Finally a dry chicken pen!

[TheRealWitwiki]

I’ve been fighting a wet soggy pen for quite some time now. The chickens didn’t seem to be bothered, but feeding them and changing water was miserable. So I decided to wrap the enclosure with thick plastic and it seems to be doing the trick. Yes there are areas of ventilation you just can’t see them in the picture. My coop is on a hill so there is a open section underneath where the chickens normally congregate on rainy days to stay dry. This is much better so now they have more room to scratch around. I’m pretty happy with it and now have plans to construct an actual greenhouse that they can winter in. This will do for now.

 

[Punkybrewster]

Just watch out for snow and rain caving in the top with the plastic up there. Dont ask me how i know.....

 

[ChickNanny13]

or heavy rain caving in the top

 

[azygous]

Cozy! Chickens appear content, too.

Rain and snow and wind can do a number on plastic sheeting. Be proactive and look at vulnerabilities to those elements so you aren't fighting torn loose and madly flapping plastic in a wind driven rain storm or a heavy wet snowfall.

When I wrapped my run in plastic, I didn't think about the wind, and it tore loose in a storm. I was trying to subdue the sheet of plastic on the roof with no luck when some friends drove up and helped me get it under control.

Now the plastic I use on my run is mounted onto firring strips and fashioned into 3' x 5' panels. There are no large sheets to tear loose and flap madly. The panels can be more easily taken down in spring and reused as-is next winter. The run roof is fiberglass corrugated panels and are permanent and pitched to shed rain and snow.

 

[Folly's place]

Reframe that roof for snow load and heavy rain as soon as you can, because it's not good to have it collapse, especially if you are inside!
When we finally actually roofed ours, it was framed at least as well as a house would be around here. Worth it!
Mary

 

[Folly's place]

I was also tired of the wet run, and shoveling it out, and the mess. Roofing it, actually incorporating it into the coop structure, has been wonderful!
A few years ago a large spruce fell on it during a wind storm, and only some shingles and plywood had punctures. The framing held up with no problems!
Mary

 

[bluemerle]

I have a coop roofed with two arched cattle panels ($30/panel) and I love it. Sheds snow load, rain, wind, what have you, and covered with a tarp it stays bone dry. Definitely worth the investment!

 

[Folly's place]

Hoop coops from cattle panels are very nice! We have one for the red rangers when we grow them out in spring, and it's easy (sorta) to move around too.
Mary

 

[RebelChief]

I have sand down in my run and after almost two solid days of steady moderate rain, I am so glad I did that. The coop is covered with a plastic corrugated roof which is angled to keep the rain running off the back. The only place were there was any water in the run was where they had dug a hole and the water has seeped in. The mud here is like glue. If you walk on it it just cakes up on your shoes. Unfortunately, all around the outside the set up was muddy where the contractors had killed all the grass. I had sand left from the delivery for the run so I just spread it all around the outside of the coop and run. One benefit, I can now easily tell if there have been any pesky raccoons sniffing around because they leave very nice foot prints in the sand

 

[speedy2020]

I have sand down in my run and after almost two solid days of steady moderate rain, I am so glad I did that. The coop is covered with a plastic corrugated roof which is angled to keep the rain running off the back. The only place were there was any water in the run was where they had dug a hole and the water has seeped in. The mud here is like glue. If you walk on it it just cakes up on your shoes. Unfortunately, all around the outside the set up was muddy where the contractors had killed all the grass. I had sand left from the delivery for the run so I just spread it all around the outside of the coop and run. One benefit, I can now easily tell if there have been any pesky raccoons sniffing around because they leave very nice foot prints in the sand

I have sand run without roof cover. The run good for about 4 years. It rain dog/cat here in Washington. I finally put about 6" thick of the wood chip couple days ago. Will try to cover with the Polycarbonate Roof Panel in the summer.