Coop Roof ??

[DoubleCRanch]

I think the coop looks amazing! I think plywood and storage on top is a great idea. The girls will love it!

 

[Hope Hughes]

Sorry for your loss of chickens. That coon population must be crazy there!!! I agree chicken wire is not the safest thing out there. Maybe for at night you could build a enclosed roost for them to go into at night,if you have any of the issues that @jeria has encountered. but with that being said I think you are ok with what you have. we all learn what works in our area over time. Every location is different. But again follow what your gut tells you and what you decide in the end.

 

[TalkALittle]

I would go with a solid roof and utilize it for some storage area. As for ventilation, you mention putting doors on the shed so I assume you will be closing them at night? Maybe during the day, too, at times? If so, I would suggest increasing the ventilation in the shed as a whole. It looks like the eaves are closed but you have cut some holes where the roof peaks. Is that to be your only ventilation? If so, and you plan to keep the whole shed closed at times, you will need more. I suggest installing some top hinged windows that open outwards in all the walls of the shed to let in plenty of light and give you ventilation options.

As for the chicken wire vs. hardware cloth debate, if you are closing the shed door at night then you are probably safe with the current chicken wire, as the shed itself looks very secure. If you might not be there to shut them up every evening or plan on leaving the doors open during warm months then I would definitely consider using hardware cloth over the whole thing.

 

[ChickenNewB17]

So we took them on a field trip to check out the new coop today. Now to do some furniture arranging and decorating the inside. I think we will go with the plywood roof and we'll see how it goes without adding any more hardwire cloth for now. Like y'all said we can always add it later. ONE MORE QUESTION: there is some exposed wire at the bottom of the coop from where we cut it off, is there a need to cover that with trim or something so the girls don't cut themselves? Or will they just figure it out and avoid it? We obviously pushed it under as much as we could. Not trying to be a helicopter chicken momma, but again, I am a first timer.

 

[Hope Hughes]

Awe they are so cute!! Your kids will sit there and watch them for hours! So will you! But you will want to cover up anything that has sharp edges. With it being at the bottom they like to scratch everything and they could get bubble feet or even hurt there eyes if they go after a bug. I would defiantly figure out a way to cover it. we put our wire on he outside of our new run. our old coop (that someone had gave us) had it on the inside and with them scratching it hurt their feet so we ended up cover those up with wood too.

 

[jeria]

I'm a newbie and just starting my coop. Plans are to cover every exposed piece of wire-- Personally I don't like getting cut by it and figure it's safer for the chicks.

 

[TalkALittle]

I'd cover the edges of the wire with strips of wood. Yes, it will prevent anyone from getting poked, but just as importantly, it will reinforce the hardware cloth. Animals will try and push their way in and if your hardware cloth is just stapled on then it will be all to easy for them to push their way in. I prefer to have the wire laid on the outside of the framing and either attached with screws and washers or seams and edges reinforced with strips of lumber.