Sealing up the coop

[justduckie]

OK, just one more question......I'm hoping to finish my coop tomorrow except for painting it.......I am not a master builder by any means so my walls aren't exactly square. Since it does get cold and windy here, I was thinking of using silicon caulk to make sure there are no stray drafts except for where my vents are -- especially on the north side. Will silicon caulk hurt my chickies? Should I use something else? How well sealed should I make my coop? Are a few gaps up close to the roof ok? It has rained a few times since I got the roof up and no water came in and my chickies seemed warm and cozy.

Thanks for any advice!

 

[Critter Crazy]

I am not sure if Silicone is okay to use or not. when hubby built our coop, he did it Board and batten style. Which is the wall are made up of 10" thick boards, then a 3" piece placed over the spces between each board. And that is all. we have not insulated, and the birds have been fine, even in Cold NY weather. We have a 8" gap along the roof line, as ventillation. The overhang of the roof keeps the rain out, but lets air pass through, without creating a draft. If you leave a gap along the roof, make sure you cover it with wire, so no predators can get in.

 

[MTchick]

Silicon caulk, once it cures (24 hours or so), shouldn't be harmful if the chickens peck at it because it will become solid, nontoxic little crumbs from the chicken pecking. One concern is that the chickens will peck at it and make the process of caulking totally useless and messy, in my mind. Perhaps you could cover the caulked areas with something cheap but solid, like veneer or pegboard, if the chickens have easy pecking access.

I caulked a few places with silicon that I was sure the chickens could not reach- rooflines and awkward corners that I didn't cut the plywood just right. If you are caulking somewhere that there is no practical way that the chickens could reach and peck there, I'd say go for it! The tighter the base of your coop, the more the chickens will stay snug in cold weather. A few vent holes or even cracks along the roof line are good for providing fresh air- what you really want (from what I've read) is a few controllable areas of ventilation, and the rest of the coop pretty tight.

NE Wyoming! That is some windy, cold country...

-MTchick

 

[kstaven]

Silicone is not a wise choice to seal things up. Chickens being the curious creatures they are will eat it. You really don't need to be air tight. As long as there are no huge gaps I really wouldn't worry.

 

[justduckie]

Thank you for all your help! My coop is 99% done.....I just have to put a chicken ladder up to the nesting boxes and my roosts in and they should be happy campers! I still really need to shingle the roof, but that won't really affect them right now.

This has been such an adventure.

 

[Critter Crazy]

a ladder to the Nest boxes? How highh up are they?? Nesting boxes are best if they are on the ground. Especially if you have a broody hen that hatches chicks, otherwise they fall out. also, you need to make sure the roost are higher than the nest boxes, as chicken go for te highest spot, if the nest boxes are higer, they will sleep in them, and make a mess.

 

[justduckie]

Quote:
Really? I thought the nest boxes were suppose to be off the ground. I've been looking at pictures of other peoples coops and all of the nest boxes were off the ground so I put mine about 2 foot up. But they are easy enough to move, it's just a few screws on each end holding them to the 2x4's. And that will make the roosts easier to place! Thanks.