Questions about starting from scratch...asap please!

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Buttercup1979

Buttercup1979

In the Brooder
8 Years
Jan 12, 2012
51
0
39
Northern Indiana
So I found some 3/4" plywood on craigslist that is 4x4x8 and my dad says that's too heavy for a portable coop. It's $3 a sheet and only a little bit of black paint on them. Is he correct? I really thought this would be a good deal. Please help asap. I'm supposed to meet this guy at 4:30pm tonight to pick out the sheets.
 
Okay, my footprint is 4x4 and the walls will be 4" or slightly less. If I put a run on one side and wheels on the coop side, would it still be too much to pull around the yard?
 
I used 3/4 for my floor, 1/2 for the walls, but it is really heavy. That's a great price, but it might not be right for something portable.
 
I definitely planned on air filled rubber wheels 6-8" in diameter. Just for ease of use. Okay, maybe he was right, but I was also thinking for better insulation in our heavy cold winters. Plywood was all they were going to get for insulation. Does that matter much, plywood width?
 
3/4 ply gets really heavy, really quickly. Try to find 1/2", usually labelled as 7/16". It's much lighter. And if your footprint is only 4x4, you won't need that much material, it won't be that big of a cost increase.
If you get any rain in your area, don't use plain ply. You will need to cover the plywood with some kind of siding or tar paper(which will only last a few months). Moisture gets into the wood and causes it to delaminate and warp rather quickly. Even if you paint it. OSB is even worse, and most people mistakenly call OSB plywood, so be careful of that.
A far better solution is to build the frame with 2x2s, and then cover with cedar siding. I know cedar siding looks expensive, but with such a small coop it wont cost that much. It stands up to all kinds of weather, and it looks nicer.
 
Thickness wouldn't matter much as long as you build it tight to reduce drafts. With plenty of straw or shavings the peeps can stay warm enough, but through March and April you might need to hang a heat lamp from the ceiling overnight. You might point it at the waterer to keep that from freezing.
Tom
cool.png
 
Yes, I planned on covering it with extra siding. I cannot afford cedar, thank you for the suggestion. I'm looking to build this for next to nothing since we're on a limited budget. I guess I'll have to concede on this one and tell my dad he was correct. DARN! Oh well. Thanks everybody for such timely replies. I think I will buy one sheet for the floor at least.
 
How often are you going to be moving it? and how far? It is do able but a coop that size won't cost much to build anyway, You could always buy a few sheets of it for that price and use it for something.
 

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