Brooder construction timber treatment

[Bugsy5145]

Just completed the construction of my first brooder. Does anyone suggest treating the inside of the brooder incase the chicks spill some water etc? Would linseed oil be a reasonable treatment or to toxic?

 

[Ravynscroft]

I've never treated any of mine, so not sure if it's safe or not... I'd err on the side of caution just cuz of fumes than may linger and cause the chicks issues... chicken respiratory systems are really sensitive to those things... if you're worried about liquids soaking through, maybe line the bottom and up a little inside with a heavy duty trash bag or thick plastic...

 

[stevethack]

Boiled linseed oil "normally" contains chemicals I wouldn't want to eat...like for my home turned dough rolling pins I make. I think raw linseed oil takes far too long to dry..and leaves a "slightly" sticky residue for months.. Go to a home center and ask for food grade/safe Tung oil based product....Formby makes one and it's very fast drying.. or easier to find (every drug store and Dollar Store) but slower drying (but still just a couple of days and cheaper) is using plain old food grade (laxative grade) mineral oil.
And I'm thinking ..probably gonna get in trouble doing that... bare wood inside the old redwood incubators is how they kept such a good humidity level. Also it's how/why they recommended firing up the cabinet a few days early and letting the wood swell up and seal out air leaks too.
I would say it's fair game to dress the outside any-which-way you want though...factories did.
Might not hurt to seal the bottom to avoid spills/easy clean out there...but leave the rest au natural... or I would...rather "I am" since I found those 2 industrial electronic thermostats at a fleamarket (it has a -200F to +2500F controlled range..

with the proper thermocouple) for $5 for both and bought 2 ebay "K" type thermocouples ($6 for 2,,,$6 for postage) for the right temp range (-20 to 200F). They hold a .7F degree swing (using a lab grade metal probe thermometer dead on at ice water and boiling water test) on air temp from a 60watt bulb in a styro test setup. (for a cash outlay of 17 bucks for both setups total) Soooo..it's western cedar board cabinet making time for me soon!...or cypress?
And no..the chicks won't eat the cedar boards and there will be little to no dust once built and cleaned. I will of course burn it in for a few weeks to outgas most of the cedar smell. What little there is from cedar fence boards anyway...they are mostly "white" sapwood and not the red heartwood which is the never rot, but highly smelling wood like in cedar chests and closets.