Misc questions about rebuilding my coop

[Boise-girls]

Great advice above from very knowledgeable people! PSA - I ordered a 12-inch overhang on all sides for my new chicken lean-to shed and am so glad I did! We don't get the rain you guys do, but it's still great for protecting the coop and keeping the weather outside where it belongs. I wouldn't mind having even more on the people-door side - maybe 2 feet - to shelter me and keep my feet dryer when I go inside.

I do have a large patio umbrella on that side, which provides some weather protection (mostly for me), a little shade in summer, and reduced visibility for hawks.

Sounds like I may regret the asphalt shingles next summer. There's always something that needs to be done!

 

[ChickenLeg]

I put metal roofs and siding on all my coops and chicken tractors, works great and if properly vented then it wont get too hot inside for chickens at all I despise wood due to mites here in the southeast. Ive used clear panels in the past from lowes that suppose to be UV protected.. they deteriated within a few years and started cracking. If you use clear or tinted panels get a high quality one and I would only do a couple of them for light and use metal on the rest, my friend did that on his barn, 1 clear panel for each chicken pen inside and it lit up the rooms really well

 

[citychicks99]

I would put a 1' overhang, ALL THE WAY AROUND.
A plain wood roof wouldn't last long in any environment, let alone a very rainy one.
Either shingle it or install 1x purlins over the 2x4 rafters and use polycarbonate panels.
I would extend the 1/2" hardware cloth backed, top hinged window to the roof line with a matching one on the opposite side.
View attachment 2904070

When the roof goes on, do not install siding up to the roof deck. Only install it to the top plate. Install 1/2" hardware cloth between the rafters stapling it all the way around with a pneumatic stapler then further secure it with a trim board. You can premeasure, cut and bend the pieces that go between the rafters rather easily.
View attachment 2904078View attachment 2904079

You're going to want to move the pop door as shown to accommodate the framing. I would also raise it up the 6" shown (or more) to allow for bedding so the birds can't as easily kick it out when they come and go.
View attachment 2904075

You can pitch the roof however you want. Where will the nest box be? Are you going to bump it out?
The predator apron extending 2' out should keep out rats. Keeping the coop and run clean and not leaving out food at night will help prevent them from coming in the first place.

I'm having a hard time picturing the roof. Won't water get in? Do you have a picture of your coop so I can see it as a whole?

 

[RoyalChick]

I am going to advocate for more than 12” of overhang for the roof. I went with 24” and am so happy I did.
It nicely shelters the permanent ventilation from driving rain and snow.

 

[Boise-girls]

I am going to advocate for more than 12” of overhang for the roof. I went with 24” and am so happy I did.
It nicely shelters the permanent ventilation from driving rain and snow.

I agree 24" is ideal if you can manage It!

 

[DobieLover]

I'm having a hard time picturing the roof. Won't water get in? Do you have a picture of your coop so I can see it as a whole?

You are starting with no roof.
I converted a shed into my coop and wanted 2 foot overhangs all the way around so I modified what I had by, removing the roof decking and sistering 2x4s to what was there to get the extension. You would just be buying 2x4s that are long enough to get the overhang you want. I used outriggers to extend the gable ends for the fly rafters.

 

[citychicks99]

I'll probably just buy two 8'x4' metal panels for the roof. It should have enough room to overhang 1' all around. I made my list today and actually have most of the wood. I will have to replace one 8'x4' because one of my current ones is already flaking. I just need to buy a lot of misc things like hinges, latches, etc. The most expensive thing on my list is hardware cloth. I can buy some for the coop but a roll of 4'x50' which is what I would need for the run is about $129. I actually already have a pea vine trellis I use as the run. It's just not predator proof. Is there a cheaper alternative than hardware cloth? Electric fence?

 

[Shezadandy]

I'll probably just buy two 8'x4' metal panels for the roof. It should have enough room to overhang 1' all around. I made my list today and actually have most of the wood. I will have to replace one 8'x4' because one of my current ones is already flaking. I just need to buy a lot of misc things like hinges, latches, etc. The most expensive thing on my list is hardware cloth. I can buy some for the coop but a roll of 4'x50' which is what I would need for the run is about $129. I actually already have a pea vine trellis I use as the run. It's just not predator proof. Is there a cheaper alternative than hardware cloth? Electric fence?

Don't waste money on non-hardware cloth options. That's the gold standard. Electric wire has its place. However, by the time you buy the charger, the 3 long ground rods that then get pounded deep into the ground, the actual wire/polywire and all the doo-dads that you need for installing an electric fence ... really - hardware cloth has it BEAT and is fail-safe. And I've done miles of electric fence too! I put electric fence on the OUTSIDE of my chain link fence that is also covered top to bottom with hardware cloth.

Check Amazon's site for hardware cloth. It gets there pretty quick despite its size.

https://www.amazon.com/Hardware-Gal...9,B09275N33Q,B08HCMJ6XG,B07M711DFJ,B086Z1WKVF

And have a nice pair of aviation snips to work with the hardware cloth. And LEATHER gloves. (lots of hours working with hardware cloth here)

It's a pain to put in, and no, it's not cheap - but the much more expensive lesson can be found all over the 'predators and pests' forum with thread after thread of predator kills.
On a lighter note ... Wherever you have your "people" entrance, you may want to put at least a 2 foot overhang - speaking from Portland, OR, having my 3 ft area is an underappreciated feature.

 

[littledog]

I live near your area, a little south of Tacoma so we get the same weather. You definitely need something besides just wood for your coop roof! I agree with metal roof panels - but if you want to save $$ polycarbonate or PVC roof panels will work.

I used green PVC panels, they were I think $16 each from Lowe's. Maybe they won't last as long as metal, but so far so good. My coop is in a sheltered area under some trees, so they don't get as much UV deterioration than if they were under constant sun and rain. They are 8 feet long and my coop is 7x12, so I got a 1' overhang on the high side, and the low side I made flush to direct the rain into a gutter and then to a water barrel.

You do have some other options for the run besides total hardware cloth - my run is 18' x 25' six foot tall around the sides and taller in the middle. What I did was first build the wood frame, then cover everything (including the roof) with poultry wire that we had lying around, so I'm not sure of the price. Then I bought a roll of 100' long by 4' tall hardware cloth from amazon for I think $148...this was a few years ago so it might be more now. And two 50' rolls of 4' tall welded wire for pretty cheap, like $40 for both.

I used the hardware cloth along the bottom of the run, going up about 30" then bent it to form an apron extending outwards along the ground about 18". Above the hardware cloth, I installed the welded wire up to the boards along the top. And attached the top of the hardware cloth to the bottom of the welded wire by "sewing" some plain wire.

Here are some pictures:

The coop (chain-link dog kennel, covered sides and top with poultry wire, hardware cloth apron) with PVC roofing, gutter to rain barrel, small house inside.

Wire and hardware cloth attached to posts, upper and lower framing with screws and washers

The hardware cloth keeps out all predators (unless you have bears!) and pests like raccoons or coyotes can't get through the welded wire, and with the layer of poultry wire inside the welded wire, smaller pest like weasels and rats can't get in. The poultry wire on the roof keeps hawks and owls from swooping down to grab the chickens.

We're really happy with this run, nothing has gotten in, even though we have raccoons, we've seen coyotes in our area, and one time I scared off an owl who was sitting on top, trying to figure out a way in. And it was way less expensive than doing the whole thing completely in hardware cloth.

We still have more improvements to make - our current coop is roofed with a small house inside it that has roosts and nest boxes, but as you can see from the first picture, the sides are just wire that we cover with plastic when the weather is freezing. We are working on converting the old horse trailer you can see next to the run, to make it our main coop. Then the current less-sheltered coop will be for raising meat birds maybe, or just an alternate coop if we need to quarantine some chickens, or separate a broody and babies.

If you're in Seattle city or suburbs, you probably have a smaller flock than we do, and could do something like this on a smaller scale relatively inexpensively. Make sure you don't skimp on screws and washers, though! It really is the most secure way to attach any kind of wire to wood, that pesky raccoons can't pull out like they can do to staples.

 

[igorsMistress]

I think if you design something that fits your needs and keeps your birds dry you’re good. Why does it matter which way the roof slopes? As long as it’s cool enough in summer and dry enough in winter it’s all good.

Roof overhang is definitely a good thing, good idea to add it. You can purchase those fiberglass wavy roof panel things at the big box stores, and depending on the size of your coop you might only need a couple. I’ve had those on the roof over plywood since the coop was built and they’re still there. No leaks either. I think they’re made of some other material now, but it works great and is more water proof than just paint. Less maintenance too I think. We have monsoons here with high winds and horizontal rain so they are pretty tough.