Y'all with wire or tarp roofs on your runs -- GO BRACE THEM

[Momo]

I am SO GLAD I spent many hours perusing this site before building my coop this year; otherwise I would be in exactly the same predicament. Fortunately, however, I have a 45 degree steep pitch truss metal roof covering the run because we get a lot of snow here. I kind of felt as though were making the coop too overbuilt, but not anymore! Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

p.s. I got the metal roofing for free - it came off a neighbour's shop roof when he replaced it. (And I've seen decent used metal roofing going for scrap many times; I would recommend freecycle.org to anyone looking for some.)

 

[chicksalot]

Quote:
You either : 1. Have to shovel... or 2. knock the snow off... I think I would rather knock the snow off. I have so much to shovel already I could just vomit...

 

[winniegirl]

Thanks so much Pat!!!!

I spent the better part of two days last week covering and uncovering my run: first with plastic and bricks while it poured for about 10 hours straight, then removed all when it froze solid, actually WHILE it was freezing I was desparately prying the bricks off the 4x4s, where they had frozen of course.

:

Naturally I waited to do this until 8 pm while husband was out of town and my kids were banging on the window begging for egg nog or some other emergency

Next day I watched the ice storm continue and wondered when the roof would cave in....thankfully the run is small enough only 8x8 with a crosspiece and the ice stopped before noon

And then yesterday I just left the plastic off while the wind blew like a banshee all day and night! And to think I'm way down south in PA, good thing I'm not up north like MN or Canada

 

[MichiganWoods]

I've been out there knocking the snow off of the roof every day or two. It certainly does build up!

CritterHill, WOW!

Love your run!!

 

[FrontPorchIndiana]

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Um, gee, yeah that's probably sufficient.

 

[CritterHill]

Quote:
You can take the chemist out of the construction trade but you can't take the construction trade out of the chemist... Or something like that.

This is the first big project DH has had a chance to do since he left framing houses and became a chemist. I think he missed his framing hammer.

 

[tygab]

Yeah, we lost our "roof" which was a netting material in the ice storm. Now mind you I had heard of this happening to others, but you know sometimes you think "that won't happen to us." Yes, it did!

I am pondering roof solution 2.0, but I'm not sure when we'll be able to put such a thing in place yet.

I would like to see a picture of an angled metal roof if anyone has those...

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
It's just a shed, really. You're building a shed, like a woodshed or livestock shelter type thing, you know?, and putting wire around the sides to make it a run instead of wood around the sides to make it a shed

Be aware this sometimes triggers building permit or zoning issues.


Pat

 

[LynneP]

...adding that a roof rake is a great investment for snow or leaves, and for your safety.
If you roof a run with vinyl, suck up the cost and put your roofing beams every foot, to take snow load...our has held up through (gasp) 8 major snow events, two of them the heaviest snow I have ever witnessed.

 

[sewincircle]

Quote:
Well, when you put it that way....