Chicken coop roof, overhang and construction methods

[Folly's place]

Birds love insulation! Cover it or have it eaten!
My coop doors have big windows, covered in hardware cloth. In winter, I cover the openings with two layers of clear plastic, set in a frame. One door, not two for each opening! Much easier.
Mary

 

[WashingtonWino]

Birds love insulation! Cover it or have it eaten!
My coop doors have big windows, covered in hardware cloth. In winter, I cover the openings with two layers of clear plastic, set in a frame. One door, not two for each opening! Much easier.
Mary

Oooo really good idea! Tell me more about the clear plastic? Do you recall where you got it or what it’s original purpose was so I can look in the right area of the hardware store?

 

[WashingtonWino]

My chickens have been loving pecking at the foam blocks I’ve got in my crawl space vents for winter, little monsters. The plan was to sandwich it between the OSB inner wall and the plywood siding to keep it out of reach. Do you think if I put it between the roof supports they’d jump for it?

 

[Folly's place]

I bought the rolled plastic sheeting at the big box store, but everyone has it. My open coop/run walls get covered to about one foot of the top for winter. Doubling it acts as a bit of insulation too.
Cover any insulation you use, and don't leave cavities for rodents to inhabit.
I'm still a fan of roof insulations, but have taken the rest out over rodent issues. It's cold here in winter, and the birds are fine
We staple the plastic to the cool framing and then screw wood strips over it to keep it in place. It's reusable for a couple of years that way.
Summer.
Winter.
Mary

 

[WashingtonWino]

Wow Folly, what a coop! I wish I had this much room. Your flock looks very happy. Thanks for the clarification on the sheeting, that makes total sense!

 

[Sunshine Flock]

Caveman, you’re speaking my language! The top section that provides the roof slope (I’m calling it a “riser”) will be wire as well, hardware cloth for sure. I’ve got a good secure auto coop door and an outdoor dog so the girls are nice and safe, but hardware cloth is definitely on my mind.

Both of the long sides of the coop will be large doors, already framed in. I’m thinking for summer of switching out the two doors that face into the run with wire doors instead of solid. Then when cold weather comes back around, the solid doors go back on. I’m insulating the doors as well with leftover foam panels from a garage door insulation project, which is why I framed the thing in such a back-assward way. Thanks for the advice on posting a new thread, I’ll sure do that.

Cheers from wine country!
Washingtonwino

I read that as an auto door and an auto dog! I was like, wait, no. I'm reading that wrong.

Lots of folks prefer 1/4" hardware cloth, but I snapped some welds with little effort. It's also harder to stretch tight. I can't stand baggy fencing. The 1/2" welds and wire are stronger. I haven't snapped one yet.

But for strength and cost effectiveness, we chose six foot 2x4" welded wire fencing by Red Brand. Another brand we found wasn't as strong, even though it's the same gauge wire. Go figure. So we framed out the chicken run with the tall stuff, and then I layered 1/2" hardware cloth over the bottom three feet, and I trenched down about eight inches (wanted to dig deeper but too difficult) and sunk some more wire around the perimeter. I used a roll of wire to stitch it to the heavy duty fencing. And then added a 16" buried straight from the fence.

That's a long paragraph for me. I can't even remember why I said all of that!

 

[Sunshine Flock]

I bought the rolled plastic sheeting at the big box store, but everyone has it. My open coop/run walls get covered to about one foot of the top for winter. Doubling it acts as a bit of insulation too.
Cover any insulation you use, and don't leave cavities for rodents to inhabit.
I'm still a fan of roof insulations, but have taken the rest out over rodent issues. It's cold here in winter, and the birds are fine
We staple the plastic to the cool framing and then screw wood strips over it to keep it in place. It's reusable for a couple of years that way.
View attachment 1239726 View attachment 1239727 Summer.
View attachment 1239729 View attachment 1239731 View attachment 1239733 Winter.
Mary

I'm glad to see these photos again. I remember them from a few months ago. Loving that sloped roofline at the back!

 

[Folly's place]

It all looks better this year; this spring, one of those big spruces fell on the roof and punctured it! Newly patched sheathing, and finally matching shingles!
It's taken us 25 years to achieve this coop!!! Three additions and alterations, and I love it!
Mary

 

[Aunt Tat]

Well, no , It is actually Rich. Below is a family photo.
View attachment 1178683
I'm on the right. DW on left. Some of our offsprings enjoying dinner with mom and dad. BTW, we have no birth certificates......

Oh, and I did want to include a pix of my chickens..
View attachment 1178684

Reminds me of a saying my mom had "Useless as hen's teeth"