Accidentally got a Cedar Coop

[MeoWusical]

Hello!
I have a coop I bought off Amazon. Unfortunately, I recently learned that it’s wood is cedar from the reviews, something that I know that is toxic to birds. It doesn’t emit a very strong or noticeable odor when I’m collecting eggs, but when I smell the wood directly it’s definitely letting off it’s natural scent.
I’m trying to figure out if there is a kind of paint or primer that I could put on the wood’s interior to blog the odor.
I found Zinsser Odor Killer, which seems like it could work, but I wanted to double check with you all first, see if you know of anything better.

For some context on what the coop is like, my birdies only go in the coop for bedtime; they free roam during the day. It’s also attached to a small run that they have complete access to throughout the night.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Did the coop reviews mention the type of cedar used? I'd be more concerned by the lack of ventilation the coop provides more than the cedar - adding more ventilation should help overall.

My brooder is 100% untreated cedar, I have cedar in the litter... if there's little to no odor then offgassing shouldn't be a problem.

 

[ZZbean]

Hey, I did some searching and I think you should try a subreddit for wood/finishing I did see this one called r/finishing talking a few times about cedar wood. Although they won't know about the bird things they will know about cedar and options since the order of cedar and sensitive is something we even go though, as well as the options that are pet safe. That's just my thinking though and it's worth a try.

 

[MeoWusical]

Did the coop reviews mention the type of cedar used? I'd be more concerned by the lack of ventilation the coop provides more than the cedar - adding more ventilation should help overall.

My brooder is 100% untreated cedar, I have cedar in the litter... if there's little to no odor then offgassing shouldn't be a problem.

No they just mentioned that the wood gave off an intense cedar smell. Mine didn’t, but I can tell that it’s cedar when I smell it directly.
The seller’s description for the coop even said that the type is just “wood”, nothing else

 

[MeoWusical]

Hey, I did some searching and I think you should try a subreddit for wood/finishing I did see this one called r/finishing talking a few times about cedar wood. Although they won't know about the bird things they will know about cedar and options since the order of cedar and sensitive is something we even go though, as well as the options that are pet safe. That's just my thinking though and it's worth a try.

Tysm! I’ll give that a shot I think. If I can seal away as much of the fumes as I can I think it’ll lower any risk of hurting my duckies.
To answer @rosemarythyme s question about ventilation, I do have the doors open at all times during the day, and it has two small mesh windows just under the roof

 

[rosemarythyme]

To answer @rosemarythyme s question about ventilation, I do have the doors open at all times during the day, and it has two small mesh windows just under the roof

I don't know what ventilation recommendations are for ducks, but hopefully someone can answer for ducks, if that's something to be concerned about or not.

 

[FunnyBunny89]

Hi! I was wondering, has anything changed since this post? I use a cedar dog house that I fixed up to be a quarantine coop, and I use sand for the bedding. I've had 3 young pullets in it for a week now and they seem fine. I thought cedar shavings were a concern because of the dust they put into the air. I hope it all worked out!

 

[aart]

I thought cedar shavings were a concern because of the dust they put into the air.

They are, the aromatic kind of cedar shavings can cause respiratory issues not due to dust but because of the volatial oils/vapors they release.
Most cedar lumber is not of the aromatic variety and is harmless and resistant to rot and insects.

 

[FunnyBunny89]

They are, the aromatic kind of cedar shavings can cause respiratory issues not due to dust but because of the volatial oils/vapors they release.
Most cedar lumber is not of the aromatic variety and is harmless and resistant to rot and insects.

Okay, thank you for the clarification! *whew*

 

[MeoWusical]

Hi! I was wondering, has anything changed since this post? I use a cedar dog house that I fixed up to be a quarantine coop, and I use sand for the bedding. I've had 3 young pullets in it for a week now and they seem fine. I thought cedar shavings were a concern because of the dust they put into the air. I hope it all worked out!

The ducks are still doing good! Doesn’t seem to be any decline in their health. I think as long as the wood itself doesn’t omit a lot of fumes then it’s fine. I know for sure that cedar shavings aren’t good though. Pine is better.