Roofing the coops

[rittert3]

I'm am currently drawing up plans for two small coops 3' x 4' and 4' x 5' and had planed on flat roofs what woul be the most effective Cheaper method of covering a I also plan on add a small plexyglass skylight to each of them so I dont really want to have to do alot of working around these to get them in. My smaller coop will have a trio of blk tail wht Japs and the bigger on a trio of standard buff cochins. Both coops will have a run attached to the front and the top half of the back wall will fold out and down. also I plan on having my floors directly on the ground any ideas on this?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Not sure why you want a skylight instead of installing the plexiglass in the wall as a window. I have some concerns you might be creating a greenhouse that will cook you chickens with that plexiglass in the direct sun. You could easily have ventilation issues. If you are counting on folding the back wall down for ventilation, are you sure you will always be around and available to make that adjustment when required. I find the best designs are the ones that require minimum adjustment and care.

A flat roof will leak unless you are very careful. Even if it doesn't leak, water could pond on it, rotting or rusting it out. I think you would be better off sloping the roof so the runoff goes away from the coop and run. A skylight in a flat roof will make the leaking and ponding worse.

Parts of eastern Kansas gets enough rainfall to support trees, so rain and the roof leaking is a concern. I know you normally don't get real deep snows and coops of this size can easily have pretty strong roofs with just a little support, but make sure the roof will support the heaviest snow you will occasionally get. You should be looking at the unusual year for the design load, not the normal year.

With coops this size, make sure you consider how you are going to clean them out. You don't have much room to get in there and work.

There are advantages and disadvantages of having the coop floor on the ground. Purely personal preference.

Others can probably come up with a cheaper method of roofing it, but I'd consider a sloping roof, covered with plywood, then topped with metal roofing material from Craigslist. The metal will likely have old nail holes in it, so you would need to seal those. With coops this size, that should be doable. You could probably get asphalt shingles from Craigslist also.

 

[Intheswamp]

Quote:
Ridgerunner gave you some good advice. Here's some of my two-cents worth....

Ditto on building some slope to your roof to help with water run-off. You might even want it to slope to the side rather than the rear where you might end up standing as you do work inside the coop while it's raining...you don't want a shower while you work.

)

If you build the coop up off the ground 2-3 feet then the chickens can also use the shaded area under the coop for yard area. It will also help you avoid stoopitis when your cleaning out the coop and for regular maintenance, egg gathering, whatever.

I'm sure there's exceptions, but most folks talk negatively about "skylights" in coops.

Best wishes,
Ed

 

[LynneP]

I agree, sloped roof and insulate to keep hens cool in extreme heat...

 

[BlackBart]

I put skylights in my coops but I have sliders, so I can close off the skylight if I want to. I have three windows for cross ventilation.

The coops don't get hot. I have a big maple tree next to them and I mainly put them in for the winter months for extra light.

Quite a few people around here have skylights in the coops but I guess it really depends on where you place the coop and how hot the weather gets in your area. The hottest it gets here is in the 80's.

Building the coop a few feet off the ground is a good way to go. Not only for summer shade but for winter rains/snow. Somewhere they can go and dust that is dry. I also put a large overhang (4 ft) at the coop chicken door so the ground stays drier near the coop entrance.

 

[PeepsInc]

2CENTS- The only problem with topping plywood with metal is that the moisture cant escape from under the flat part of the metal. You should lath the top if you use metal.(aspecialy in a shady area becouse of mold between layers) 1x3 lath is very cheap. You'll need to box in the edges between the (pearlings) lath, so rats and weasels cant slip in. It's easier to aplly a low slope roofing material over ply, such as a rolled roofing(3 foot x 30 foot a roll). Pick a light color for heat reasons. I built my entire chicken coop by picking up damaged unsellable or scrap materials from lumber yards. (Will post picks if it ever stops raining so I can get it painted) ...

 

[rittert3]

lol sorry guys forgot to mention that I'm also going to put a square 1/4" hail screen "window" on the front, 12" square on the big one and 10" on the little one. The sky light is just to let some more light into the coop.

 

[rittert3]

Good ideas here I think I might consider using your slider idea, black bart, for mid summer days with extreem sun light, we've been in a heat adivory for the last week and it's unbarable to be outside for long. My back folding door is just for my access. I will have a guilitein type door (not sure i spelled that right) on the front for the chickens to move in between the coop and run and to shut them in at night to remove some temptation from the coons, Opossums, and stray cats. (I kill opossums on sight to the best of my ability.) Stray cats really bother me too but since alot of people around here are "cat advocates" I can't do much about them. Also as far as the floor I thought about a hail screen, being galvanized it should be ok on the ground.

 

[LynneP]

1/2" hardware cloth is a good choice for that predator situation, too:

 

[rittert3]

I had planned on using 1/2" Hail screen/ Hardware cloth for my run on a 2x2 frame and using 1/4" on my "windows" will probably just use the cheaper size for my floor most of our predators here are nocturnal and I just need something to keep them from digging into the coop the window will be in the run I planed it this way because I've had predators rip staples out by the wire to get to birds. (6 week old pheasant in a rabbit hutch)