What is this panel made from in this A-Frame coop?

[jimmywalt]

I see this A-Frame coop that I like. (pictures below)

I built a A-Frame tractor for my 5 chickens last summer. I want to modify my current A-Frame to have a "roof" on it so that I can house 3 new chicks we will be adding this year. Of course the chicks won't go outside till they are at least 8 to 12 weeks old (they are in our house now). I'll let them live in this A-Frame for a few weeks to a couple months while the new chickens look at last years chickens and hopefully get use to each other (coops will be right by each other). Then eventually I hope they all will live happily together in my main coop.

I don't want to buy a steel roof material because I think it will bake the chickens in the sun possibly. So is there another material that is like this, maybe made out of some light weight but strong plastic material? If so, what do they call it?

Or would something like this work, and not "cook" the chickens?
http://www.menards.com/main/buildin...siding/8-l-pro-rib-panel/p-2029020-c-5815.htm

Oh yes....... What is the thing that the guy used across the top for the cap above the panels?

Here's the coop I like:
http://www.happyhenhouse.co.nz/





Here's my A-frame tractor I built last year. I'd like to put that roofing material over maybe 1/3 of this 4' x 8' A-frame.



And this one is the MAIN coop/run.

 

[jimmywalt]

Note to self.................... I really like this guys A-Frame coop. Might see if I can somehow modify mine to make it somewhat the same with a large door at the end for cleaning and another smaller door at the other end to get the eggs and fill food/water.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/328757/a-frame-ark-coop-question/10#post_4035586

 

[jetdog]

I saw something on here where they did the same thing, metal roofing on the sides and a piece of metal gutter as a cap, if you use metal roofing they sell the cap for it. How do you get your birds in there?

 

[jimmywalt]

I saw something on here where they did the same thing, metal roofing on the sides and a piece of metal gutter as a cap, if you use metal roofing they sell the cap for it. How do you get your birds in there?

How do I get the chickens in mine? The right side of the picture where you see the solid OSB board.... There's actually a door in there. I put them in that end. It has been a big challenge to get them out though because the run to the other end (8' away).

I think I will build a door in the middle as well so I can catch them when I want to clean out the Ark. I'll leave the door in the OSB board end and put the roofing at that end as well with the egg boxes (plastic milk crates) inside. With the door in the OSB I can then remove the eggs and fill the water/food.

Thanks for the tip on roofing. I also found this PVC roofing that should be light and not "bake" the chickens in the sun.
http://www.menards.com/main/buildin...ing/pvclite-26-x-8-sheet/p-1485860-c-5819.htm

Below is a picture of my completed ark from last summer. This is what I will modify into the new version.

Notice behind the ark is my full coop (which is also my avatar).

Hope spring comes soon so I can get working on this!

 

[Themehmeh]

I use corregated metal roofing and it's not bad at all. The dark plastic roofing would collect a lot of heat as well. the metal is still touchable after a day in the Texas sun and that's saying a lot. The biggest issue with the metal, I think, are the sharp edges. Either way, I've seen both styles at big box hardware stores and if you end up not liking one, they're both pretty cheap.

 

[jetdog]

Yeah I used the corrugated roofing on my run and it stays pretty cool in there, I used suntuff solar grey light and easy to work with. You could even put some on your run. This year I've had a 1 1/2 ft of snow on top and it held up great the snow slides right off with a little push.

 

[azelgin]

If you're concerned about the heat transmission from using metal roofing, just paint it. The paint changes the way the heat transfers through the metal. Color is not as important as you may think. There is some information about painted vs plain on some of the metal roofing websites. Reflectivity for white is about 85%. After reading up on it, I slapped some cheap white roof coating on my cheap corrugated coop roofing.

 

[Themehmeh]

If you're concerned about the heat transmission from using metal roofing, just paint it. The paint changes the way the heat transfers through the metal. Color is not as important as you may think. There is some information about painted vs plain on some of the metal roofing websites. Reflectivity for white is about 85%. After reading up on it, I slapped some cheap white roof coating on my cheap corrugated coop roofing.

But isn't a shiny reflective surface going to be better than a painted white metal surface? afterall, the metal is still going to hold heat because of it's high conductivity, but now it's reflecting less of the radiation. Right?

One good way to do it might be two layers of metal with one inch spacers of some kind in between, You;d be creating an insulated attic of sorts. But really, its not neccesary.

 

[azelgin]

But isn't a shiny reflective surface going to be better than a painted white metal surface? afterall, the metal is still going to hold heat because of it's high conductivity, but now it's reflecting less of the radiation. Right?

You would think so, but it doesn't work that way. The paint coating somehow changes the way the energy is transferred through the metal. As for white at 85%, I looked it up and I was wrong, it's only 77%, per Florida energy study. If plain was better, I wouldn't have painted mine. I believe the plain vs painted info is located on the Metal Roofing Manufacturer's Association web site. Its been a few years since I researched it, so, I don't have the link anymore. Google it.

 

[kitfoxdrvr]

OP, that material looks a lot like what I used on my chicken house; check out ondura.com. It is an asphalt composite roofing material that looks a lot like corrugated metal but is much easier to work with (cuts with a skil saw or a utility knife). It can be used with a vented cap, but I doubt it would be needed in this application. I liked the look as well as the ease of installation.

Steve