Best Substance for Sealing Inside Coop Crevices and Joints?

[21hens-incharge]

Might be obvious, but make sure you use some kind of paintable substance.

I am glad you got how....punny it is.

Definitely agree! Use a paintable caulk!

 

[DobieLover]

I didn't seal every crack and crevice of my coop. Just where the poop deck met the framing.
If you intend to paint over the sealant your only real option is siliconized acrylic caulk. I like the DAP 40 year stuff. It's paintable and flexible.

 

[tlatham72]

Might be obvious, but make sure you use some kind of paintable substance. Lots of sealants like what you are looking for are not paintable like silicone. I would get a couple tubes of latex caulk if I wanted to do what you are planning, but also I wouldn't worry about it because I find caulking frustrating and time consuming. But you do you. Cheers.

Thanks for the tip. Actually, it wasn't obvious to me. LOL. My husband pointed that out to me when I was bouncing ideas off of him. He suggested that I paint the inside of the coop first and then do the sealing. I also find caulking a pain in the arse.

 

[tlatham72]

I am glad you got how....punny it is.

Definitely agree! Use a paintable caulk!

Howdy neighbor! (Clinton)
I didn’t seal all the joints myself, I used shipping crate boards and made it look like an old time building.
on the inside I mixed up whitewash and bought a cheap harbor freight sprayer and blasted everything with it.
It has done a great job keeping the bugs down.
I also deep mulch in the coop.View attachment 2240305

Howdy! Good idea on the whitewash. I remember reading something a while back about it being good for painting coops. I have an autoimmune arthritis that limits some of my mobility at times, so I'm trying to do above and beyond on my coop design to make it ultra easy to clean semi-annually and maintain day to to day. Everything is going to be human-size, lol, so I don't have to stoop and bend into weird positions.

But, in regards to the inside paint, I've been planning to use a semi-gloss or gloss outdoor paint (in my spray gun for sure) to do multiple coats of literally every surface so that I can easily wipe down surfaces and spray down with a hose during semi-annual cleaning. I'm thinking that white wash wouldn't have that type of slick surface. Am I correct?

I LOVE your coop!

 

[tlatham72]

I forgot, I would use a latex caulk myself, the chickens may be prone to try to pull it out and eat it though.

That is one of the things I'm concerned about with choosing the right sealer. This is my first flock of chickens. (Just hatched 2 myself and bought 5 day old from my local feed and seed.) So, I'm as green as it gets in understanding chicken behavior. These will be straight up pets for me that I cuddle and play with, so I definitely don't want to do anything that might harm them.

 

[tlatham72]

I used spray foam in my small wooden hen house.

Did the chickens seem to peck at it at all? I know when I've used that in the past, I have such a difficult time getting it smooth and wondered if that would encourage the chickens to peck at it?

 

[tlatham72]

@DobieLover

Thanks for those links in your signature aart!

 

[drinkoj]

But, in regards to the inside paint, I've been planning to use a semi-gloss or gloss outdoor paint (in my spray gun for sure) to do multiple coats of literally every surface so that I can easily wipe down surfaces and spray down with a hose during semi-annual cleaning. I'm thinking that white wash wouldn't have that type of slick surface. Am I correct?

I LOVE your coop!

I used a Porch and Deck paint from Home Depot after reading here. Used my Wagner paint sprayer and put down a super heavy coating and let it dry for long while. Here is the thread on my coop build and the inside paint that I laid down. https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/building-a-4x8-coop-inside-10x10-dog-kennel.1379917/page-3

If you do a thick layer of paint, instead of multiple layers, just make sure you have plenty of ventilation so that the paint will dry properly in the 90 degree we're having in the Upstate.

 

[tlatham72]

Don't have an answer but like @Plsc , thought I'd just say Howdy Neighbor!

Howdy! Where are you specifically? I'm in Travelers Rest.
Love your signature.

I have 2 Vizsla/Lab mixes, 2 Nigerian Dwarf goats, 1 bossy kitty cat, 7 baby chicks, and 1 husband that wants 2-3 more goats and a couple of ducks.

 

[tlatham72]

I used latex caulk. So far in the 10 years in town (and a few new bigger coops) no one has picked at the caulking. My coops are painted inside with latex house paint in eggshell finish.

Good to know that you chickens haven't pecked at the caulk. And I'm so very literal I never, ever get jokes. Eggshell went right over my head until another posted pointed out the pun. Ha!