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

[nanobooboo]

One of my flocks would definitely either try to eat wetherstripping and/or peel off anything they couldn't eat just for funsies.

I had a door with big gaps like that on one prefab and used strips of 1/4in thick wood to make a little rim to overlap on the inside, just stapled it on. Blocks the wind well enough, is less easy to chew through for rodents, and not something the chickens can pick at. I'm about to be doing the same type of solution on another door for a different, non-prefab coop.

We're on the same wavelength! Using wood strips on the outside was my latest idea after thinking the girls would like nothing better than to munch on some weatherstripping while they hang out. Plus all those products suggest at least 40 degrees for application. A little late for that, it's 28 and snowing.

Maybe the wooden furring strips would work. My idea after that was really redneck - cutting a bicycle inner tube in strips and tacking it on to the door to overlap the opening. Have I lived in the country TOO long?? LOL! Hey, I'm from the South and proud of it!

 

[nanobooboo]

We used automotive stick-on seal as weather stripping. (Found next to the door seals). It seems to work better. I do like the idea of making it out of wood for sturdiness, but our application under a hinged roof wouldn't have worked.
We got the dog house made by the same brand and modded it into a brooder (It was a slightly broken return for half price). Sprayed all sides 2x with UV resistant polyurethane.
Added upper ventilation, under the roof.
That's one thing it seems you haven't worked on yet. You really need some ventilation right under the roof. On the run side would work well, where the roof is highest, especially if your run roof will cover against the elements. Otherwise you'd need a small awning over it.
Moisture and ammonia travel up, and where it gets very cold you especially don't want a humid coop for frostbite reasons. On the coldest days you could cover that existing vent which seems too close to the roost for draft purposes.

I'll check out the auto parts store for another alternative. Thanks for the idea! It should be much wider than they sell at Lowe's.

You know, I have read many times about needing ventilation. The corrugated roof panels do overlap the coop roof as you noted. I was thinking how to open it up without freezing the birds. You are correct, the sliding rear door is right there even with the roosts. The automatic door is vented so that will let some fresh air in. What do you suggest? The house is right at 5' across. I don't know how to calculate the size or shape to pull the stale air up and out. PS. just so y'all know, all my friends will think I've lost it - taking a saw to my chicken
Taj Mahal... I'm going to look at your posts to see what you did. TX!

 

[nanobooboo]

Here's what I'm trying to seal up around the doors. Drafts with a capital "D". Both side doors are the same. There are doors right below these on either side, but they lead into the covered run area.

Also, for the ventilation issue, here are the pictures of the roof line and from inside the run. My automatic door is vented. Any suggestions? The vent on the back wall seems like it'd be more of a draft than a vent right now. Thanks everybody.

 

[SourRoses]

Sorry I didn't see this sooner.
Here's a great article... Repecka Illustrates Coop Ventilation

You did a nice job with the roof on the run!
Here's where I see a good spot for ventilation...

Being familiar with the way those board sections slide into the metal frame, you may have to go down one slat to begin. And with a little bit on the sides. You don't want to compromise structural integrity. Nor do you want a breeze at the same level as your birds up on the roosts.
Those slats are about 4 inches wide I think. It's best to have ventilation as close to under the roof as you can get it. And for purposes of humidity (which rises to the top) it's better IME to have it long rather than a square in the middle. But it could work either way. What I drew covers 2 slats so about 8 inches high. If you need to do just one slat for the reasons mentioned, that might be enough.

As you say the pop door is ventilated, I would worry about bird-level drafts from there. See the article for helpful illustrations.

 

[nanobooboo]

So I had just returned from Lowe's with a 2"x12" floor register when I saw your post. I got a plastic one so it wouldn't be affected by ammonia.
In the meantime, I received the covers from TarpsNow. Very nice, crystal clear, high quality with grommets on all four sides. Quite a bit of a challenge to install in 36 degree weather. I stored it inside for 24 hours to reduce the chance of cracking (per the instructions). It was pretty heavy but the two of us girls managed to get it done.

 

[Momchickof6]

Have this same one. It has worked well for what I needed. Although got mine used so it was probably already a year or so old. And I have had it at least 3-4 years. The nest boxes will rot first. I definitely recommend putting metal down then some type of covering. Definitely add handles to the nest box doors! Eventually that wood swells and it's hard to get it open or closed. Under the roosts is metal with a tray. You Won't have to worry as much here but the trays can crack over time, especially the corners. Add more ventilation! The current vent is fine, but I would add hardware cloth inside. The vent eventually weakend enough that a raccoon pulled the vent off and got 2 of my chickens. Not fun. I would not recommend putting food or shavings in the storage area, mice can easily get in there. I would also recommend putting hardware cloth around the cage part, to keep wild birds out. After a year or so, my mom built an "addition" to mine, so I've actually had 15-20 ( maybe 25) in mine. But at the time at least half were 12-18 weeks along with banty adult. Definitely paint it, will help with longevity. The cage is the best part. Tarps are ok but eventually those rip off.

Can I see pics of your modifications? I just bought this coop used. You’re right the nest boxes are rotten. Ugh.

 

[SourRoses]

So I had just returned from Lowe's with a 2"x12" floor register when I saw your post. I got a plastic one so it wouldn't be affected by ammonia.

Can you return it? It's too small.
Just some HW cloth over a sizeable ventilation cutout does just fine.

The goal is to have enough ventilation up high that ammonia never builds up to a level that would harm materials, OR bird lungs. The airways of chickens are very delicate. If we can smell it, they are already adversely affected.
They also exhale a lot of moisture compared to mammals, causing a big part of the humidity issue.
Those two factors make fresh air in the coop more important than retaining warmth in the coop, which they don't require because they're wearing down parkas.

 

[nanobooboo]

Can you return it? It's too small.
Just some HW cloth over a sizeable ventilation cutout does just fine.

The goal is to have enough ventilation up high that ammonia never builds up to a level that would harm materials, OR bird lungs. The airways of chickens are very delicate. If we can smell it, they are already adversely affected.
They also exhale a lot of moisture compared to mammals, causing a big part of the humidity issue.
Those two factors make fresh air in the coop more important than retaining warmth in the coop, which they don't require because they're wearing down parkas.

Are you thinking I should cut out the majority of the width of the front panel, about 8" wide? It's roughly about 5' across. I see where you're going with the ventilation. I must say that makes me shiver just a little! I confess I am not experienced with raising chickens in this NE Pennsylvania weather. Low tonight - 6 degrees. Back in SC I didn't have to worry about such weather issues (save hurricanes) or predators (bar the occasional rat snake). I know these adult birds, which will actually be "rescued" from my neighbor who had a stroke, are more acclimated than I give them credit. I just want to make it the best I can for them, and not end up with the "woulda-shoulda-coulda" regrets. Thanks for reminding me they're wearing little parkas!
Also, I ordered the tarps 6' tall so that the 7' roof peaks would be open. See, I am listening to your advice! On the other hand, I'm trying to chase the 5/8" drafts around the doors. I'm assuming those are still on the fix-it list due to the proximity of the laying boxes and roosts?

 

[SourRoses]

Are you thinking I should cut out the majority of the width of the front panel, about 8" wide?

See my rough drawing on your picture in my post before last. It's not exact, as you can leave some at the sides for structural support and make decisions looking at the actual surface in real life.

I'll repost it...

I noticed in your most recent post with pictures that the one showing that wall facing the run from the inside, shows a bow
/ buckle about two slats down from the top.

We dealt with a fair bit of this on our discounted broken dog house (sorry I haven't made that article yet)... It is fixable. Mainly, the perpendicular tack strip that supports the middle of the panel has each slat attached with little nails. They really should have beefed that part of the design up.
Then each of those slats slide into each other with a tongue and groove design.
If you wanted to take advantage of the flaw, you could saw that board and carefully remove it from the panel. If you did, it would be essential to add additional vertical support to the remaining panel, preferably with something lightweight, like maybe 2x2's. And screw into that from the outside. I only say lightweight because I don't know where the weight of the support post would sit. If it can sit firmly on a sturdy part of the floor you may be able to use a 2x4's. But you don't want it to drag on those slats that make the panel over time, so use your judgement.

The tarp looks really nice! I like how clear that is, will be great for sunlight!

Yes, eliminating drafts is still important. I know it gets confusing. Basically, any air movement at the same level as the birds on the roost is a problem. Drafts ruffle those down parkas which prevents them from keeping warm.
When it's cold out they can poof their feathers out and stay cozy down to the minus temps.
When any air movement is only high above their heads, that doesn't interfere with their poofing ability and keeps the moisture flowing out of the coop. Humid conditions allow frostbite to occur on exposed skin like combs, wattles, and toes. But a dry coop avoids that problem.
Hope that helps!

 

[nanobooboo]

Can I see pics of your modifications? I just bought this coop used. You’re right the nest boxes are rotten. Ugh.

Hi Momchickof6! I have posted photos all throughout this project. Here's the Cliff Notes version though. Started with a stain/seal on every wooden surface throughout. Then I painted FlexSeal on the metal surfaces and trays inside and out. Next, the hardware cloth took forever, but did the 18" apron around the perimeter. I used clear FlexSeal on the entire interior after seeing how much deconstruction I'd have to do to use FRP panels. The more I looked, the more opportunities for predators, so I attached the hardware cloth to all three sides of the outside wooden panels that were not enclosed in the run area. Followed that step by attaching HWC to all the rest of the run, including the roof panels. Put 1"x4"s perpendicular to the roof rails and installed corrugated panels; 1 section clear, and the others green to allow sunlight in. Added a ridge vent to aid ventilation. Found an automatic door I liked, and installed it in the space for the original sliding door. Hooked up a solar panel, and mounted it inside a waterproof junction box. Hung that on the outside wall close to the automatic door to protect it from the weather. Lined the metal roosting trays and the nesting boxes with rolled linoleum cut to fit. Added hasps to the doors and carabiners to befuddle any egg stealing. Nailed 2"x4"s on top of the included TSC 1"x1" roosts for more perching comfort. Latest accomplishment was wrapping two sides of the run with a nice heavy clear vinyl tarp. Still have one more to install but it's too cold right now for the vinyl to relax. I have the recommended RatProof treadle feeder attached to the center 4"x4" roof support. Still need to cut some ventilation in the front wall, and address the big gaps in the drafty doors.
As I write this, I realize how much I had to do to make it work here in the cold NE Pennsylvania environment. And I don't even have any chickens here yet! Happy to answer any questions! Best of luck!