used them to pin the tarps down onto the vertical uprights on my run with 3" exterior screws.
Believe me, DL KNOWS how to do this kind of thing! Her run is awesome, and her building skills are prodigious. (If I lived near her, I'd beg and grovel to be her apprentice.)
we are in Michigan and are wondering the same thing. We are new to chicken keeping.
We have a heated waterer but are planning to avoid using any supplemental heating. Here are some pictures of our Coop. The coop faces the West. Was wondering about putting up some clear plastic on the front and or maybe the north also. Dont want to block the sun but wondering if it is wise to block some of the winds coming from the north and or west. the run is covered but wondering what snow may blow in. Curious about what others in similar climates might suggest..
I'm in Michigan too. Here's a picture of my run from last winter. You're looking at the west side, and it's covered with shower curtains. They wrap around the NW and SW corners about 3'. I used zip ties through the shower curtain grommets, and laid the excess length on the ground. I covered that with leaves to hold it down; eventually the snow held it down too. The shower curtains held up well enough that I can use them this year too.

The black tarp on the roof is the black/silver heaviest duty tarp TSC had, tied with zip ties. (I secure a lot of stuff with zip ties.)

Behind the run is my garage, to the right of the run is the coop. So the east side was in the lee of the garage, the south side had about 3' open past the coop. The west side was covered, the north side was mostly open, but there are some trees in that direction to act as some wind break.

I had heated water in the run, but no supplemental heat in the coop. I did put some Christmas lights in the run, but only had them on during daylight hours. It was pretty dark in there; I hope using clear roofing will make it less so this winter.
 

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I do not put up any panels on my run, and I do have a fair amount of wind, and I always have heaps of snow.

My chickens have access to their run all winter long, but they don't like using it with lots of snow and wind.

My greenhouse connects to the chicken shed, so I open the door between the two.

The chickens get access to the greenhouse all winter long, and that gives them more space, as well as lots of light.

My bantams do NOT get a greenhouse. Their run is more sheltered from both wind and snow. They get nothing special for winter.
 
This was helpful! I am in WI and get snowy/cold winters as well. I will be attempting some plastic this winter for the run, hopefully the ladies still go outside
Last year was my first with chickens and did something similar to @Sally PB. My girls were out all winter.
My coop is covered but the main run is open to the north which I covered with a tarp. I did have clear plastic along the east side and south to keep the snow out.
The ladies were good as long as there is no snow or big winds in the run. Good Luck!! 49996A17-A9C7-4BD6-9308-BEFDAECCE0B8.jpeg
 

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