Wood or Metal ??

[pennyJo1960]

We turned an old metal shed into a coop. Roof and 3 sides are corrugated. No insulation. It's shaded on summer afternoons after 3 pm.
Floor and front we made of wood. We've been using it since 2015 with no issues. 2 windows in wood side, 2 pop doors, one people door. These pics were of the construction.

That looks great I have a geodesic dome covered my 11 ml tarp been using onto 4 years

• pennyJo1960
• Oct 25, 2016

thinking by next spring I will need to replace it seriously thinking of a metal style kinda like yours

 

[merrymutts]

Mutts:
The issue in our climate is that metal is hot in summer and cold in winter. So leaving bare metal walls and roofs exposed to the interior is going to cause you problems, although when you look around at Craigslist, etc. and see all the commercial made chicken houses made in our area, most have metal siding. I don't think of them as bad people, but more like they have not done their homework. They like it because it is cheap, durable, fast to build and looks good. But I doubt any of them have spent the night in one during the winter when it's -10F and blowing like stink outside. Or some day in summer when it's 95F outside and 110F inside. The deal is metal is a great conductor of heat....meaning it radiates heat in when it's hot, and radiates it from inside to outside when it's cold.

You can help that somewhat if you at least line the interior of the shed with OSB to isolate the metal from the birds, and hopefully install at least the bubble stuff or even 1/2" of the polyiso board under the roof tin. Insulating all sidewalls and roof with at least 1/2" insulation board would be better.

Of the two, insulation under a metal roof is most critical. Without insulation, a metal roof housing livestock will literally rain inside from condensation of moisture given off by the livestock.....or in our case our birds.

 

[merrymutts]

but wouldn't the birds peck at the insulation boards ?

 

[merrymutts]

would be having windows installed plus a vent fan

 

[Alaskan]

but wouldn't the birds peck at the insulation boards ?

if they can reach the insulation and see it.... they will peck at it and eat it...yes.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Most birds to not pick on walls or ceilings

 

[Alaskan]

if mine can reach it... they pick at it.

 

[pennyJo1960]

I have burlap inside the dome but mine have never bothered it.. but I also have deep litter so it is dirt baths in coop on rainy days

 

[SueT]

but wouldn't the birds peck at the insulation boards ?

YES! and mice will make nests behind it....

 

[Alaskan]

YES! and mice will make nests behind it....

it is possible to make the insulation area rodent free, but it is DEFINITELY something to consider.

And can also be difficult to do.

In my only insulated and wood floor coop I lined the wood floor and up the bottom part of the walls with high quality hardware cloth. It HAS kept the rodents out.

Only house up here that I know of that is truly rodent free did the same thing... entire bottom of that house is lined with hardware cloth.