New to having chickens and this page

[Vlsiegel]

Hi everyone,
Hubby and I decided to get some egg laying chickens. Can’t have a rooster where we live, which is fine. He is looking to build a coop. The ones at the store look cute and nice, but I don’t feel like they will last. Thoughts on using treated wood vs untreated. People have been telling us ok to use treated wood and others are, nope don’t do it. It will kill your chickens. Ugh! any thoughts? What have you guys learned on this topic? Appreciate any advice. Thanks!

 

[swampfox440]

Hi, welcome to BYC! pleased to meet you and thanks for joining us. I use treated wood in the areas that are exposed to the ground or a lot of moister but that's just my way of doing things. Good luck with your flock.

 

[fluffycrow]

Welcome to BYC! Hope you find the answer you are looking for. You can start a thread about it, or you can't take a look at the coops section of our articles page. Glad to have you

 

[chrissynemetz]

Hello, and welcome to BYC! We're so glad you decided to join us!

 

[Blue Raptor]

Hi everyone,
Hubby and I decided to get some egg laying chickens. Can’t have a rooster where we live, which is fine. He is looking to build a coop. The ones at the store look cute and nice, but I don’t feel like they will last. Thoughts on using treated wood vs untreated. People have been telling us ok to use treated wood and others are, nope don’t do it. It will kill your chickens. Ugh! any thoughts? What have you guys learned on this topic? Appreciate any advice. Thanks!

Welcome to BYC!!

 

[DobieLover]

Hello and welcome to BYC! Glad you joined.

The ones at the store look cute and nice, but I don’t feel like they will last.

Excellent choice avoiding them! They are not only poorly built with cheap materials, they are poorly designed and very undersized for the number of birds they claim to house.

Thoughts on using treated wood vs untreated.

Treated wood is a must if it will be exposed to the elements. My run is constructed of treated wood. Not a single dead chicken in almost 5 years. They don't eat it!

Please visit the Coop and Run forum and read up on various threads there regarding proper construction. And visit the Articles tab and read the higher rated coop build articles.
The very general guidelines for space/ventilation are 4 sq ft space, 1 linear foot of roost and as close to 1 sq ft of permanently open ventilation per bird. You only need 1 nest box for every 4-5 birds and it is not included in the floor space. Make sure all roosting perches are positioned at least 4" higher than the nest box or you'll have birds roosting in the nest boxes overnight that will result in eggs being laid in a poop pile.

 

[janiedoe]

Welcome to BYC. I've always used treated wood, as we live in a very humid climate.

 

[Kenneth Zweerink]

Welcome to BackYard Chickens. And a Big Hello from Eastern Nebraska!

 

[N F C]

You've made a smart choice about building a coop vs. buying a pre-built. You can get good ideas for yours buy looking over some of the coops that other members have built: chicken-coops.12

Best wishes!

 

[SilverBirds]

Welcome to BYC! The others have given you great advice. Best of luck building your coop!