What kind of wood used for coop

[CresSr]

My husband is making plans for our first coop. He wanted to know if pressure treated wood is ok to use or does it have to be cedar?

 

[HiddenFlockEC]

I used pressure treated on anything that would touch the ground, marine grade plywood for the flooring otherwise everything else was standard grade.

 

[ECBW]

I use any wood I can find, keeping initial investment low. Any contact with the ground is done with concrete blocks. As long as you keep the wood dry, no problem.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Hard to get any better than those two comments. Anything that touches the ground needs to be treated or made of something that is rot proof and termite proof. As long as you can keep it dry use what you want for the rest, but I do like to paint exterior surfaces to help them repel water unless you use cedar or something like that.

 

[junebuggena]

Climate plays a big part in what to use, especially if you are in a coastal region. Anything that's not pressure treated tends to rot away after just a few years, around here.

 

[triplepurpose]

Pressure treated wood is pretty toxic stuff though. And it shouldn't be needed if you design it well. IMO it doesn't make sense to build a structure with wooden parts that are touching the ground in the first place. Of course it's going to rot! If, on the other hand, you make a concrete, cinderblock, stone, etc. foundation around the base, so that wood is not touching the ground, and include an overhanging roof that protects the siding, posts, or any other wooden bits somewhat, it can last a long, long time. It doesn't even have to be pretty unless you want it to, just solid. Our coop was made out of un-treated, unpainted redwood and it survived a tropical climate yearround, plus one category 5 hurricane, before being dissassembled and used to make another coop 20 years later--which is still standing.

People built stuff that stood for generations long before there was pressure treated wood--you just have to build it right...

 

[mechanic57]

I bought the plans for the coop shown in the pics. I have pressure treated wood where it touches the ground. The rest is regular #2 grade lumber and plywood. I painted the exterior with Thompson's Water Seal. Same for the coop floor. I have a much larger run attached to one side of this, so the birds come out of the coop and can go into a bigger fenced in area besides the run you see in this photo. The additional run does not have a roof but does have bird netting over the top. This pics are from the guy (Jim Schwartz) from whom I bought the plans. These are not my pics.

 

[GodofPecking]

put wood on stones, bricks or slabs to prevent rot.

Dip or paint wood in old engine oil to eliminate the possibility of termites, permanently.

 

[Chickenbrainiac]

I've built coops/chicken houses out of oak, cedar, pine and other species and have had no problems with any of them.

I personally believe that the best wood to build a coop out of is the wood you have or can get free or on the cheap.

Pallet wood works well, but you may have to drill pilot holes for fasteners, or use a pneumatic nail gun.

I prefer using untreated wood as chickens tend to eat any insects that would wish to invade it.

 

[David61]

When in Rome.... What part of the world are you in and what do the use as building materials. Here in the deep south its going to be treated yellow wood brand pine. I wish our local wood was cedar , red wood, teak, mahogany...
150 years ago cypress was everywhere. But the last of the great cypress was fell to make breastwooks and fortifications for the civil war.