coop roof options ...

[GoodEgg]

Hello all,

I'm going to be undertaking some major work here soon. I need a shelter for the geese (locked away from predators) and the ducks REALLY need a new one (again, predators). My coop is still fine, but I have 7 standards sleeping in a large dog crate that are going to stretch the limits of my coop, so I expect I have to build something new for them. I live in northwest Florida, so the cold is not too much of a problem for mature birds, but the heat can be an issue.

I'm leaning towards the duck/geese pens (and POSSIBLY the chicken coop) being a wooden frame with wire walls, a covered pitched roof, and I can probably just put up tarps for rain or cold as there isn't TOO much need for serious shelter here. (Deep litter method chicken coop may be a problem, because I may need real walls to keep them dry.)

My most pressing need is for the waterfowl though. I looked at roofing materials today ...

The tin may be too hot, I'm thinking? They do like shade during the day, but I think they'd hate this.

I read what people said about the plastic ... there is a plastic panel available here (vinyl?) that is supposed to provide a little shade on decks, I think. It seems so flimsy though, and I don't know if it would protect from predators.

There is another type, thicker fiberglass I think it is, with little pebbling on one side. It STINKS! I am concerned that it may have some chemicals in it that I don't really want around my flocks.

I'm not ruling out plywood, but my coop with painted plywood walls is suffering a bit after a year in the weather. Can anyone tell me a very cost-effective way to weather-proof the plywood, if there is such a thing? Must I go with tarpaper and shingles?

I may just paint the plywood and stretch a tarp over that too. I really WANT pretty coops, but I'm not sure I can afford them. What works is what I really need. I can't think of another option, if there is one. Any suggestions much appreciated!
Sorry this is so long!

trish

 

[professor-yellow]

Paint will help preserve plywood walls. I wnr ro Lowes ( a big hardware chain) and bought mismatched exterior latex. A five gal pail cost me 25 dollars. it was a color that blended with the bamboo and the price was right.

For roofing, i bought woven poly in a 11 mil thickness online. If I remember it was 39 cents a square foot before shipping. Good stuff.

 

[dixygirl]

You may be talking about sheets of corrugated plastic at Lowes or Home Depot. If you want your coop to be pretty you should sit down and draw design so you have a plan. It doesn't have to be expensive but you have to be artistic and creative. Then take it bit by bit untill you compete it!

 

[GoodEgg]

Yes, I'm looking at corrugate tin, plastic, and fiberglass at Lowes and Home Depot. Sorry if I wasn't clear enough.

I painted my old coop ... it's an A-frame with plywood sheets for the walls, and they are painted. It's a year old (almost), and the plywood warped in places where the water seeped inside somehow, but that happened almost immediately. It's not much worse now a year later. It's just too small with 7 new standards coming up.

Looks are less important to me than functionality. I'd LIKE for it to be pretty, but ... I have to do what I can afford, and I need first and foremost for it to be safe from predators and as cool as possible.

I may go with tarps over painted wood, if there is no other suggestion to weatherproof the plywood. I'm not sure about using tarpaper and shingles ... I think that would get into too much money.

I may go with salvage yard plywood and the cheapest tin over it ... that would hopefully keep the tin from radiating too much heat into the coop, protect the cheap plywood from water, and give more protection from predators than just the thin tin.

Still thinking out loud, but I have to figure this out quickly.

Thanks!

trish