Interior coop walls- what materials to use?

[Bocktobery 10]

I'm still working on finishing my coop. It is 8 x 6 with 8 foot walls. I have just installed 6 shed sized windows that open and are screened. I have the insulation in and stapled to the studs. My next step after the electrician finishes hooking up the shed/coop is that I have to put the inside walls up. However, I am not sure what to use as a material for interior walls for the coop. I would like something that is easy to clean, however, I think with the insulation in, the walls need to be breathable, correct? An one will have to be concerned about moisture inside the walls, correct?

I heard of one person using shower board. I heard it is expensive and I went to Home Depot to check out prices, only I could not find shower board. (I don't know what it looks like.) I checked out a few other options while at Home Depot, but I am not liking either the price or the materials. My father suggested homasote board... but I think this could be 'peckable' by the chickens, and I'm not too sure about mold and such growing in or around it. It just doesn't seem like a good idea. . I was thinking about going with a white plastic bumpy walling that I've seen used both in my aunt's double wide trailer and also a cat shelter I worked for. The cat shelter used this so that the rooms would be easy to clean and disinfect. I like this idea, but it seems so... clinical...

and not home-y. I would think cleaning this would be easy, however, I'm not too charmed at the idea of using plastic. It doesn't breathe. I would prefer wood. I am also hoping that whatever I use would be a thin material... not over a half inch thick so as to save space for my chickens.

Perhaps I am missing out on some viable solution to my quandry, I don't know. I'm not very knowledgeable when it comes to construction.

What would you use as a material for the interior walls of your chicken coop? Anyone have experience with shower board for chicken coops? Would wood be a better choice to promote health for chickens? I'm just not sold on plastic, but I want something easy to clean too. Hopefully, price would be not expensive too. I will need about six 8' x 4' boards to finish the job. Any suggestions?

 

[colebarnhart]

Shower board would work, if you could get some pretty cheap. But I don't think you'll really need to pressure wash the inside of your coop either, unless you just want to. After seeing many different coop designs on here, it seems most people just have bare wood. I have some paneling in mine that I got at home depot for a $1 per sheet and painted it with some good Behr paint I got for $5 per gallon also at home depot in the clearance section they have up front. If your coop doesn't leak and stays dry then mold shouldn't be a problem and if your birds only go in at night and roost it shouldn't get all that dirty or be very hard to clean.

 

[BoltonChicken]

I have never heard of using shower board. Don't use anything soft enough for a chicken to peck holes in, such as sheet rock. 3/8" cabinet grade plywood (pretty cheap when on sale at HD) is
what I used. It is paintable, which makes a good easily cleaned surface. Don't worry about the breathable thing. Wood may be breathable, but to clean it you have to paint it, which seals it and
it is no longer breathable. I like easily cleaned stuff around chickens. They can get things pretty nasty, so you have to clean. The easier the better, so the plastic stuff sounds good to me.

 

[patandchickens]

Normally people use plywood (preferably primed and painted). It works well. There is not really a big reason IMO to use anything else, unless you just *want* to be different LOL.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[Jerseycoop]

Pat and Chickens thank you for putting the time into educating us newbies on ventilation issues. I'm in the process of building a coop for my 7 here in New Jersey and we certainly have our share of hot and frigid temps. I feel very well informed! Thank you

 

[EggyErin]

I have random-width pine and oak boards because that's what we had on hand. No problems with it and the girls seem to think it's just dandy.

 

[Harry Hungerford]

What you thinking of is Plastic Resin Paneling which is non porous and sells at Home Depot for 39.00 4 x 8 sheet this does not also include the trim pieces such as unions, corners and edges as well as adhesive as to be used for its purpose which we use in our meat processing room as it makes a waterproof cleaning surface which you can sanitize and spray down.For a hen house I think it is a overkill as plywood works just as well. Besides unless you have concrete floor with drainage any water applied will just sit and promote mold with plastic wall board. besides your birds only spend the night in the coop roosting and are outside during the day. Plastic paneling ois good product but I don't think you need it for a coop.

 

[Lonesome Dough]

I used 7/16" OSB(oriented strand board) in mine, at $12 per 4x8 sheet it was the cheapest option. I always suggest the Habitat Restore but they never seem to have enough of a particular item to complete a project. you will need 7 or 8 sheets to do the walls, more if you're putting a ceiling in. Use 2" drywall screw to attach, prime and paint and it should last darn near forever. I went the extra mile and put 2" Z-channel flashing on the bottom edge to keep it from getting ragged when shoveling and racking up droppings. The channel I found at Home Depot, everybody carries OSB just shop for the best deal.

 

[aart]

What you thinking of is Plastic Resin Paneling which is non porous and sells at Home Depot for 39.00 4 x 8 sheet this does not also include the trim pieces such as unions, corners and edges as well as adhesive as to be used for its purpose which we use in our meat processing room as it makes a waterproof cleaning surface which you can sanitize and spray down.For a hen house I think it is a overkill as plywood works just as well. Besides unless you have concrete floor with drainage any water applied will just sit and promote mold with plastic wall board. besides your birds only spend the night in the coop roosting and are outside during the day. Plastic paneling ois good product but I don't think you need it for a coop.

Good post, but look at date of thread started think they are way past the choice.
Others will benefit tho.
Welcome to BYC!

 

[Jjeanmneis]

What you thinking of is Plastic Resin Paneling which is non porous and sells at Home Depot for 39.00 4 x 8 sheet this does not also include the trim pieces such as unions, corners and edges as well as adhesive as to be used for its purpose which we use in our meat processing room as it makes a waterproof cleaning surface which you can sanitize and spray down.For a hen house I think it is a overkill as plywood works just as well. Besides unless you have concrete floor with drainage any water applied will just sit and promote mold with plastic wall board. besides your birds only spend the night in the coop roosting and are outside during the day. Plastic paneling ois good product but I don't think you need it for a coop.

Rolled rubber flooring (over protective plastic liner) could provide protection from an occasional soapy scub down.