best wood for coop?

[Momlife+chicks]

I’m going to get the wood so we can start building our coop! What kind of wood have you found to be the best and withstand the weather?

 

[Ridgerunner]

I find that anything that touches the ground needs to be rot resistant, either treated or one of those like redwood or fir that lasts a long time. I use regular pine lumber and plywood for anything that does not touch he ground. It is important that water does not stand on the wood so avoid flat roofs.

If your coop has a wooden floor you may have issues. You cannot allow that bedding to stay damp or the wood will rot. If that wet bedding goes up on the walls some you can run into problems there too. So what you do there depends on what your coop looks like.

 

[lazy gardener]

As RR says, your design will affect your choice. Have you chosen your size, your building plan yet? IMO, you should first determine your size. Then, if you want to go easy on your wallet scout out your windows and doors. This time of year I can get all the free windows and doors I could ever hope for from the town dump or from the road side on trash day. My coop is so adorned with free thermopane windows and steel full thermopane glass door. After you get all your free materials, you can then frame your building to fit the free stuff. You can see my coop in the interview listed in my signature.

I used OSB b/c the cost of plywood was more than I could justify at the time. Plywood would definitely be more durable. But, I painted my coop inside and out with at least 2 coats of paint, and I used vinyl rolled flooring on the floor. A product called Black Jack would be great to cover floor and at least 12" up interior walls.

Be sure to add LOTS of ventilation, at least = to 10% of coop floor space, make the coop tall enough. Make it walk in style, and you will never regret it! Birds also like lots of natural lighting. And build good roof overhangs to help shed the weather.

 

[Momlife+chicks]

I honestly have no clue how big I’m planning or anything. This is the first time I’ve ever had chickens so this is my first time having to worry about a coop. I have 6 chicks (3 are 5-6 weeks and will be moved in as soon as it’s done and the other 3 are about 2-3 weeks so will be moved in later) my husband will be building it.

 

[Momlife+chicks]

Where can I get that black jack stuff for the floor?

 

[Momlife+chicks]

I have a big 12X7 dog pin that I was planning on putting a coop in and letting them have that as a run. The coop will be just for night for them to lay and when the weather is really bad.

 

[lazy gardener]

I would build a walk in coop that is at least 4 x 8, with shed style roof. That will give you enough room, and minimize the number of cuts you need to make. You could plan to add a run section on the front at a later date which would turn your coop into a Woods open air style coop in the future. (Do a thread search. IMO the Woods coop is by far THE BEST style for many climates!)

By the time your coop is built, your chicks should all be ready to go into it. My chicks are brooded outside, and wean themselves off heat by 4 - 5 weeks of age, with night time temps getting down to low 30's.

 

[Momlife+chicks]

I think we’re going to build a coop 4 feet long, 4 feet deep, and 5 1/2 feet tall. And then put the black jack on the floor and up a few inches on the walls. Does that sound big enough for 6 chickens? And if so how many nest boxes should I put and how many roosting bars?

 

[Ridgerunner]

For six hens I'd go with two nest boxes. That should be plenty. I'd go a bit bigger, say at least 4' x 6'. Most building materials come in 4' an 8' lengths so those dimensions usually work out well when sizing a coop (less cutting and waste) but a 2' space isn't too bad. You can use the cut-off to build nests. For 6 hens one roost 6' long should work pretty well.

I like a little taller coop. You don't want the roost sot be very high in a coop that small, the taller it is the more floor space they need to fly down. But the roosts need to be higher than the nests, otherwise they might want to sleep in the nests. Who wants poopy eggs? But a coop needs good ventilation without a strong wind blowing on the chickens on the roost in winter. With a taller coop you can put a lot of ventilation up high and any breezes pass over the chicken's heads.

 

[gator75]

I used redguard water proofing for my floor and lower walls rather than vinyl. It's worked great. My tile guy had some left over from a job so it was free. It's pretty expensive but you don't need much. Also, a good primer and couple coats of latex paint should work. Even if I used pressure treated plywood, I'd still coat it with something.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/RedGard-...38817&wl11=online&wl12=23912248&wl13=&veh=sem