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First time coop building - wood types

post #1 of 5
4/5/12 at 8:00am
Thread Starter 

I'd like to know what kind of wood to use for my chicken coop.  This includes what type of wood.  Whether it should be painted or not.  And whether it should be treated or not.

 

Also, do your chickens pick at the wood at all?

 

Thanks

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post #2 of 5
4/5/12 at 9:29am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jrb599 View Post

I'd like to know what kind of wood to use for my chicken coop. Well we used treated for our posts ( ours is off the ground 2.5') and for the floor framing.

 

This includes what type of wood. Construction grade. (that's usually pine)

 

Whether it should be painted or not. Paint or a sealant would help with bugs later, or if you use a cheaper grade of plywood and have to seal it up.  (my concern with paint is when it starts to chip off and they eat it)  I have heard of people using linseed oil to seal the wood. 

 

And whether it should be treated or not.  I feel that if any wood is in contact with the ground/weather it should be treated. but this is just my opinion. others won't use treated at all. Your decision.  

 

Also, do your chickens pick at the wood at all? I did not use treated wood for the plywood floor. and the wall framing.  I don't think they will pick at the wood just to eat the wood. maybe to get a bug or 2.

 

Thanks  Good Luck with your decisions.



 

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post #3 of 5
4/5/12 at 12:55pm
Thread Starter 

So why did you use treated wood for only the posts?  Why not the whole thing?

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post #4 of 5
4/5/12 at 2:50pm

The posts were sunk into the ground 3' in concrete....so they would be in contact with the ground at all times.

 

We also used treated for the outside framing of the floor...they would possible be exposed to the weather.

 

Then inside that frame we used regular construction grade wood with regular 3/4" plywood on top. (To save on the cost of the coop)

 

We also used 2x3's for wall framing instead of 2x4's. We also added a primed siding product that came in 4' x 8' sheet.

I believe it is an exterior siding. it has fake grooves every 5" or 6" i think, with an over lapping edge. (just nail it up easy!) 

 

The size of our coop is 16' x 10' (we have 40 chickens...lol)

 

You can use whatever you feel comfortable with. We tried to keep our costs down as much as possible. With that said it still cost a lot.

We did have some things already. but not much. 

 

I did find a $13.50 pre-hung metal door with a window in it and 3 free windows from our local habitat for humanity resale store. I did a lot of shopping there. They have every thing.

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post #5 of 5
4/5/12 at 3:38pm

I used treated wood for the floor framing, and regular lumber for the rest of the framing. I used a product from Lowes called Smartside for all the sheathing.  Used pine for all the trim.  I painted everything, inside and out.  As far as to the birds picking at the wood, Had no problems at all, they're chickens, not woodpeckers.

Jack 


 

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