Roofing the henhouse and coop...What's okay?

[nikki1]

Hi!

We're currently designing and building our very first chicken house/run. Thanks to everyone who has pictures in the coop section! Very handy for stealing/inspiration.
DH and I are trying to design a coop that's affordable, attractive and functional. So, I did some price-checking at the home stores today, and now have more information than I know what to do with.

I would like to seriously upgrade the roof to the henhouse, and go with SunTuf clear roofing to give the ladies some rays. Western Washington is a gray, drizzly place, and sun is a premium I'm willing to pay for! My question is that while the stuff meets the "let the sun in" goal, it seems pretty thin, and I wonder if the lack of insulation will freeze the ladies' tail feathers off in winter. Now, we don't live in North Dakota or anything, and our "cold" barely rates as "chilly" for much of the country, but we DO have sub-freezing night temps any winter evening that it's not raining. Is SunTuf going to do the job, or will I have to duct tape pillows under the roof during the winter if I go that way?

For the roof of the coop area, we're going with composite shingles over boards. Is there anything that needs to go between those 2 layers?

Thanks so much in advance for your input!

--Nikki

 

[Nonny]

I've used Suntuf to roof my coop and run, but the ceiling of my coop is wire mesh and the Suntuf sits about 20cm above that. You could do something like that in the warmer months, and cover the mesh with something more solid for added insulation in winter as long as you still have adequate ventilation.

Here's a couple of pics that show what I've done, shown from the outside, and inside. You can see there's space between the wire and the Suntuf where I can add some plywood during winter (although I probably won't need to as I live the in the land of eternal summer

).

 

[teach1rusl]

You will probably want tar paper between your plywood/shingles. Some do without, but it's generally recommended that you use it.
So are you using the Suntuff on the shelter or the run - I'm a bit confused due to mentioning the shingles...

 

[nikki1]

I'm using Suntuf on the house part. The outdoor run will have the shingles.

--Nikki

 

[TheSpiceGirls]

I'm in CA in the Bay Area. My hen house roof is a metal roof and the house sits under the corrugated roof you are considering. I had my contractor do half the roof in metal and half in the clear plastic. So basically, their house stays dry as it's in the half of the run that is covered.

What I discovered, is that that clear plastic roof can magnify the suns rays and really heat up. I was standing out in my run on a mild sunny day and was shocked at how warm it was under the clear plastic. If it doesn't get hot where you live, then it's probably not an issue.

But I wound up buying a bunch of the corrugated metal sheets and in late spring, we lay those over the clear plastic to give the girls more shade and that has worked really well for us.

So just something to consider.

 

[Dutch552]

I went with metal roofing in 3x8 sheets for my coop over 7/16" OSB and tar paper. It is easy to install and is maintenance-free. If going with composite shingles over OSB or plywood you will want to put down a layer of tar paper to help seal everything up. Relatively cheap and you will ifnd other uses for it around the house as time goes on.

 

[Nonny]

Suntuf is not just clear corrugated plastic sheeting... it's specifically designed to reduce glare, UV and heat. The one I chose has a heat transfer rate (percentage of direct heat from the sun passing through the sheet) of only 43%, and provides a 99.9% reduction in UV rays. I have it installed in my run, and when it's been around 90deg outdoors I've stepped into the run and been amazed by how much cooler it is.

 

[Linn Bee]

You should run 15# tar paper under the seal-down shingles. Don't forget to use a starter strip (either rubber, rolled roofing, or reversed shingles) to protect your bottom layer of shingles.

 

[teach1rusl]

Glad you posted this, because I had in my head that it was just the clear,corrugated panels. The Suntuf definitely sounds like it'd work then if it's heat/UV resistant.

Suntuf is not just clear corrugated plastic sheeting... it's specifically designed to reduce glare, UV and heat. The one I chose has a heat transfer rate (percentage of direct heat from the sun passing through the sheet) of only 43%, and provides a 99.9% reduction in UV rays. I have it installed in my run, and when it's been around 90deg outdoors I've stepped into the run and been amazed by how much cooler it is.

 

[mtnhens4]

We used metal roofing on the coop and Suntuf (smoke colored) on our run. We have no shade yet near the run so I appreciate the Suntuf but during the hottest part of the day (and summer) our hens preferred to stay under the coop, which tells me that it's more comfortable in total shade than part-shade. Our biggest reason for the Suntuf was for light during the winter along with protection from the elements.