Help constructing coop walls.

[braindead101]

My daughter bought one of those kits. Dh and I put the thing together. What a waste. 10x10 proved to be 10x9'6 and there wasn't a single 2x4 in it. All the woods were second grade, no true cuts and the walls were a cheap 1/2" paneling. By the time we added the drip edge and roofing she had spent enough to make up for building from scratch. Do the job right or don't do it at all. You may not like the lay out of money in the beginning but the finished product will hold up much better. You'll be happier in the long run.

 

[JackE]

My daughter bought one of those kits. Dh and I put the thing together. What a waste. 10x10 proved to be 10x9'6 and there wasn't a single 2x4 in it. All the woods were second grade, no true cuts and the walls were a cheap 1/2" paneling. By the time we added the drip edge and roofing she had spent enough to make up for building from scratch. Do the job right or don't do it at all. You may not like the lay out of money in the beginning but the finished product will hold up much better. You'll be happier in the long run.

What kit was that?
Jack

 

[crazychickenwom]

I am in the process of building my coops right now as well, and have been collecting free or nearly free materials from craigslist and friends and family. I am using a shipping crate, very old oak wood flooring a family member was taking out of their house, and a few choice pieces of lumber from the hardware store. My coop, here in Ohio, will be a 14' x 14' coop with a divider in the middle, wood tongue and groove flooring, double hung windows, and tin roof. The whole project is going to cost me about $250.00 with the majority of expense being the 4 x 4 posts for getting it off the ground, and the chicken wire to fence it and the run in. Also, I have made a separate basic tractor for meat chickens that I will only use in the summer. I plan to run electric to the coop for lighting and a heat lamp just in case we have any really cold nights in the winter. The light we will be using was reclaimed from my fiance's work.

Although I am now known as the crazy chicken lady to all of my friends and family it has really paid off! Remember, it never hurts to ask if anyone has any old materials laying around!

Good luck to you and your chicken adventure!

 

[AtholCoop]

I went to home depot to purchase materials for my coop walls. My intent is to insulate the walls and after costing out framing, plywood x2 each panel it was going to cost a small fortune.
Any suggestions for cost effective walls?

How big of a coop do you plan on building?

I cover my wall building technique in both of these:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/atholcoops-chicken-coop
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/funky-chicken-coop

Typically I use 3/8" plywood for the walls on 4x4's and 1/2" for 4x8's. I use 3/4" for all roofs primarily because I need the thickness to hold roofing nails.

 

[riftnreef]

Back to the insulation bit...I'm in West Central Ohio and do not insulate my coops. If you keep a breed with nice big combs, you may have to put some vasaline(sp?) on to protect them on the coldest and dampest of nights, but as long as the coop is well ventilated, you should not have problems with that. I keep the larger windows shut in the winter months to cut down on wind, but placement of the coop with a closed wall facing West helps too.

As for materials cost...well, building materials are pretty expensive, but here are some shortcuts I have taken.

I use 2x3's in place of 2x4's...they are around $.50 cheaper each at Lowes. I use the smart siding for the exterior walls...it's about $20 a panel, but that comes out much cheaper than T1-11, and gives you a very nice finished look. If the looks aren't so important, you can use painted OSB...but keep in mind that even a little moisture can wreak havoc on that stuff. The coop I just built two weeks ago I tried the Ondura corrugated roof panels, but I think the metal is better although the choice of colors in the Ondura is nice....so a little give and take I guess.

 

[firedancer]

HELP! my husband bought a pre-fab, per-painted T-11 for the exterior of the coop. i am asking him to return bc i don't like the idea of pressed board and all the chemicals associated with it. also, the interior walls look like cardboard composite. even though it's made for exterior it looks quite inferior to plywood. his argument is if he has to move it (its on an old camper trailer) it will be lighter, its cost effective and plywood is also glued so its unavoidable. thoughts please. i don't want my chickens to get sick. will they peck at the wall??? if they do, i bet they can eat right through it!!!!

it means a trip back to home depot but we are only doing this once and i want it done right!!!!