Building my coop - need advice on materials !

[Pitikok]

Hi @EggSighted4Life

Thank you for the advice !
As I said I'm leaning towards the LP multi-use panel (but I probably change my mind about 10 times a day ) for the exterior, possibly the roof (as claudiabostic suggested). I'm trying to figure out if I can also use it for the floor.

I have raccoons here, foxes and possums (at least) - so I'll definitely need to secure around the coop !

I haven't decided on what kind of chicken to get (I'm already having a hard time deciding on materials, choosing chickens may take another year ).

 

[claudiabostic]

Hi @EggSighted4Life

Thank you for the advice !
As I said I'm leaning towards the LP multi-use panel (but I probably change my mind about 10 times a day ) for the exterior, possibly the roof (as claudiabostic suggested). I'm trying to figure out if I can also use it for the floor.

I have raccoons here, foxes and possums (at least) - so I'll definitely need to secure around the coop !

I haven't decided on what kind of chicken to get (I'm already having a hard time deciding on materials, choosing chickens may take another year ).

If humans are going to walk on the floor I would choose something thicker than the LP utility panels. For our big coop we used tongue and groove OSB panels that would be used for a floor in a house. A bit more than half inch thick if I remember right. I put a layer of half inch hardware cloth on the underside of the floor and then the OSB over it to keep mice, rats etc out of the coop. That coop sits about 2 feet above ground level and the chickens use the area under it for shade and to keep out of the rain in the daytime. And we don't lose any run area to the coop. On top of the OSB we layed vinyl plank flooring and we put pine pellet bedding over that several inches deep. The vinyl flooring is easy to clean and helps keep the OSB dry under the bedding. Wood shavings would also work well for bedding over that floor. We shovel the bedding out periodically and after 3 years the vinyl flooring still looks great.
When it came to getting chickens, I got 3 pullet chicks each of a few breeds because I'd never had chickens before. I've learned a lot from those chickens. Each breed has a different personality and there are differences within each breed, too. The only problem we've had with having several breeds is that we ended up with one chick that looked different from any other chicks and she got picked on some. As long as they have at least one buddy of the same breed, the different breeds have gotten along well.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

My floor is hardie board panels on 2x6 edges with 2x4 joists, 24" o/c. Adequate for supporting my weight across such short spans. Like @claudiabostic and many others, my coop is raised of the ground. 3' Makes rolling the wheelbarrow in and raking spent straw into it much easier, provides a large shaded area underneath where my birds can escape the FL heat and my ducks can sleep overnight. Also, **just** tall enough for me to crawl under without getting completely covered in droppings when a duck leaves an egg there.

 

[Kung-Pow Chicken]

I'd like to hear the story behind your coop name (I'm French)

Lol. I didn't feel "Chicken Palace" or "shack" in "Texas English" (or at least not by Cambridge standards) was not as "regal," or "sophisticated."

 

[LightedPrism]

We used this multipurpose panel we found at our Lowes. You have to paint it right away that's the only thing. It's textured, but it looks pretty good and is holding up good. We also have it on the outside walls of a run-in shed. But it's a fairly cheap way to go if you're looking to save a little and are not to picky on how fancy you want to get.

Here is the link to the siding:
https://www.lowes.com/pd/LP-LP-Multi-Use-Panel-Application-As-4-ft-x-8-ft/1002550422

Does it Have to be painted to be water proof or did you paint just for aesthetics?

 

[tsperry88]

Does it Have to be painted to be water proof or did you paint just for aesthetics?

Most exterior engineered products come primed and rated for an amount of time before painting. It will be waterproof, but primer won't hold up over time.

 

[paintedChix]

The last coop I built I made a sturdy drawer for the floor and put 1/2 inch hardware cloth for the bottom of the drawer then covered that with 1/4 inch hardware cloth. I did put a couple of 1x3's across the bottom to support the weight of adult chickens. The wire was not enough to support them by itself. The drawer is about 6 inches deep and I keep it fairly well filled with flake bedding. The bedding dries very quickly, doesn't smell as much and this coop has noticeably fewer mite problems than the solid floored coops that I have. I don't pull the drawer out very often, most of the time I just scoop up the poops. But I do like that I can pull it out every so often and really clean it out. Next coop I build will be a larger one and I'm planning several drawers.

I'm not picturing this well, can u post pics of it?

Happy Holidays!

 

[Myrth]

I built something like that many years ago that held 6 birds adequately. It was essentially a 6 foot cube with a slightly pitched roof framed similarly to what you have there.

For the interior, I used exterior grade plywood for the floor of the box. Around the upper box where they could roost and lay, I used T111 wood siding, painted. Around the rest of the enclosure I used chicken wire. I had a little ladder/ramp from the roosting box down to the ground level. They could go outside and scratch and peck.

For the roof, I used translucent white corrugated barn roofing, to let in sunlight.

My idea with that design was to make a sort of chicken tractor. It was a bit heavy for me to move, though. It was really a two person job. But if it was moved to new grass every day or two, it allowed them to eat grass, weeds, bugs, etc. And though the grass looked destroyed after the tractor was moved,the grass and forbs would rebound spectacularly.

I made two doors. One was a walk door (about 2’ x 6’) that I could get into the enclosure to deal with a bird if needed. The other was at the back of the roost box, so I could clean it out and collect eggs.