cedar boards

[Yay Chicks!]

Hi. I'm new to the forum. We are building a coop and hanging the door today. The door is the only peice of the coop that will have cedar exposed to the inside. Is this much cedar okay for the chickens, or could it cause problems? Thanks.

 

[b.hromada]

Now, I'm not sure if that would be to much cedar for your birds or not. Am sure someone will come along with a better answer!

and

from S. Florida! Glad you joined us!

 

[miniwhipkey]

Welcome,I wouldn't take the chance. How about painting it?

 

[Opa]

Cedar as a building material is an excellent choice. If you opt not to paint it it weathers to a beautiful gray. Cedar shavings, chips, or sawdust is where the problem with cedar lies. The terpene that outgases from them can cause problems with a chickens respitory system. While cedar boards outgas terpene as well but only for a short period of time and by the time you have your coop complete it will not be a problem.

 

[4-H chicken mom]

and

from Ohio. I agree with Opa. Are there going to be windows in this coop? You could just make sure there is good air flow for awhile.

 

[Yay Chicks!]

Thanks. I appreciate that. There will be good ventilation. The chicks are less than
two weeks old now, so it will be a few weeks before they are out there anyway, so perhaps the boards will have 'outgassed' by that time.