Airflow in your coop is your biggest concern whether its summer or winter. Roost & Root Coops use passive updraft ventilation in the roost areas to protect your sleeping chickens year-round from inclement weather while at the same time making sure they get critical ventilation, key to their respiratory health during hot & cold seasons and in particular, protection from frostbite in sub-zero temperatures.

But extreme storms can bring too much of a good thing to the outdoor areas of any coop. Snow / Storm Panels are for the run areas of your coop and add temporary extra protection for extreme sideways driven stormy weather in hot or cold seasons.

Panels keep sideways rain and wind-driven snow from making things too sloppy in the run areas that chickens hang out in during the day. They are designed to be attached and detached during inclement conditions in warm or cold seasons, only when needed. Panels are “transparent” for maximum clarity but they also can provide some shade. Where needed, ventilation is added to panels to make sure they do not cut off too much air circulation while still being able to protect your flock from… umm,  fowl weather. Panels will not make your coop “waterproof” but will knock out the vast majority of wind-driven snow and rain in the “outdoor” run areas.

As for the physical panels themselves, they are corrugated and made from 100% recycled UV protectant enriched polyethylene plastic sourced here in North America. Polyethylene is both waterproof and freezeproof and stays flexible. Flutes in the plastic give it the necessary rigidity. They are tested to SAE J1960 which is an outdoor exposed plastics standard. When used seasonally during inclement weather, you should expect these panels to last at least 3-5 years before the plastic degrades. Depending on your locale, they could easily last longer when used intermittently.  The retaining clips will last indefinitely and can be re-used on new panels.

Depending on when you bought your coop and the model of the coop, panels are attached via a slot and tab system, retaining clips, or retainer rails. The idea is the same, put them on when the weather turns bad, take them off easily when its nice again… and let light in while your coop is covered.

We wind tested the panels using a leaf blower that blew 100 MPH according to the manufacturer and had storms during testing that had 40 MPH winds and gusts. Real-world reports we have say the panels are staying in place until the wind (or gusts) is exceeding 50-60 MPH+ which is tropical-storm-force winds. There are a variety of conditions that could allow a panel to blow loose in extreme conditions. Keep in mind…if the wind is blowing 30 or 35 mph, it could easily be gusting to 50 mph or more!

Please Read: If you have life-threatening frigid conditions it is recommended to double-check that panels are correctly installed. If you are unsure that panels are properly installed, please give us a call. During the dead of winter, you’re probably going to leave them on anyway and better safe than sorry about a freak gust, debris, or some other circumstance causing a panel to blow off.

Please Note: This accessory ships for free when purchased with a coop due to bulk rate shipping on packages. * Zone based per item rate calculated in cart starting from shown price.

Please Note: We have customers who from time to time purchase our accessories to use with non-Roost & Root products. Due to the custom nature of our accessories design and fabrication, we cannot warrant the suitability of their use outside their intended purpose.