Our chicken run gets full sun most of the afternoon and the girls have been panting a lot lately. I’d rather not tear into a full redesign right now — just looking for something quick and inexpensive I can add this weekend to cut down on the direct sun. Shade cloth, tarps, something else? What’s actually held up for other people long-term versus falling apart after one season?
Good timing on asking this — afternoon sun in a run can really stress birds fast, and a panting flock is telling you something.
The honest answer is shade cloth beats tarps for the long haul. A woven UV-rated shade cloth (50–70% coverage works well for most climates) will easily go three or four seasons if you keep the snow load off it in winter. Tarps work in a pinch but they trap heat underneath, tear at the grommets, and most are shot in a year or two. If you’re only doing this once, spend the few extra dollars on cloth.
Quickest no-drill approach for this weekend:
- Pick up a piece of shade cloth cut to fit your run’s sunniest section — you don’t need to cover the whole thing, just the afternoon-sun side.
- Run a length of zip ties or bungee cord along the top wire of the run and attach the cloth there.
- Leave one edge loose so wind can move through rather than catching it like a sail. That’s what tears things loose.
A couple of things that help it last:
- Reinforce the corners with a grommet kit or wrap a small washer inside the cloth before you tie it — cloth tears at attachment points first.
- If your run has a frame, drape over the top and clip down the sides rather than stretching tight. Slack handles wind better than tension.
Other cheap options people use:
- Old wooden pallets stood on end along the west/south side — free or nearly so, and they create a nice dust-bathing spot in the shade too.
- A few potted sunflowers or a fast-growing vine on the outside of the wire — takes a few weeks but eventually gives natural dappled shade and the birds enjoy watching the bugs.
You don’t need to overthink this one. Get some shade cloth up Saturday morning and your girls will be noticeably calmer by afternoon. What’s your run made of — wire panels, wood frame, something else? That’ll tell me if there’s a smarter way to hang it for your setup.