The chicken run is now 99% done, but it's blazing hot here now, and the heat/humidity is only going to get worse. We are broke busted at the moment, but I need to figure out a way to provide shade for the chickens since they seem to flock to any sliver of shade they can find when they're out. I'd like to work with what I have, but I don't know what will work. Here are my raw materials:
4X8 Plywood (like 5 sheets)
some timber - 8 ft. 4X4 posts, maybe 3 5ft lengths of 2X6 and some other scraps
landscaping cloth
Sheets (real classy, I know)
Exterior Paint
Indoor wood paneling (fairly large sheet)
I think that's about it. My FIL says that the plywood won't hold up against the elements and that we'd need to put metal roofing or shingles on it if we wanted to make a lean-to. We're worried any cloth we put up will get ripped away by wind. I don't know what to do. I know they'll go inside if it gets too hot, but I really want them to be outside. The coop is a little crowded when they're up and about (it's perfect for sleeping - they fit on the top few rungs of the roost with about 3 more rungs to spare), but they've been cooped up (ha!) this whole time, and if I could keep them outdoors, that would be great.
I'm also in a quandary about what to do with the ducks. After Leonidas got attacked, we're too afraid to put them down at the pond (he's doing great now, BTW), and we have a kiddie pool, but they're almost too big for it now. I also don't know if it's safe to put a kiddie pool IN the run. The dogs seem to be afraid of the ducks (they do that wing-flappy "look how big I am" thing) but I don't trust the dogs as far as I can chuck them. I don't want them to live without being able to swim (not much of an existence for water fowl) but I don't want them to get killed by coyotes or snapping turtles. Gah! Who knew all of this would be so hard?!?
Advice, please, before I lose my mind!
Thanks!
Eileen
Making Shade
Can't help with the ducks...but:
I have purchased shade cloth and draped it over the top of runs ...it works, but it is expensive. The landscaping cloth might work just as well....just fasten it firmly along the edges. It is good to have air flow so that they don't stifle in the heat.
Right now I have a very cheap plastic tarp over a 10' X 10' dog kennel. I attached it with bungee cords--the very thin ones you buy in a plastic jar. I think the tarp was under $15 and the bungees about four...so a total of about $20. I put it up for the rain, but I think it is going to work for the summer since the wind can blow through the chain link.
You could also just lean the plywood temporarily against the run on the sunniest side. And there is nothing wrong with sheets
what about small dead branches spread out over the top. Do you have woods near by. That wouldn't cost you but a little of your time
Well, I should have explained the run a little better. It's like 24' x 36', and as yet, has no lid on it (it will be chicken wire, once I can swing a roll). So I don't have anything to put small branches on (good idea though, we have a lot of wood available to us behind our property). I used to have my dogs in a kennel and did the same thing with the tarp, but again, well...I guess I could do it over a corner. Mostly I'm still concerned about the wind. I could definitely bungee it to the hardware cloth (tarps have grommets, don't they?). That may work. I could even run it down the sides a bit, I'd think. Hmmm....have to look into that one. Keep the ideas flowing! Thanks!
I bought a 10' X 15' tarp and did run it down one side...and yes, they have grommets. If you ran it down a section of the the sunny side and over part of the top it might do the trick. You could even build a small "bench" or table that they could take turns sitting under.
Right now I am letting the jasmine grow up one side of the chain link, for some reason the chickens haven't eaten it--yet. But I was thinking that I could lean poles against the sunny side and grow beans up them. It would give the chickens shade and at least some of the beans would be too far away for the chickens to eat them.
I use a tarp in the heat also but you need to cut small slits in it so the rain can get through or in will fill up with water and sag
I LOVE the idea of growing a natural shade! I'm going to the nursery today! It'll take a while for it to get big enough, but it'd work for eventually! Any climbers I need to worry about being poisonous to chickens?
green: Hubby and I were talking about it yesterday, and since they are grommeted, and with the bunjee cords, removable, we figured we can take it down and put it up in the barn on windy/rainy days since the chickens probably won't be hanging out outside anyway.
Thanks for the amazing ideas, everyone! I think we've got a winning combo with the climbers and the tarp. :)
Eileen
I saw this on a Martha Stewart show. This is what she does for shade. She grows those crooked necked gourds agaist the fence. They grow very quickly and provide lots of shade for her chickens.
I do the shade cloth and also have misters that I run if it gets really hot. I don't run them for too long since we stay wet here due to the humidity but they seem to like it and I can really tell a difference. I put up a lattice on one side of the run that gets direct sun in the late afternoon...leaned up at an angle and grow small gourds up that. That way the chickens can't get to the vines while they are small and the vines can grow up and over the run. You could do grapes or any other edible fruit vine that way too. I also planted some banana plants in front of the runs for shade.