Building my first coop/run

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aart said:
Typical would be to use plywood, then no need for the HC on the walls.
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so just solid sheets of plywood? That seems so easy to break to me. but like @ThatsMyPurseIdontknowyou said, we had raccoons bust through a mini-fridge. I do not underestimate a hungry raccoon.
Squawkers said:
I have never heard of putting HWC on the walls of the coop before, so I don’t know. However, I do think it is a good idea, OSB is not very good quality at all, and I have no doubt that a determined raccoon could get through, especially old OSB that has been through a lot of rain. If it were me though, I would probably do it on the inside of the OSB because it would look nicer. Although I’m a clean freak and it would bother me not being able to scrape or scrub the inside of the coop.
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it's so weird that you say that because on another forum I'm on, people got mad at me for not putting more layers for the walls LOL. But the HWC here is sandwiched between OSB and plywood. and we're gonna use the plywood sheets we have on the inside of the mansion for extra protection.

I am beginning to wonder if raccoons act differently in different areas of country. The ones around us are fearless, strong, and smart enough to dig thru wood.
 
StinkyAcres said:
I think the HC in the walls is a good idea, not just for raccoons but also chewing animals like rodents. Rats chewed through my OSB coop.
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Yep. And there isn't a LOT of difference in OSB and Plywood.

Plywood is thin sheets of wood glued together. OSB is chips of wood glued together. Plywood is roughly 10% stronger, but it was $30 vs $14 for the same thickness of product when I priced it which is why I decided to go with the OSB. Plus, at least in my area, they sheath houses with OSB before putting on siding. Which is pretty much exactly what I'm doing here.
 
juhesihcaa said:
so just solid sheets of plywood? That seems so easy to break to me.
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Plywood is not easy to break and I think the more common "plywood" used is something like T1-11 which is pretty thick. My current coop is sided only with vertical 3/4" shiplap. It's the only thing between my chickens and the outside; no insulation or inside walls needed. I've had no problems with animals getting through it, but there is nothing wrong with the belt and suspenders approach you have taken.
 
juhesihcaa said:
so just solid sheets of plywood? That seems so easy to break to me. but like @ThatsMyPurseIdontknowyou said, we had raccoons bust through a mini-fridge. I do not underestimate a hungry raccoon.

it's so weird that you say that because on another forum I'm on, people got mad at me for not putting more layers for the walls LOL. But the HWC here is sandwiched between OSB and plywood. and we're gonna use the plywood sheets we have on the inside of the mansion for extra protection.

I am beginning to wonder if raccoons act differently in different areas of country. The ones around us are fearless, strong, and smart enough to dig thru wood.
Click to expand...
I personally wouldn’t use OSB to build a coop and I think that’s pretty normal, so maybe that’s why it isn’t that common. I don’t think solid plywood would need HWC. That is pretty weird, where are you located?
 
StinkyAcres said:
Plywood is not easy to break and I think the more common "plywood" used is something like T1-11 which is pretty thick. My current coop is sided only with vertical 3/4" shiplap. It's the only thing between my chickens and the outside; no insulation or inside walls needed. I've had no problems with animals getting through it, but there is nothing wrong with the belt and suspenders approach you have taken.
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I get what you are saying.

So if I had gone with T1-11 it would have been $45 a sheet vs $14 a sheet for the OSB I used. After you factor in the cost of my HW Cloth and the used plywood sheets I bought and ripped down for the shiplap, its basically break even on price.

However I'm just not a big fan of how the T1-11 looks.

Another option I strongly considered was metal roofing panels. The local amish supply house sells scratch and dent ones for $15 for a 10' panel. Definitely wouldn't need hw cloth behind metal roof panels. If you notice in the pictures, the building behind the coop is my office, and its done with metal panels like that.

But honestly I kind of set out here to do something fun and interesting that I normally wouldn't do and I think the shiplap really accomplished that.
 
juhesihcaa said:
so just solid sheets of plywood? That seems so easy to break to me.
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Good plywood, at least 3/8" thick is not easy to "break".


juhesihcaa said:
but like @ThatsMyPurseIdontknowyou said, we had raccoons bust through a mini-fridge. I do not underestimate a hungry raccoon.
Click to expand...
I ate.chewed thru the walls of fridge?
What were the walls made of?
 
@StinkyAcres @Squawkers @aart

I will admit that my knowledge of building is fairly new but OSB is a solid choice for a base layer like we're doing. This plywood is pretty thin and sandwiching some HWC between it and OSB should keep out any critters.

Also, we're in Southern Ohio and have some very determined raccoons. It's actually one of my life goals to have one as a pet but I know what they need. They are basically toddlers that never learn to speak. They literally chewed thru a dorm-style mini fridge and we recently trapped one that was being a total jerk in town. I figure anything that I could bend and break, a raccoon can scurry thru. If I'm unable to break it, it should be good.

Also, we are planning to make this thing able to be moved for when we eventually move so multiple layers = solid.
 
juhesihcaa said:
@StinkyAcres @Squawkers @aart

I will admit that my knowledge of building is fairly new but OSB is a solid choice for a base layer like we're doing. This plywood is pretty thin and sandwiching some HWC between it and OSB should keep out any critters.

Also, we're in Southern Ohio and have some very determined raccoons. It's actually one of my life goals to have one as a pet but I know what they need. They are basically toddlers that never learn to speak. They literally chewed thru a dorm-style mini fridge and we recently trapped one that was being a total jerk in town. I figure anything that I could bend and break, a raccoon can scurry thru. If I'm unable to break it, it should be good.

Also, we are planning to make this thing able to be moved for when we eventually move so multiple layers = solid.
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I wasn’t saying I didn’t like OSB at all, I just don’t think it is sturdy enough to be exposed to the elements. I really think what you did is good. OSB is perfectly fine under something else, like you said. And as I said earlier, I think the HWC is a good idea.
 

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