Tractor Supply 18 chicken coop - how to seal the bare wood? Plus a few other ???

[CraziChknLady]

Looks great so far! Don't forget about upgrading and adding ventilation. You may also want to add a cover for the run. I previously used tarps but those eventually blew away. I plan on redoing with some of the plastic or metal as the top (the wavy kind, not sure of the correct name). I should post pics of mine so you can see it over time. I would also put some HWC over the bottom around the whole coop. Seemed like it was easiest for mice to eventually get in. Your doing a great job!

 

[CraziChknLady]

Looks great so far! Don't forget about upgrading and adding ventilation. You may also want to add a cover for the run. I previously used tarps but those eventually blew away. I plan on redoing with some of the plastic or metal as the top (the wavy kind, not sure of the correct name). I should post pics of mine so you can see it over time. I would also put some HWC over the bottom around the whole coop. Seemed like it was easiest for mice to eventually get in. Your doing a great job!

I noticed yours has a shelf above the nest boxes? Mine never came with that, but again, I got mine used. So not sure if the previous owners never put that in or if that is a design update. Don't forget about putting some metal, linoleum or something over the wood for the nest boxes. Once that wood rots, it's annoying. I've had chicks fall down into the "storage area". They were ok, but not the best time to find out that a hole is there.

 

[DonyaQuick]

I have a smaller version of this style coop; if you’re able to do caulking around the metal/wood join on the roof panels might help those last longer - the plywood of those panels was the first part of mine to fail due to slow snow melt from two winters getting in at the sides. It was actually pretty easy to make new roof panels though. Didn’t have that problem with any of the other panels, just the roof. Personally have not had issue with the nest box wood rotting in my prefabs but did have a metal tray of my oldest coop start to rust in year 5, so I just put peel and stick tile on it.

I also have a similar kennel type run for one flock; I use an 8x12 tarp on it. They last 1 year or so before needing replacement. I just treat it as a consumable item and replace when lots of holes start to form. Also if you keep a tarp on through the winter, don’t let snow build up on it - get one of those snow brooms and clean it off ASAP to minimize chances of bars bending from the weight and collapsing risk. I don’t let my chickens out into my tarped kennel until I’ve cleared the snow following a storm just to be sure.

Oh, and my chickens hated the roost bars…too narrow for standard size chickens and too sharp corners. So I made some others.

Wishing you best of luck with this coop! I was looking for a new prefab earlier this year and actually wanted this once but couldn’t get it delivered to my house for whatever reason, so I had to get a different one. It can take a lot of tweaking here and there to get prefabs predator proofed and weather hardy but they can be nice little coops.

 

[nanobooboo]

I noticed yours has a shelf above the nest boxes? Mine never came with that, but again, I got mine used. So not sure if the previous owners never put that in or if that is a design update. Don't forget about putting some metal, linoleum or something over the wood for the nest boxes. Once that wood rots, it's annoying. I've had chicks fall down into the "storage area". They were ok, but not the best time to find out that a hole is there.

Yeah, it actually has two shelves. I coated them with FlexSeal after reading everyone's suggestions. As for the nest boxes, the stain/sealer should help, and not sure about how the clear FlexSeal will work. I had already got a roll of vinyl flooring, so thanks for reminding me. It seems like it's taking forever.

 

[nanobooboo]

I have a smaller version of this style coop; if you’re able to do caulking around the metal/wood join on the roof panels might help those last longer - the plywood of those panels was the first part of mine to fail due to slow snow melt from two winters getting in at the sides. It was actually pretty easy to make new roof panels though. Didn’t have that problem with any of the other panels, just the roof. Personally have not had issue with the nest box wood rotting in my prefabs but did have a metal tray of my oldest coop start to rust in year 5, so I just put peel and stick tile on it.

I also have a similar kennel type run for one flock; I use an 8x12 tarp on it. They last 1 year or so before needing replacement. I just treat it as a consumable item and replace when lots of holes start to form. Also if you keep a tarp on through the winter, don’t let snow build up on it - get one of those snow brooms and clean it off ASAP to minimize chances of bars bending from the weight and collapsing risk. I don’t let my chickens out into my tarped kennel until I’ve cleared the snow following a storm just to be sure.

Oh, and my chickens hated the roost bars…too narrow for standard size chickens and too sharp corners. So I made some others.

Wishing you best of luck with this coop! I was looking for a new prefab earlier this year and actually wanted this once but couldn’t get it delivered to my house for whatever reason, so I had to get a different one. It can take a lot of tweaking here and there to get prefabs predator proofed and weather hardy but they can be nice little coops.

I wondered if the chickens would like those included roosts. They're like 1"x1" and I can't imagine they'd do. What do think about a 2"x4" flat side up? And the roof - I'm thinking about the poly roof panels that are corrugated (is that the word you were looking for earlier?) and translucent. They'd let in natural light and be just laying on top of the roof panels already there. I'll need to install a ridge vent to tie the two halves together at the peak. Is your roof panel also made just like the side panels, with the welded wire? I agree, tarps are great but they have a relatively short lifespan. And honestly, I'm more of the "one and done" mindset. Build it once the best you can or redo it later. And THAT is why it is taking me so long to decide what's next!! Plus I'm not getting any younger...

 

[nanobooboo]

On the security issue, it's hard to see but I used galvanized green vinyl covered HDW on the ground. Used 36" tall rolls, laying 14-18" on the ground. There's all rock around the edges so digging it in was out. I then "folded" the ground apron up the outside of the run, and secured it with hog rings. Somewhere either I read it or saw it on a video, that putting the HWC on the inside would be harder to breach. I'm thinking of racoon or foxes grabbing through the TSC panel then encountering the HWC. Seems like that it would be much more effective since the critters have all night to pull things loose or chew. With the HWC inside the frame, they'd have a helluve time pulling and gnawing at the same time. Thoughts?????

 

[nanobooboo]

Here's a couple of close up pictures that may help visualize my situation. Definitely have to run HWC all the way up and over with the width of those sections!

 

[rosemarythyme]

Somewhere either I read it or saw it on a video, that putting the HWC on the inside would be harder to breach. I'm thinking of racoon or foxes grabbing through the TSC panel then encountering the HWC. Seems like that it would be much more effective since the critters have all night to pull things loose or chew. With the HWC inside the frame, they'd have a helluve time pulling and gnawing at the same time. Thoughts?????

I think the recommendation is generally on the outside as more predators are going to try to push in rather than pull out (raccoons will do both).

What's more crucial IMO is the attachments. I see some hog rings and zip ties, but only at top and botttom? I'd mix some in a sort of random zig zag throughout the HWC so its well anchored to the stronger fencing.

 

[Bigdumogre]

I have the same coop and so far it has been amazing. I have the newer one that has a gutter system and expanded coop height with longer roosting bars. I used metal zip ties to hold the HWC onto the run 4' tall and also around the perimeter in the floor. I got a 10' x 12' roof tarp from amazon which fits really good and has kept rain out of the run minus about 6" from 2 sides which is not bad at all. My coop is also under a tree so it keeps out a god amount of rain and hopefully snow but i will see when it snows.
All and all its really good for a premade coop that is only $1300. I am adding another cage in the rear to expand the run and leave one of the bottom access doors open.

 

[DonyaQuick]

I wondered if the chickens would like those included roosts. They're like 1"x1" and I can't imagine they'd do. What do think about a 2"x4" flat side up?

2x4s in either orientation and 2x2s are commonly used sizes for roosts, with rounded edges of course. I mostly use 2x2s but have some very big birds now and will probably be switching to flat side up 2x4s for one flock eventually because of that.

And the roof - I'm thinking about the poly roof panels that are corrugated (is that the word you were looking for earlier?) and translucent. They'd let in natural light and be just laying on top of the roof panels already there.

Chickens don't like to spend a lot of time in direct sun, so you'll need a lot of shade unless you have a significant nearby source of it - which it doesn't look like from the pictures. If you mount PVC or polycarbonate panels then go for opaque. My bigger custom built wooden runs (built by my husband) use white roofing panels and it does great, but they have a decent slope and are really well supported because of the wet northeast snow issue. If I remember right the rafters are 2x10s for the snow load reason.

One advantage to the tarp strategy is that if you're expecting a truly dire snow volume at some point and know it will fall while you're asleep or otherwise unable to tend to it iteratiely, you can just set the birds up inside the coop area with emergency food and water and rip the tarp off so that you just wake up to an annoying shoveling job instead of a collapsed, destroyed structure. The peak joint on modular, metal kennel structures is typically very weak compared to a more traiditional wood design with rafters and purlins, and anything you put on top already adds extra weight, so if your region sometimes gets more than 2ft of dense snow overnight like mine can, then you'll want some kind of extra support for the midpoints of the kennel roof if you mount permanent roofing on top of it.

Is your roof panel also made just like the side panels, with the welded wire?

Yep. I think it's this one:
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...versal-poultry-pen-8-ft-x-8-ft-cr0808-1333983
not 100% sure since I can't find my original order email after so long but that's what it looks like.