Chicken coop roof options: What’s the best material?

July 16, 2020 Bri Wyzard

When it comes to materials for chicken coop roofs, there are so many options! Initially, you may feel overwhelmed. This article will clear up any questions you have about chicken coop roof options.

What is the best chicken coop roofing material? Plywood covered in a weatherproof material, such as metal, plastic, or shingles, is the best option for chicken coop roofing as it offers protection both from predators and the elements. Shingles are the most durable weatherproof material, but are more expensive than metal and plastic, and harder to install.

In this article, you will learn:

What makes a good chicken coop roof
Pros and cons of the 6 materials used for chicken coop roofs
How to choose the best roofing material for your coop

This post contains affiliate links for my favorite products from Amazon and Rita Marie’s Chicken Coops. As an Amazon and Rita Marie’s Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

What makes a good chicken coop roof?

A good chicken coop roof has these qualities:

Durable
Keeps moisture out of the coop
Sloped so that rain and snow slide off

In order for a roof to be durable, you need a material that doesn’t absorb moisture, doesn’t rip off in the wind, and doesn’t break down under the sun’s rays. You also need a material that doesn’t let moisture into the coop through condensation.

And you want a roof that’s built at a steep enough angle (pitch) that rain and snow will slide off of it. You don’t want a roof where water will puddle because it won’t be durable, and may even let moisture into the coop.

For more information on how to figure out the correct pitch for your chicken coop roof, see my article, Chicken coop roof pitch: How to determine the right slope.

Can you just use a sheet of plywood for your chicken coop roof?

You don’t want to use exposed plywood for your chicken coop roof. Plywood will rot when exposed to wet weather. If you live in a humid area, it may even mold.

Exposed plywood roofs will eventually warp and buckle from the effects of the moisture. Once a plywood roof finally rots through, it will no longer provide protection from the elements (and from certain predators) for your chickens.

If you’d like to see what a plywood roof looks like after it’s been exposed to the elements, check out the YouTube video below:

If you use exposed plywood, you will likely need to replace your chicken coop roof in a year or two. Painting the plywood may extend its life a little longer.

However, if you simply cover your plywood with a weather-resistant material, your coop roof will last for ages.

The best materials for chicken coop roofs

The best roofing material for your chicken coop will depend on your personal circumstances. If you live in a warm and humid climate, for example, you may find metal sheeting (with no plywood base) to be a great chicken coop roof.

If, on the other hand, you live in a colder climate with wind or snow, you may find that metal sheeting gets ripped off in the wind or gets covered in condensation, leading to wet and unhealthy conditions for your chickens.

The following materials are the ones most commonly used for chicken coop roofs:

Metal sheets (e.g., galvanized steel, tin)
Plastic sheets (e.g., PVC material, polycarbonate material)
Asphalt
Shingles
Plants (i.e., a green roof)

Below, you can read about each roofing material to determine which one is best for your setting.

Do metal sheets make good chicken coop roofs?

Many people use metal sheets for chicken coop roofing. Galvanized steel and tin are very popular, both in corrugated and non-corrugated varieties. Many of these materials have baked-enamel coatings to help with durability.

Below are the pros and cons of using only metal sheets for roofs (i.e, no plywood base):

Pros of metal roofs

Affordable
Widely available
Durable
Maintenance-free

Cons of metal roofs

Cause condensation in the coop
May get ripped off in the wind
Noisy in coop during heavy rain and hail

Metal sheeting can make a very good roof for chicken coops in climates that never get very cold. In the United States, chicken keepers using metal sheeting for roofs usually fare from the southern states, such as Georgia, Alabama, and Texas.

If you’re from a warm climate, and your chicken coop is well ventilated, the inside of your coop will be at temperature and humidity levels that are similar to the outside. This means you shouldn’t have a problem with condensation on the roof inside your chicken coop.

However, if you live in an area that gets cold, the temperature and humidity levels in your coop may exceed those outside of your coop. The temperature may be higher due to the body heat released by your chickens in the coop. Your humidity may be higher due to the moisture released by your chickens from their breath and droppings into the coop.

In these conditions, condensation can become a serious problem. One chicken keeper from a cold climate said that the condensation from her metal roof got so bad that “it literally rained in the coop.”

If you have even a little bit of condensation in your chicken coop during cold spells, your chickens may suffer from frostbite. If you have a lot of condensation, your chickens will get wet and they won’t be able to insulate well with wet feathers. They can freeze to death.

Additionally, when moisture from condensation gets added to your bedding, illness-causing bacteria and molds may thrive, and you may get an increase in ammonia in the coop, all very bad things.

For more on this topic, see my articles, What is chicken coop bedding and do you need it? and The best chicken coop bedding: Sand vs. straw vs. pine shavings.

If you do live in a climate that gets cold for part of the year, you can still use metal sheeting, but you will want to attach it to a plywood base or to insulation (e.g., rigid foam board) to prevent these condensation problems.

The only other way to prevent condensation is to have an extreme amount of ventilation in your coop, which will inevitably lead to a very cold chicken coop. I don’t recommend this in areas where the temperature gets to freezing or below.

You’ll also want to attach your metal to plywood if you live in a place with high winds. If your metal sheeting is securely attached to the plywood, you won’t need to worry about the wind getting underneath it and ripping it off.

For a lesson on how to install corrugated metal roofing, check out this article.

Or you if want to buy a high-quality prebuilt coop with metal roofing, I recommend Rita Marie’s Chicken Coops.

Check out my review of my Rita Marie’s chicken coop, The BEST luxury coop you’ll ever buy: Spoil your chickens with Rita Marie’s.

Do plastic panels make good chicken coop roofs?

Many chicken keepers have successfully used plastic sheets and panels for chicken coop roofs. Plastic sheets vary greatly in quality and price.

PVC sheets and polycarbonate sheets are the most common. Polycarbonate sheets are higher in both quality and in price in comparison to PVC. Polycarbonate is more durable and, therefore, has a much longer lifetime.

Below are some pros and cons of using only plastic panels as roofing materials (i.e., no plywood base):

Pros of plastic roofs

Affordable
Widely available
Medium lifespans
Low maintenance
Snow slides off well

Cons of plastic roofs

May break down in UV light
May break down in heavy hail conditions
May not be predator-proof
May have a greenhouse effect in the coop
May get ripped off in the wind

Chicken keepers who have used plastic panels for their chicken coop roof (with no plywood base) have said that the wind can rip them off. Others have said their roofs have been damaged by hail—the hail actually broke straight through the roof in some cases, actually ripping it apart.

Another drawback is that coops in the sun with plastic roofs can get incredibly warm. One chicken keeper said her coop gets over 90 degrees even on a mild spring morning. Chickens don’t fare well in this kind of heat.

Raccoon predators can also be a real concern with plastic panel roofing. Raccoons have incredibly strong and sharp teeth, and may be able to tear through the plastic material. At the very least, you will want to put hardware cloth underneath the roof to better protect your chickens.

All of these problems can be solved if you attach your plastic roofing material to a plywood base.

For a lesson on how to install corrugated plastic roofing, check out this article.

Can clear plastic panels be used for chicken coop roofs?

Some chicken keepers have used clear plastic panels for their chicken coop roofs, but I do not recommend it. Again, plastic material can cause a greenhouse effect in the coop, which is much worse with clear plastic.

Does the color of plastic roof panels matter?

White is a great choice. You will probably want to avoid black or a very dark color to prevent the coop from getting too hot.

If your plastic material isn’t light-colored, you may want to consider painting your roof with a reflective roof coating to help reflect the sun’s rays and prevent the coop from overheating.

Do asphalt materials make good chicken coop roofs?

Asphalt materials come in a couple of different varieties, including:

Roll-on asphalt paper, which goes on top of a wood base
Corrugated asphalt panels (Ondura panels)

Asphalt is likely the least durable type of chicken coop roofing material.

Pros of asphalt roofs

Affordable
Widely available
Easy to install

Cons of asphalt roofs

Low durability
Some maintenance
May not be waterproof

Roll-on asphalt material for your chicken coop roof

Many low-cost chicken coops, like the type you find in Walmart or on Amazon.com, use roll-on asphalt roofing material on top of wood. This material tends to be very low quality.

Check out the photo below to see how poorly this material fared on one of these coops after being outside for just one year.

I bought the coop pictured in the photograph above to temporarily house a couple of roosters I found abandoned on the highway near my home. But as soon as the coop arrived, I realized it was way too poor quality for me to be able to use it.

The roof was only the very beginning of the coop’s problems. For more on this topic, see my article, Why you should never buy a coop from Amazon or Walmart. If you are interested in a prebuilt coop, I recommend Rita Marie’s Chicken Coops.

Ondura asphalt panels for your chicken coop roof

Ondura panels are a more durable form of asphalt material than the roll-on variety. These corrugated panels are similar to plastic panels, but are of a lower quality than most plastic panels.

As with plastic panels, your roof will be much safer and last much longer if you install your Ondura panels on top of a plywood base.

To see how to install Ondura panels, check out the YouTube video below.

Do shingles make good chicken coop roofs?

Shingles are an overall excellent option for chicken coop roofs. There are more steps to installing shingles, but they are a very safe and durable option.

Pros of shingle roofs

Very durable
Widely available

Cons of shingle roofs

Expensive
Harder to install

For more information on how to install shingles on your chicken coop roof, check out this article.

Or you if want to buy a high-quality prebuilt coop with shingle roofing, I recommend Rita Marie’s Chicken Coops.

Check out my review of my Rita Marie’s chicken coop, The BEST luxury coop you’ll ever buy: Spoil your chickens with Rita Marie’s.

Can you make a green chicken coop roof?

The short answer is yes, and I certainly love the way these roofs look! However, gardening is way out of my element, so I will direct you to a better source. Check out this article for more information.

What kind of hardware do you need to attach your roof to your chicken coop?

You’ll definitely want to use roofing screws. These have built-in washers that are designed to keep water out.

Should your chicken coop roof have extended eaves?

Eaves are the part of the roof that extends beyond the coop building. My first chicken coop (a converted shed) doesn’t have eaves and I greatly regret that. All of my other chicken coops were built with eaves that extend 1-2 feet. You can see these eaves on one of my coops pictured below.

Eaves are excellent for several reasons, such as that they:

Provide shade in hot weather
Provide shelter in inclement weather
Provide cover for food and water
Keep rain and snow from getting into the ventilation gaps/holes
Provide a place to hide from overhead predators

Want to learn how to build the exact coop pictured above? Check out my chicken coop video course and plans.

Chicken coop roof pitch

After figuring out what material you need to build your chicken coop roof, you’ll need to determine the slope of your roof. Check out my article, Chicken coop roof pitch: How to determine the right slope for your coop's roof.

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