Need help with chicken coop plans, please

[ncCHICKS]

I live in North Carolina, so it doesn't have too much of temperature extremes, but rain is bad and we have those dreaded oposumms. I am wanting to build my three babies a good coop. I have a Dominique, a Delaware, and a (please correct me if I spelled it wrong) Americauna. They are all 6 weeks. All are hens too, I bought them from a breeder in Harnett county. Right now they are in a chicken tractor that is 8x4, but it's a triangle shape, limiting their space and it's only 2 foot at the peak

SOOOO... I want to build them a 8'x4'x4' coop. I want it raised about 1 foot off the ground to avoid flooding, we live in a ditch about 10 foot from a swamplan (yay us lol). Besides that, I'm an open book. I looked at all the coops on BYC, and wow, they are great. I'm looking to spend LESS than 150. I was going to use their tractor as the roof, saving some money.

I really need to know if treated plywood makes good wood for the floor, roof, and sides. Also, I know it's a little ways away, but how big do I need to build nest boxes.

I'll try to get pics of my babies soon.

 

[Omran]

Hello,Treated ply wood will work great,especially if you painted it with petrolium base paint like staining a deck.

Good Luck

 

[pkeeler]

Yes, treated plywood is good for siding and flooring. There are also OSB panels (don't know if they come pre-treated) and other panels like SmartPanel.

To save money, and since it is a chicken coop and not an addition to your house, you can space framing every 2'. Many books will talk about 16" or 18", but it is not necessary. 3/4" plywood for the floor on 2x6 joists. The walls and rafters can be 2x4.

I used landscape blocks to raise my coop off the ground. Cinder blocks would work. If you use 2x6 joists, then you only need 6-7" of block to get you up a foot.

$150 will be tough. You will be cutting large parts out of your siding panels, these can be recycled into nest boxes and ramps and such.

You will also save money by making it only 4' high. Which should be enough vertical room with just 3 hens.

 

[cmom]

Quote:
Great ideas. I agree with the other posts and would paint the treated plywood with oil based paint, but I would also prime first with an oil based primer/sealer. I like more of a barrier between the treated wood and the birds, so I prime too. You will need one nest box for every 3/4 chickens. A box 12"x12"x12" is ok. My boxes are 14"W x 12"H x 12"D. I have 3 birds per nest box. Sometimes I'll have 2 or 3 birds in one box at one time. Also you will need approximately 4 sq. feet per chicken inside the coop and 10 sq. ft. per chicken outside in their run area. For the three chickens you will need a 12 sq. ft coop. You will need an inside coop area of 3x4 sq. ft. 3x5 is better. 4x8 would be the size of a sheet of plywood. The birds need about 10"/12" per chicken on the roost, usually a 2x4. they will most likely bunch together and use less roost area. I hope this helps you.