Bug issue waiting period

[Ginmary]

I painted my entire inside, which seals the wood and makes it a bit less attractive to nesting bugs like mites. All my roosts are also painted. It also makes it a bit easier to clean, stuff doesn't soak into the bare wood. I used a good quality, low vox exterior paint, and it has held up well. It will likely need to be repainted periodically, and roosts get repainted as needed, but I clean daily with straight vinegar on roost and droppings boards, and it holds up well.

I have seen ads for "Chicken Safe paint" Is regular low vox OK. I'm sure the chicken paint is way more expensive.​

 

[21hens-incharge]

I have seen ads for "Chicken Safe paint" Is regular low vox OK. I'm sure the chicken paint is way more expensive.​

I have painted several coops. Never have I ever seen or needed special chicken safe paint.

Regular latex outdoor paint dries quickly and has never caused an issue I have seen.

The floors of my coops are painted with porch and floor paint. That takes a much longer time to dry and is rather stinky. Still no issues with the birds. I painted the floors while the birds were penned elsewhere in the yard for a few days.

I think it is a sales gimmick.

 

[coach723]

i had no problems with what I used. It was completely dry before I let them back in, and my coop has lots of ventilation. It was a Valspar exterior latex. When I repaint roosts they get done in the AM and are back in by dusk, no issues. Here is an older thread with just this discussion.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/what-kind-of-paint-is-safe-for-coop.68812/

 

[quackersandfern]

YOu need to confirm which bug it is. Have you seen PoultryDVM's latest infographic on how to identify the bug? http://www.poultrydvm.com/featured-infographic/identifying-common-ectoparasites-of-backyard-poultry

 

[DoeAndGander]

Try googling “bugs on chickens” and filter by images. Try a few different wordings and I’m sure you’ll find something.

Yes that’s our coop and run we designed and built ourselves. Here are a couple of pictures I think if you click on them it’s larger

Thanks so much for your run photos! Do you mind if I PM you with a couple questions about the roof?

Since you already bought the Elector use it. If you need to switch try permethrin which is just as effective but much less expensive. You do need to spray everywhere and some mites only come out at night. I would check at night. Some mites feed on the birds at night and you won't see them on the birds during the day. I use a headlamp so I have both of my hands free and check them at night while they are roosting. I did spray the birds, as well as their nest boxes, ceilings, walls, floors, on and under the roosts, any crack and crevices with a gallon sprayer so I could reach the hard to reach areas with the wand and repeat weekly for awhile because neither Elector or Permethrin will kill the pests eggs. I also use permethrin dust on my birds and in their nest boxes. The same as Elector there is no egg withdrawal period. Good luck...

Thanks for educating! Great tip on the headlamp. I had one for night running but unable to find. I’ll grab another one.

 

[DoeAndGander]

My coop construction is similar inside, I do not have inside wall panels so all the studs show, just like yours. I painted my entire inside, which seals the wood and makes it a bit less attractive to nesting bugs like mites. All my roosts are also painted. It also makes it a bit easier to clean, stuff doesn't soak into the bare wood. All my roosts and dropping boards are removable for cleaning, and in case I ever do have to do a thorough spraying. I used a good quality, low vox exterior paint, and it has held up well. It will likely need to be repainted periodically, and roosts get repainted as needed, but I clean daily with straight vinegar on roost and droppings boards, and it holds up well.

I’m kicking myself for not painting to being with! Although I was loving the look of the wood. Do you remember what sheen you used? I know semi-gloss & gloss will clean better but I despise shine. Wonder if a satin will clean up ok?

 

[DoeAndGander]

YOu need to confirm which bug it is. Have you seen PoultryDVM's latest infographic on how to identify the bug? http://www.poultrydvm.com/featured-infographic/identifying-common-ectoparasites-of-backyard-poultry

Thanks for link! It was the shape of lice (and by sounds of it a little longer) but I have yet to find one on either of my bitties and I believe I read they only live on the chicken. I’m going to check again this evening

 

[aart]

YOu need to confirm which bug it is. Have you seen PoultryDVM's latest infographic on how to identify the bug? http://www.poultrydvm.com/featured-infographic/identifying-common-ectoparasites-of-backyard-poultry

Decent place to start....but googling for images would be good too.
Catching a few would be good too, if too small to get into a jar a piece of transparent tape is a good first step. Put jar in freezer fore a few hours to kill bug, then you can examine more closely. Macro photos and/or magnifying glass and/or microscope.
Old bug catcher here......lots of insects in the world and they can be very hard to ID accurately, most are harmless, no sense in fumigating harmless insects.

 

[coach723]

I used a semi gloss, for reasons of cleaning exactly. I really don't find it too shiny, and it's going to get dirty with droppings, feathers, dust, cobwebs, etc. I don't scrub the walls except once or twice a year, when it needs a deep clean out, usually after molt. The wood is all rough, not interior finish type stuff, so the gloss really doesn't show up. I used a medium gray and other than making sure I got it good and covered, I didn't pay too much attention to fine finish.

 

[DoeAndGander]

Decent place to start....but googling for images would be good too.
Catching a few would be good too, if too small to get into a jar a piece of transparent tape is a good first step. Put jar in freezer fore a few hours to kill bug, then you can examine more closely. Macro photos and/or magnifying glass and/or microscope.
Old bug catcher here......lots of insects in the world and they can be very hard to ID accurately, most are harmless, no sense in fumigating harmless insects.

Yes! I googled. No luck yet but haven’t seen them again either. So interesting. I’m far from a bug catcher. I’ll definitely try that if I see again