Any safe waterproofing paint/sealer for roosting bars in coop?

[Ginmary]

I have a new Overez coop. Is there any safe material to paint the roosting bars with to make cleanup easy?

 

[azygous]

Tung oil and linseed oil are plant based and non-toxic. Tung oil will set up faster and is more durable, though.

 

[Alaskan]

Any modern paint (so lead free) is non-toxic once dry.

A paint labeled for human baby nurseries puts off less gasses during the drying process, so is easier to air out quickly.

 

[Aunt Angus]

Both great suggestions! Tung oil is great stuff. So many uses, and I like the look/feel of it applied to sanded wood.

I never thought about baby nursery paint! Smart! Mine is just painted with latex paint. I didn't paint it; it was an 8 ft long 2x4 in the workshop here when we moved in. But it's been very easy to clean. I just take it out, spray it down, scrub it clean, disinfect it, let it air dry, and put it back (it slips into brackets on the coop walls).

 

[azygous]

My roosts are well sanded ponderosa pine branches, and they are unfinished. Never had any problem washing off the occasional poop. Any stains can get a quick sanding once a year, and they're like new again.

 

[Aunt Angus]

My roosts are well sanded ponderosa pine branches, and they are unfinished. Never had any problem washing off the occasional poop. Any stains can get a quick sanding once a year, and they're like new again.

Awesome! The only reason I prefer painted is because I've read it can help limit mites and other such buggies.

 

[TERMINATORATIS]

I have a new Overez coop. Is there any safe material to paint the roosting bars with to make cleanup easy?

YES USE 2 1/2 INCH PVC PIPES INSTEAD. CLEAN UP WITH SCRUB PAD IS BREEZE.
ENJOY.

 

[DobieLover]

YES USE 2 1/2 INCH PVC PIPES INSTEAD. CLEAN UP WITH SCRUB PAD IS BREEZE.
ENJOY.

But PVC does not offer any traction and birds don't like it. Check out the results of a Perch Experiment here.

 

[3KillerBs]

I would be reluctant to paint perches because they could become slippery.

I didn't take a photo, but when I took the perch out of the Little Monitor Coop in order to put in a heat lamp and use it as a brooder I found that there wasn't a single speck of poop on it despite it having been in use for well over a year without any cleaning.

Said perch is a 2-3" diameter chunk of pine sapling.

I don't know if being round makes a difference over time but the piece of 4x4 I used as a perch in the broody breaker didn't get dirty either.

 

[mowin]

I haven't cleaned or even thought about cleaning the roost. Birds do a fairly good job of that by themselves.