Explainer

Winter Covers and Clear Tarps for Chicken Coops and Runs

A winter cover for a chicken coop is heavy plastic or a tarp fixed over the open wire sides of the coop or run. It blocks wind and wet at bird height and heats nothing. Ohio State University Extension calls it an effective temporary wall and sets one limit: the cover must not reach the roofline. The ready-made covers on this page are marketplace listings with seller data only, so none of them is a pick.

by the editorial team updated October 11, 2026 7 min read

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The short version

Cover the open wire sides of the coop or run with heavy plastic or a tarp, and stop below the roofline so that moist air can still leave (Ohio State University Extension). Plain thick plastic sheeting from a hardware store does the job, according to Delaware State University Extension. Ready-made clear covers add grommets and ties. Their thickness and durability are the sellers' statements, so we describe them without naming a pick.

Jump to a section

What a winter cover is for
Hardware-store plastic or a ready-made cover?
Three ready-made covers
How to choose
The roofline rule
Common mistakes
Where the cover fits in the winter plan
Bottom line

What a winter cover is for

Wind is the thing a cover deals with. The University of New Hampshire Extension writes that a cold wind entering the coop takes away the birds' natural ability to keep themselves warm, and calls protection from precipitation and wind paramount. A coop or run with open wire sides lets that wind straight through.

Three extension services name the same remedy:

Source	What it suggests	Its condition
Ohio State University Extension	Heavy plastic or a tarp over open fenced sides, as a temporary wall against wind and moisture at ground level	Do not extend it to the roofline; do not eliminate ventilation
University of Maryland Extension	A thick plastic sheet or tarp hung over problem areas where wind blows directly on the birds	A vent or opening near the roof stays open
Delaware State University Extension	Thick plastic sheeting or a tarp over cracks or whole walls, applied with a staple gun on wood	Take it down after winter and pick up all staples

None of the three names a product, a thickness or a brand. That matters for the buying decision.

We cite the Delaware State fact sheet for its practical points on plastic sheeting and staples only. The same fact sheet recommends brooder lamps for winter heat, which is not the line this site follows; the reasons are on the page about heat lamps in a chicken coop.

Hardware-store plastic or a ready-made cover?

Plain plastic sheeting is what the sources describe. Delaware State calls thick plastic sheeting and tarps affordable solutions available at most hardware stores. You cut it to size and staple or batten it on.

A ready-made cover is a tarp sold for coops, with reinforced edges, grommets and ties, according to the sellers. It goes onto wire without tools and comes off in one piece in spring. The clear versions let daylight into the run.

Which is better is not something a source decides. A cover from a marketplace listing has no manufacturer website, manual or data sheet that we could read. Its thickness, material and durability are the seller's statements. For that reason this page describes three listings and names no pick.

Three ready-made covers

All three are marketplace listings. Every figure below is the seller's statement, and none of the three is a recommendation.

Seller data only, not a pickAd

Marketplace listing

Clear 4 × 10 ft tarp, 16 mil

A clear 4 by 10 foot tarp sold for winterizing coops: it blocks wind on the open sides of a run and lets daylight through.

We only have the Amazon listing for this product. We list it as an option, not as a recommendation.

Why here: The size already mentioned on our winterizing pages: four feet of clear tarp for the lower part of a run wall. Size, thickness and durability are the seller's statements. Leave the top open for ventilation.

Best for: Coops and runs with open wire sides that need a temporary windbreak at bird height.

What speaks for it

Needs no electricity
Clear material lets light into the run
16 mil thick, according to the seller

What to know first

Marketplace listing: thickness and durability are the seller's statements
A cover that reaches the roofline shuts off ventilation, so leave the top open (Ohio State University Extension)
It blocks wind; it does not heat anything

Type: Clear tarp, unheated
Power: none
Size: 4 × 10 ft (according to the seller)
Use: Temporary wind cover on open run or coop sides
Price class: budget

See it in the comparison

View on AmazonAd · paid link · price and delivery shown on Amazon

Clear vinyl tarp, 4 × 10 ft

The listing describes a clear, see-through tarp of 16 mil vinyl with a grommet every 15 inches, 16 elastic ties and 33 feet of rope, all according to the seller. Four feet of height suits the lower part of a run wall and leaves the top open without any cutting. The 4 × 10 ft clear tarp^* (paid link) is the size already mentioned on our winterizing pages.

Clear vinyl tarp, 6 × 10 ft

The same listing in a taller size: 6 × 10 ft, 16 mil clear vinyl, with 14 elastic ties and 33 feet of rope, according to the seller. On a walk-in run it covers more of the wall, which makes the roofline rule more important. Measure how far below the roof the top edge will end before you order the 6 × 10 ft clear tarp^* (paid link).

Translucent PE cover, 6.6 × 10 ft

A different material from a different seller: translucent polyethylene, 6.6 × 10 ft, with metal grommets every 19.7 inches, 16.4 feet of rope and 30 cable ties, according to the seller. The listing states no thickness. Translucent means that light comes through but you cannot see the birds through it. The 6.6 × 10 ft translucent cover^* (paid link) sits in the low price class.

How to choose

Measure the open sides first. Width and height of each wire side, and the distance from the top of the cover to the roof. The seller of the clear tarps asks buyers to measure before ordering as well.
Start with the windward side. New Hampshire asks that ventilation openings sit on the side away from prevailing winds; the cover belongs on the side the wind comes from. Delaware State notes that some coops need almost all four sides winterized.
Clear or translucent. Maryland advises situating housing so that sunlight can enter during the day. A clear or translucent cover keeps that light; an opaque tarp does not.
Fastening. Grommets and ties for wire, staples or battens for wood. On wood, plain sheeting is as easy to fix as a ready-made cover.
Reach. Fix edges so the birds cannot peck at them. Ohio State makes the same point for spray foam and caulk: sealing material must not be accessible to the chickens.

The roofline rule

This is the one point on which a cover can do harm. Ohio State University Extension writes that when blocking drafts you must not completely eliminate ventilation, and that the sides of a heavy plastic tarp should not extend to the roof level. A run or coop wrapped to the top holds the moisture the birds breathe out. The University of Maryland Extension asks for a vent or opening near the roof or ceiling so that ammonia and stale air can escape.

So the cover goes on from the ground up and stops short. Where the opening should be and how large is covered under chicken coop ventilation. Why moisture matters for combs and wattles is explained under frostbite in chickens.

Common mistakes

Wrapping to the roof. Leave the gap.
Covering the vent. A cover over the ventilation opening undoes the reason for having one.
Expecting heat. A cover stops wind. It is not insulation and not a heater. What insulation does and does not do is on the page about the insulated chicken coop.
Plastic near a heat lamp. The NFPA tip sheet asks that heat lamps be kept away from anything that can burn. A plastic sheet is one more thing that can burn.
Leaving staples behind. Delaware State warns that chickens may eat staples that are left on the ground.

Where the cover fits in the winter plan

A cover is one step of several. The full autumn checklist, from the roof to the wiring, is under winterize a chicken coop. If the coop has no power, the cover belongs to the set of measures described under heating a chicken coop without electricity, and the daily routine is on the page about how to keep chickens warm in winter.

Which one for which coop?

If you one or two open wire sides face the wind and you want to check the roofline rule first
Coop ventilation in winter
If you want the whole autumn checklist, not only the cover
Winterize a chicken coop
If the walls are solid and the question is insulation
Insulated chicken coop
If the coop is tight and dry and the birds still show signs of cold
Do chickens need heat?

Bottom line

Heavy plastic or a tarp on the open sides is a measure three extension services name, and its one firm rule is to stop below the roofline. Plain sheeting from a hardware store meets the description. A ready-made clear cover is the more convenient form, with data that rests on the seller's word. Pick the size from your own measurements, keep the top open, and take it down in spring. The overview of everything else that helps in the cold is on the chicken coop heater start page.

Questions keepers ask

What is the best plastic for covering a chicken coop in winter?

The sources name a kind, not a brand. Ohio State University Extension speaks of heavy plastic or a tarp, the University of Maryland Extension of a thick plastic sheet or tarp, and Delaware State University Extension of thick plastic sheeting like a high-density painter's plastic. None of them states a thickness in mil, and no independent comparison of coop covers was found.

Should a chicken coop winter cover go all the way to the roof?

No. Ohio State University Extension states that the sides of a heavy plastic tarp should not extend to the roof level, and repeats the point for drafts, snow and rain: do not extend the material to the roofline. The gap lets humidity and ammonia out. The same fact sheet names humidity buildup in a poorly ventilated coop as something that predisposes chickens to frostbite.

Does a clear tarp keep a chicken run warm?

It keeps wind and wet off the birds, which is what the sources ask of it. The University of Maryland Extension describes a sunroom of old windows or clear plastic that acts as a greenhouse and heats itself from sunlight, without stating by how much. No source read for this page gives a temperature gain for a covered run, and we state none. A cover is not a heater.

How do I attach a tarp or plastic to a chicken run?

On wood, Delaware State University Extension suggests a staple gun, and asks you to pick up every staple when the plastic comes down in spring, because chickens may eat them. On wire, the ready-made covers are tied through their grommets with the rope, elastic ties or cable ties that the sellers include. Fix the cover so that the birds cannot reach loose edges.

Can I leave a winter cover on the run all year?

The sources describe it as a seasonal measure. Ohio State calls the tarp a temporary wall, and Delaware State describes pulling the plastic down once the long winter is over. A run wrapped in plastic in summer would hold heat and block the air movement that every extension text asks for.

Sources we read

Keep reading

Who is behind this page

chickencoopheater.com Editorial Team

Coop heat, winter water and the sources behind both

We are the editorial team at chickencoopheater.com. We read what university extension services, the NFPA and manufacturers publish about heating a coop and keeping water liquid, and turn it into plain-English buying advice with the sources on every page.

Extension and fire-safety sources named
Manufacturer data and manuals compared
Disagreements between sources shown
Compared by manufacturer data

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