lining inside of coop with plastic

motherhen

In the Brooder
12 Years
Mar 25, 2007
67
2
41
Halifax, NS
Just starting out. Does anyone line the inside of the coop with plastic and does it cause any problems like excess moisture? How much venting do you need?
I need feedback for my coop. I am using palettes for walls and I will fill the space in between walls with straw and then cover the walls with banner material. I will have 2 vents one on south and north side of the walls. I do need insulation because it does get cold in the winters. Does any see any problems with this design. I am doing everything on next to no budget.
When I build the nest was wondering if stacked nest are better then side by side nests? If anyone has used both have you found that one works better then the other?
Thanks for any thoughts that you may have.
 
Motherhen.....as far as the straw for insulation...im not sure...seems like if it gets wet, it would mold...causeing health issues for your chickens. Insulation is not too expencive...another thought might be to use Newspaper...crumpled up, I know they used to do that looooong ago in the walls of homes!
The plastic.....might make the chicks peck at it. Are there any Mobile home places around there, that sell or tear down old mobile homes? Maybe you can go and check about getting free panneling? Works great for the inside area of the coop. Just a thought.
Good luck on your coop, and I would love to see pics of during construction.
 
Thanks for the reply. I plan to take pictures and I am aiming to have the coop completed by the end of the month. My hubby won't let me get the chickens until then.
About the plastic, I am not really using regular thin plastic. I am actually using banner material and I believe it is really strong a woven, quite durable. Same tuff material used on street banners.
Thanks for the idea about the newspaper, I also was thinking of cuting up all that styrofoam packaging and stuffing it in between the walls. I just want it to be safe, and then cover the surface with banner material so nothing gets wet. Kind of like a vapour barrier.
 
Banner material will stand up to chickens. I have seen it done before. Straw is a bad choice for insulation. It will hold the moisture. Styrofoam is the way to go especially if you have sudden temperature swings. That is when moisture builds. Packing peanuts work great!

Two vents you can use to control air flow near the ceiling is all you should need.

Stacked nests or side by side doesn't seem to matter. They just pick the nest of the day and lay in it.
 
Kstaven thank you so much for the feed back I was really hoping that someone else had done it and was hoping that it would work out. I feel so much better about building the coop and making it just right for the chickens. As for the styrofoam thank you so much for the feedback. It makes more sense.
I don't know what I would do without this site. I just love how everyone is so help and so knowledgable. Thank you so much.
 

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