Winterizing, vinyl Vs. Poly sheeting

[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.

 

[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...

 

[jreardon1918]

I got the 10 ply shower curtains. I installed them on the inside of the run EEEEk the wind got them flapping around the same day. I need to install them on the outside. The girls are spooked by them flapping in the wind.

Where we use the really cheap & thin dollar store curtains they really flap. We too do them on the outside of the run. And we secure them with strapping. That minimizes the flapping. It does put holes in them. Which makes them last only one season.

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

Thank you for the tip! I will secure them on the outside. I have some long pieces of molding I won't use so I can wrap the top and bottoms. Then use zip ties to attach them to the chain link kennel.

I’ve found that bungee cords and stretchy clothesline rope works better than rigid boards. And they are much easier to R&R.

 

[jreardon1918]

I’ve found that bungee cords and stretchy clothesline rope works better than rigid boards. And they are much easier to R&R.

Bungee cords... That solves the problem of using screws in the middle of the curtain. Will give that a try next year. Or if I have to do a repair at some point this winter. Thanks

 

[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

 

[BDutch]

The first year I made a screen with old packing material from mattresses. But that lasted just one winter.
The second year i bought a few second hands windows to block rain and wind. Got a few glass windows and polycarbonate panels for free. They all last many years.

If possible I avoid buying vinyl or pvc (in facto the same poisonous plastic). Polycarbonate and glass is a better choice for the environment. Old windows are often very cheap to get bc many people change single glazed for double or triple HR++ glass.

 

[Jenni Hen]

I've just done a quick Google on translucent fibreglass panelling and found some, but only uk firms. These days it tends to be called GRP (glass-reinforced plastic) or FRP (fibre-reinforced plastic. I'm pasting a link to an article that describes it so you can check whether it's the same material as your robust panelling. https://www.stabilit.com/en/products/translucent-sheet-reinforced-with-fiberglass/
I'd looked at it for adding walls to my run but shuddered at the price!