Many small chicken coop designs include a way to access the coop via the roof. Having top access to the coop makes it convenient to work inside the coop and feed the chickens.
Typically the chicken coop design will allow for the entire roof to slide out of the way or for a portion of the roof to lift up. The drawback of having the entire roof slide out of the way is that the roof could be heavy and hard to move. The benefit is that the roof can be made out of a solid piece of plywood.
The alternative is to provide access by using hinges that allow only a portion of the roof to be lifted as shown in the first picture. This has the benefit of being lighter weight but creates the problem of having a seem in the roof where the two panels of the roof meet.
How To Water Proof The Two Part Chicken Coop Roof
The solution is to use a rubber membrane to water proof the junction between the roof panels. What is the best source of such a rubber membrane? I have found that tire inner tubes make great membranes for chicken coops.
On my current coop I have used a 26 inch mountain bicycle tire as a rubber membrane. After cutting the inner tube in half and cutting out the filler valve, the inner tube measures about 50 inches long and 4 inches wide. The membrane is secured to the roof using 3/4 inch roofing nails.
Conclusion
Tire inner tubes are useful as rubber membranes to water proof the seem in a two part chicken coop roof design. Becoming an import part of the chicken coop gives new life to a flat bicycle inner tube.
Related Pages
- Raising chickens in the backyard page.
- Chicken Coop 2.0.
- The day my chicken coop caught on fire.
- Chicken Perches.
- Chicken Nest Boxes.
