2x2 construction or 2x4 construction??

[al6517]

I would go with 2x4's .

 

[chicksalot]

Quote:
I built my coop with 2x2 lumber & it is solid. It has withheld the heavy snows of winter in WI. Click on my page link, scroll down to see pictures of it thru the building process. It is good to ask what has worked for others...unfortunately, you get MANY different answers (because we are raising chickens under different conditions & climates, oh yes, then there's personal preference too). Just remember coops come in many different sizes & shapes...choose what is most economical & will work for the number of birds you will have & the size of yard space alotted for them. Good Luck to you & your birds!

 

[PurpleChicken]

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I just want to bring attention to the OP's statement.


MsBear, those are beautiful, well made coops. You obviously have
good woodworking skills. Ripping a 2x4 on a table saw is not easy
and dangerous for someone without the experience. Like I said in
a previous pot I will by cheap sheets of 3/4" ply and rip 2 to 3" strips
to make cabinets, cages, benches and even tractors.


My feelings are that chickylou should use 1x2 pine for a small tractor
or coop. They are light and easy to work with.



Chicklou, do you have woodworking experience? What tools do you
have. Those two factors are what really counts.

 

[jvls1942]

I am a contractor for 35 years..

2x2 are very difficult to drive nails into the end without splitting the wood.. plus a hundred other reasons to not use them.

you can buy precut 2x2, bu I defy you to find a straight one..

stick to 2x3 or (2x4 better)..

 

[mountaintopchicken]

I agree that ripping 2x4's on a table saw is kind of a pain and dangerous if you are not used to it.

I can't get 2x2's here and have to rip them. I would only used lumber that small something like the tractor I am working on, with the coop section only being 3'x4'.

I know what you mean about feeling that working with smaller dimensional lumber would be easier, because I felt that way myself when I started building. I am also a woman, and when I started building chicken coops I didn't even know how to use a drill.

I built things with 1x3's and 1x2's at first, but I have since learned that it just doesn't make much sense to do that unless what you are building is very small. And using 2x4's shouldn't be more intimidating in practice. If you have a good little miter saw (mine is a small Ryobi that I got for about $100 from Home Depot) than cutting a 2x4 is no different than cutting a 2x2. and what you build will have a better chance of holding up to time and weather. That was my first, hardest lesson - build something poorly with small lumber, and you will soon have a piece of unsightly unusable junk in your yard that needs dismantling/rebuilding. But take your time, use the right stuff, and you will have a great useful coop for years to come.

 

[PurpleChicken]

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It's hard enough to find straight 2x4 around here.

 

[tinners204]

Quote:
Good point!!!!

 

[jvls1942]

Quote:

It's hard enough to find straight 2x4 around here.

yeah, it takes forever to pick through the pile, doesn't it??

Now take one of those snakes and rip it into 2x2's ,,forget it.. unless you want to make a pair of skis.. or a giant corkscrew...

 

[Msbear]

Yeah, my hubby takes his good ole time going through those huge stacks. Each one he takes out, he closes one eye and checks it for warps. I wonder what they do with all those picked over pieces... probably ship them up to you, PC

I guess it just depends on how big you want the coop, if your planning on moving it around the yard, and if you want to save some money. Our answers to these questions led us to the obvious answer. Even that big duplex -you better believe we're detaching the run and loading it on a trailer when we move

I'm not worried about it falling apart because we also have 3/4" barnwood siding the exterior as well as 4x4 corner posts.

 

[chookchick]

I used 2 by 2's on my smaller coops to keep them light and portable. I've been using up PT fence railing--it is nice and straight. I will NEVER used just plain 2 by 2's again. I tried to pick out the straightest ones and they STILL were warped and just drove me nuts! So I would say--use the PT fence picket material and check it carefully. Didn't have any problem with splitting using smaller decking screws.