Winterizing run!

[AlayC]

Hi!

We live where we get pretty bad winters and it’s our first year of having chickens and have a question on how to wrap the run for cold temperatures, snow and wind.

We’ve started wrapping the run with plastic sheets to help keep it warm and away from the elements, and u have concerns about ventilation. The run has three sides and a door, how many sides should be covered by plastic?

Thanks!

 

[etenn01]

How big of a space and how many chickens?

In TN I wrap mine and throw everything but the kitchen sink around it. Extra plywood, pallets, hay bales, tarps, and the roofing is just laid on top. I have a radiant heater for inside the hen house for only when it's below zero.

 

[aimee750]

I'm in Iowa, so we get a good amount of snow and cold here. I tarp about 1/3 of the roof and the entire west side, which is predominately where our winter winds come from. That's it and it works very well for our birds.

 

[aart]

The run has three sides and a door, how many sides should be covered by plastic?

Depending on your wind directions, you could do all sides or just 1 or 2.
Leave a foot or so long the top of run walls open for ventilation.
Pics of your set up would help here...along with your general location.

 

[bearcreekbees]

My new winter chicken run is a 12' x 8' cattle panel hoop house. I just bought two heavy duty clear tarps- one to go over the top and the other to cover the open end. The tarps just arrived today and have not been installed yet- but I am guessing that I will have a 4-6" gap at the end that is furthest from the barn (coop is inside the barn and the chickens have access to the run through a window). Not sure if I want to leave that gap or not. The window will probably stay open all winter, although I might wind up closing it at night when temps get down to 20 below or so, so with even a small gap at the far end I expect to get some ventilation- not sure exactly how much I will need though.

I can't leave any large part of the run open because we get so much snow and strong, cold Northern winds that blow right through the chicken yard in the winter. I am hoping that during the day there will be enough solar gain that some of the hot air will flow into the unheated coop and warm it up a little.