opinions please

[abhaya]

I am building a coop for silkies. it is 5'x5' approx. I have ventalation along the top under roof overhang. I am a bit undecided on wall/windows I have a boat load of used roofing tin and used lumber. I can cover the coop with a combination of either I also have windows from an old house I can use I can make entire walls windows I also have a ton of 1/2 inch wire mesh the walls are 5' wide and 3.5 tall Top few inches around the coop will be wire for ventalation. I am just really confused how I sould enclose the coop. I also have 3 8x4 1 inch styro insulation boards to insulate. I live in tenn so warm summers 90-100 many days and winter temps get down to low teens some single didgets. Please help how should I enclose this.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I went to school at Tech many decades ago and grew up in the Cumberland Gap area. I'm familiar with the climate.

Make sure you have enough slope on the roof so the water runs off instead of pools. If you use that used roofing tin up there, be careful of the nail holes. They will leak if you are not careful.

Sounds like you have pretty good ventilation, so the moisture from their breathing and poop should not build up in there. Some Silkies roost and some don't. As long as they don't get too close to the roof and the top of their backs when roosting (if they roost) stays below the vent openings, I think you can use the metal for the roof with no big concerns if you want to and the nail holes are not a problem. Wood will work too.

I would not use the metal for the walls. I'll say this because one of my walls is metal. When the cold wind hits it, it can get cold. When the sun hits it, it can get real hot. The hot bothers me more than the cold. If you have enough wood, I'd use that.

I'd only use one window in a coop that size. That will give them and you all the light you need. You will get a lot of different opinions on here about which wall to put it in. I'd avoid the south and west walls to avoid overheating the coop. Some people want to put the windows there to heat the coop, but I'm more concerned about cooking them in the summer.

I don't see any real need to insulate it in your climate. Just build it tight enough that there are no breezes where the chickens sleep and you should be fine.

Hope this helps a bit.

 

[patandchickens]

If it were me I'd put plywood on the sides, with some windows and maybe half of one side being just mesh with a plywood panel you can bolt on for the coldest weeks of winter. (There is a lot to be said IMO for areas that can be open to just mesh in summer, but covered over in winter.)

Reason being, tin is real good for *roofs*, and as you go on you will probably at some point think "gee it sure would be nice to have at least some of my run roofed" and/or "gee it sure would be nice to have a second or larger coop", at which point you will be GLAD you still have that tin lying around

Whereas you can get plywood for free if you look around enough. Or if you have lotsa 2x boards, use them for some of it. (Or, while I would not really *recommend* using 3/4" chipboard (OSB) but even THAT can be used for siding if you have an ample roof overhang, paint the bejeebers out of it, and don't expect it to last too long. And that's pretty cheap too)

If you have some tin that is too bent or holey for roof use, though, that might be a sensible bet for some of the siding too. You might want to insulate inside it, at least for wintertime, if you get single-digit temps.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat