Build or Buy?

[olayak]

When you say roost table are you talking about poop boards? Any pictures available for clarification?
I don't want an auto door. I'm afraid it will trap someone outside or even come down on top of a bird injuring or killing it. Of course I've never seen one in use so maybe my fears are unfounded.

I did a lot of research and finally bought the Ador Chicken Door
https://adorstore.com
It has a safety feature so that they don't get caught! I didn't find that in any other automatic door.

 

[Cryss]

OH YEAH- another thing -- the floor of the coop!! Rubber mats - like one would use in a horse stall. They make 1/4" rubber mats in varying widths up to 4 feet wide - usually those are on a roll and you can cut them to size very easily with a box cutter. Personally, I like to use the 4ft x 6ft stall mats that are 3/4" thick, or the 4ft x 8ft stall mats that are 3/4" thick. The reason I like to put down the rubber stall mats is simple - they will save your floor. They're non-slip (unlike something like linoleum, for example) - they keep the poop, spilled water and whatever else happens in your coop over time from sinking into the plywood or concrete floor. I build them right into the floor myself, then cover the seams with a 1x4" board screwed into the floor. I use the 1/4" thick, 30" wide rubber mats on my roosting tables. Here are links (obviously you'll have different stores in NJ than we do) to show what I'm talking about.

https://www.farmstore.com/product/rb-rubber-34-in-rubber-stall-mat-4-x-6-ft/
https://www.farmstore.com/product/rb-rubber-14-x-30-in-rubber-mat-per-foot/

WALLS -- FRP (fiberglass reinforced panel) is the stuff they use in public bathrooms where anything might splash (or be splashed!!) onto the walls. They come in 4x8ft sheets. They can be glued with FRP glue (I like "Titebond FAST GRAB FRP glue" myself, the Liquid Nails FRP glue is almost useless and/or takes a lot longer to dry where the Titebond is instantaneous). I use them floor to ceiling. One reason - it brightens up the interior of the coop - the light kinda bounces off the FRP. But the real reason -- It makes it so easy to scrub down - because poop WILL wind up on the wall. I promise. I know … you might be saying … wood is easy enough to clean … well- here's the thing about that. Plywood will retain moisture after you've gone after it with water and a scrub brush. FRP you can dry after cleaning.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/48-in-x-8-...-Reinforced-Plastic-FRP-Wall-Panel/1000174771
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Titebond-G...dhesive-Actual-Net-Contents-448-fl-oz/3227253

Back to your question about the roosting tables ...​

It can depend on your version of a poop board. I build mine as a table and put casters (wheels) on the bottom. Also - I put a 1/4" thick rubber mat on my roost tables - keeps the poop from sinking in to plywood and is SOOOO much easier to scrape clean … especially with Sweet PDZ powder or granules on top. Poop boards will expand the life of your coop floor bedding. Everyone finds their own preferred medium for the coop floor. I fell in love with pine pellets - the brand varies based on region - Blue Mountain, Nature's, Dry Den etc -- I like them because they suck the moisture out of poop instead of smearing on shavings or straw. The added bonus comes when they break down from absorbing moisture etc. because it turns into a great dust bath material when outside is mud/frozen/snow.

Here are a couple pictures- I make mine flat. The white is FRP on the walls, with PVC molding covering the seams. The double bars are about 8.5" above the table, and have a 6" distance from one to the other. Mine like to perch on the double bars- and the blue 2x3 that makes up the edge of the table. I like the 30" wide version because it lets me put their feeders and waterers under the tables where they stay pretty darn clean.

View attachment 1632438

I should add a blurb about window safety: I use hardware cloth inside and out to make 2 layers any predator would have to get through to make a window their entry point. Not chicken wire, hardware cloth. Amazon sells it for much less (about 1/2 the cost) of most of the big box and farm stores, just make sure you're getting the heavier grade (correction: the bigger number the "gauge" is, the flimsier the product. 19 gauge is thicker than 23 gauge) -- I *think* 19 gauge is the right stuff.

View attachment 1632444

There are auto doors that swing out as well as auto doors that go up and down. There are even models that close at night, and then re-open for a couple minutes to let any stragglers in. Now- of course I wouldn't use one when the chicks are babies, especially if it's a group of chicks with no momma hen. Baby chicks are quite clueless.

Almost all doors are programmable. I adjust the opening time to about 15 minutes after sunset. If the light is on in the coop and it's dark outside, they'll want to be in the coop … once they figure out the ramp situation, but that's a whole other thing. I've got around (I stopped counting) 120 chickens including lots of broody hens and their babies most of the year - and have never had any kind of injury from the door. Yes, lockouts can happen - that's the first thing I look for in the evening - but compared to a possum or raccoon or fox or owl coming into the coop and feasting on your babies- I'll take a lockout or two any day of the week.

As we all say - to each their own, if you don't like an idea- do what works for you!

Are the floor mats over plain wood? Or is the wood painted first to protect it? I have heard of using black jack 57 but that needs certain air temps and long drying times so I'm curious about these mats.

 

[Shezadandy]

Are the floor mats over plain wood? Or is the wood painted first to protect it? I have heard of using black jack 57 but that needs certain air temps and long drying times so I'm curious about these mats.

I put them over plain 23/32" plywood - I worried about putting anything on top of the wood because a painted surface with rubber mats over it will never allow any moisture that DOES get in there to leave- and what can grow in nice wet places with no outlet for moisture isn't pleasant to think about. I used the same design for my 250lb goats - 2x4 (bigger animal, thicker board over the seam) screwed down to the floor centered over the seam- and many water buckets tipped over with no issue. Having absorbent bedding (I use pine pellets for goats and chickens) is probably key. I think if moisture does happen to get past the mats, it's better that it be able to work its way down and dry out. We build ours into the building- so the wall frames sit on top of the mats (makes a great gasket for the building). They last a long, long time- designed of course for horses who are much harder on them than chickens ...