Winterizing, vinyl Vs. Poly sheeting

[Badchickenpun]

P.S. The poly is clearer than floppy plastic sheets (especially at higher mils like what you'd need, they get cloudier). The poly is crystal clear, it's just that the corrugation distorts your view a little. But not enough to be a problem. I can still see the birds just fine, and they get all the sunlight.

Yeah, I could not use shower curtains. I'm at 8 tall on one side and 6 foot tall on the other, or so. I have 18 ft, 12 ft and 12 ft long sides to cover. I would rather each piece be larger than a shower curtain to pull and wrap tight.
I looked into the price of different poly panels (.11"X3'x8') and they were outrageous.
I think I can use 30 gauge clear marine vinyl, 2x2's for frames and keep it under $500.
The poly panels would be 3X or 4X that price.

 

[DickMidnight]

Yeah, I could not use shower curtains. I'm at 8 tall on one side and 6 foot tall on the other, or so. I have 18 ft, 12 ft and 12 ft long sides to cover. I would rather each piece be larger than a shower curtain to pull and wrap tight.
I looked into the price of different poly panels (.11"X3'x8') and they were outrageous.
I think I can use 30 gauge clear marine vinyl, 2x2's for frames and keep it under $500.
The poly panels would be 3X or 4X that price.

you don't have to cover the entire vertical face of the wall, though. covering the bottom two feet of the walls is plenty to keep wind off of your birds.

one panel ripped in half gives you 2'x16' of coverage.

 

[Badchickenpun]

you don't have to cover the entire vertical face of the wall, though. covering the bottom two feet of the walls is plenty to keep wind off of your birds.

one panel ripped in half gives you 2'x16' of coverage.

Yeah, I sort of want to make a partial greenhouse out there... Covering more will keep out some of the snow as well.
I was doing it all on the cheap until my Disney-hearted wife decided to make pets out of them. Now everything is about their potential happiness.

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

It’s totally up to what works best for you but the shower curtains are easy to manage. As long as you secure them properly they don’t really billow in the wind unless it’s a very strong nor’easter. Turning your chicken run into a greenhouse is not a great idea. They need ventilation. A greenhouse type setup would cause a lot of humidity to be trapped inside and leave the chickens susceptible to frostbite. It’s a good idea to go with what you have on hand and see how that works before investing in a more costly solution. Chickens can handle cold temperatures but it’s the wind that causes them health issues.

 

[Badchickenpun]

It’s totally up to what works best for you but the shower curtains are easy to manage. As long as you secure them properly they don’t really billow in the wind unless it’s a very strong nor’easter. Turning your chicken run into a greenhouse is not a great idea. They need ventilation. A greenhouse type setup would cause a lot of humidity to be trapped inside and leave the chickens susceptible to frostbite. It’s a good idea to go with what you have on hand and see how that works before investing in a more costly solution. Chickens can handle cold temperatures but it’s the wind that causes them health issues.

Not a full greenhouse, I just mean the warming effect. The peak of the green house will have no covering. The triangle above the top horizontal board will be completely open.
This is not a recent photo. The vents in the coop have three hinged doors that swing up to allow me to control the amount of air flow. This view is facing east, so the winter wind will blow in the direction of the photo. I have roofed most of the run, now. And plan to wrap the south, north and west sides. The door is on the east side, no wrap there.

 

[DickMidnight]

Not a full greenhouse, I just mean the warming effect. The peak of the green house will have no covering. The triangle above the top horizontal board will be completely open.
This is not a recent photo. The vents in the coop have three hinged doors that swing up to allow me to control the amount of air flow. This view is facing east, so the winter wind will blow in the direction of the photo. I have roofed most of the run, now. And plan to wrap the south, north and west sides. The door is on the east side, no wrap there.

View attachment 3323500

if you went up to the horizontal framing, that would be plenty to keep your birds out of the wind.

i have my run set up pretty much the same way, and between the roof and the poly panels, hardly any snow gets blown in at all.

closing in that top section of the walls is a waste of plastic, time, and money.

 

[WI chickens]

20 mil marine vinyl is very clear and should last a long time. It's quite a bit cheaper than 30 mil and still thick enough.

Clear poly sheets are almost $200 a piece now.

 

[Badchickenpun]

Clear poly sheets are almost $200 a piece now.

I know, that's crazy. I'll stick with the vinyl. I wasn't sure about the 30 v 20.
I know the 30 with blemishes is not a terrible price, but not sure how bad the blemishes would be.

 

[K0k0shka]

Clear poly sheets are almost $200 a piece now.

Whoa!!! Seriously? How big? I haven't looked in years... I got mine pre-pandemic and they were $17 per panel at 26"x6'...

Just looked them up - they are about $28 now, so definitely more expensive but nowhere near $200!

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Suntuf-...ER_CONFIRMATION_MIXED__V1_M1_CA-_-Product_URL

 

[Badchickenpun]

Whoa!!! Seriously? How big? I haven't looked in years... I got mine pre-pandemic and they were $17 per panel at 26"x6'...

Just looked them up - they are about $28 now, so definitely more expensive but nowhere near $200!

It all comes down to how thick and the overall size.
I would not use anything less than 1/8 inch thick. Any thinner and you might as well use roll vinyl. The thinner stuff can crack relatively easy if you aren't careful when cutting or handling. And not all clear plastic panels are the same, certain ones will yellow much faster than the others...