Coop Siding

[Centerville Bill]

I am in northern Nevada where winters get cold (below freezing) and summers are hot and sometimes the wind really howls! We get less than 20 inches of rain each year and may even get 100 inches of snow. I am building my second coop and am trying to think about how to improve on the first one (I am really pleased with the first coop). I framed the first on 24 inch centers which worked really well for me and I plan to do the same this time. The first coop used 3/4 inch (nothing is what it says it is, but that was the description) plywood for the siding and roof and am thinking about saving costs on the second build (building my own windows for sure). Does anyone have experience with OSB or 1/2 plywood as siding or roofing? I do not plan to insulate and intend to leave the studs exposed on the inside.

All input is welcomed.

Bill

 

[Rancid Crbtree]

Im building mine now and using T1-11 siding. Ive used it on other outbuildings, its great stuff. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Plytani...ual-0-563-in-x-48-in-x-96-in-113699/100000016

 

[aart]

Does anyone have experience with OSB or 1/2 plywood as siding or roofing?

1/2" plywood should work fine.
I'd stay away from OSB.
Either would work for roofing if it's covered with shingles or metal panels or some other non-permeable roofing material.
With that much snow, just make sure the underlying rafters are spaced well to be strong enough to with stand the snow load.

 

[littlecoopnextdoor]

I have OSB siding on two long sides of my henhouse and 1/2" ply on the end sides. The OSB faces south and north. My coop is raised and I have a steel roof. The OSB is painted with exterior paint, three coats of dark/bright blue. I'm in my second winter with it and so far, no issues at all. In my area we have very damp winters and a fair amount of snow, and in the summer it's very hot and the one side has sun on it almost all day. That said, I have a small coop in the grand scale of coops on this site, so probably depends how large you're going.

 

[Jakemedic]

We used T1-11 on our hen house. Takes paint well, although the south side really takes the blunt of the sunshine. May have to wash one day and repaint the next. I have used OSB on projects before. Inside, painted it’s fine, but it was never designed for exterior use uncovered. I may use metal for the walls on the next build.

 

[SandyRiverChick]

You could consider siding on my 2nd coop OSB (expansion of coop 1,) however it has spray foam, styrocrete/ stucco paint exterior. I would not leave exposed OSB on exterior unless you want to replace it in a few years. Just sounds like mold and critter food waiting to happen. I'd for sure go with plywood if given only the 2 options.

 

[GXPWeasel]

I used the above mentioned T1-11 siding for my coop as well. It really isn't much more expensive than OSB, by the time you figure in the amount of paint it takes to make it weatherproof (a lot more for OSB) and the longevity of the T1-11 vs OSB.

 

[StinkyAcres]

My first coop's siding was all painted OSB. Sure, it lasted a few years, but a few years is not usually what chicken keepers want. Eventually the OSB siding on my coop rotted through where it got wet, disintegrated in the sun, and rodents and chickens ate holes in it.