Nails

[reptileink]

Hey folks, just a couple questions about nails. No, not toe nails, but construction nails

I am getting to the point where I am ready to put on the roof, and something struck me.....nails! Nails sticking out everywhere!

Sadly, I don't have the height to drive roofing nails and then protect the chickens from them. I can see hundreds of nails impaling jumping/flying chickens.

Now, the way to combat I am assuming would be using either thicker wood, or smaller nails, but here in New England, smaller nails mean flying shingles in winter storms. Thicker wood is an option as well, but that means buying more wood Also, my father in law gave me a bucket of roofing nails for free, so I really don't want to have to go buy more as I won't have any more roofing projects for quite some time.

I thought about maybe clipping the nail ends off, but that could take some time, and not sure I have a pair of dykes strong enough.

Any thoughts? Maybe take a dremel to the points?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

A dremel or angle grinder.

 

[reptileink]

How low to I take them though? I don't want to shorten them too much so they don't have a good grip.

 

[ksguy]

Can you post a picture of the inside of the roof? Another option may be adding another sheet of plywood or sheathing to the inside of the roof - sandwiching the nails between the roof and the inside ply. A pic of your setup would help me get you a better idea what I'm talking about.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

If they penetrate the wood completely, they'll have sufficient grip. The nail ends sticking into thin air have no effect on holding power. The only thing that holds is where the nail is in contact with wood.

 

[rgunn1]

A picture would certainly help. Can you just "fold" the ends with a hammer back into your "sub-roof?" I've been contemplating this as I'll be installing a new roof soon. I think I'm just going to run a few 2x4 joist to nail the roofing to (ie, so the nails have something to drive in to and will not penetrate all the way throught). Also, what is your roof material? Shingles? Metal sheet?

 

[chiques chicks]

I now this sounds weird, but I don't put roofing on my coops, I just use a sheet of 7/16 or ½" sheathing and paint it. After the years it's going strong. I figure if it lasts five years, the cost to replace is minimal compared to the work and time involved adding shingles. This summer good ventilation and a dry coop so the word doesn't stay wet and rot.

Yes, we get plenty of rain as well as snow and ice here.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I used shingles for the first couple coops. I now use EPDM rubber. It lasts at least as long as shingles, is lightweight and you can easily cut it with a pair of scissors or knife.

 

[roseyred]

What about screws? Everything I make with nails falls apart so I use screws. There strong even when short

 

[chiques chicks]

What about screws? Everything I make with nails falls apart so I use screws. There strong even when short

X2
Everything is screwed together on my coops as well.