We had a series of high winds come through here before I got the tie downs I ordered. I would read the ten day weather report to see if there were any more high winds expected, and if there were I would take the tarp off the pen. If not, the tarp would stay on. But a high wind warning, I found out, can only be given a few hours before the wind hits, so reading the weather report didn't help. So when a high wind warning would come through I would run out and disconnect the tarp covering three sides of the rooster pen and leave it attached in the back, and throw big rocks on the tarp to keep it from blowing. Then when the wind was gone I would pull the tarp back over the pen and attach it with zip ties. The tarp was to protect the roosters from the heavy rains which came with the winds so what this meant was that there was no protection for the roosters from the heavy rain when the wind came. I got tired of attaching and disconnecting the tarp. You have to get a picture in your minds eye of the muddy slop you're feet would sink into after these heavy rains. Clear up to your ankles!
Reattaching the top meant dragging a ladder around the pen and pulling the tarp over the top, attaching with new zip ties. Then I thought I had found a good solution. I attached the top with bungee cords - they were easier to disconnect and reconnect, and I tied a long piece of poly twine which came off the straw bales I buy, through the middle tarp grommet and tied this down with plenty of length and then I could pull the top over the pen by placing the ladder in just one place. This worked well the first time, It was so much easier to put the ladder in front of the pen, pull the twine which brought the tarp back over the top and then refasten with the bungee cords. In fact it worked so well I attached more twine to the grommets at each end
of the tarp, and tied the long end pieces of the twine to the pen so the twine wouldn't blow over the top.
The wind is really frightening. It sounds like a freight train is heading right for your house, getting louder and louder, during the night you listen for sounds of your house coming apart and trees falling, stove pipes blowing away, etc. The first year we lived here the wind pulled off the twelve by fifty foot patio roof and tossed it up in the air and it came down on our house and through the roof. That is why there is a nice skylight in our bathroom!
The next high wind warning I was ready, and went out and disconnected the bungee cords. I went to bed not worrying. The wind would blow the tarp over and off the pen, and according to my plan, when the wind was gone I would go out and pull the twine to get the tarp back on. In the morning when I looked out the bedroom window, I thought Oh! Oh! I couldn't see the top of the pen sticking up from behind the fence, so I went out and the whole pen was trashed and the roosters were happily wandering around the yard. A red tailed hawk nabbed one as I was contemplating the scene.
What had happened was the wind tangled the bungee cords with the the twine which was tied to the front of the pen and the wind had blown the tarp which had pulled the whole thing over and really broke the back aluminum kennel rail in about five places. It was a tangled mess.
The little hutches never moved though, they were really heavy and close to the ground, and the roosters were dry and happy!
The next day my tie downs arrived and the wind apparently was through for a while. So my broken pen is tied down awaiting repair!
The roosters are still in there wishing they could be out! I wish they could too!
The Andrew Sisters - my retired Laying Leghorn Ladies - there are non better!
