Coop Bedding/Litter

[LJoWilly]

Ok great. My mom gave me Behr premium paint which I used on the outside so far, wasn't sure I could use it inside too. Thanks.
View attachment 1770421

I think that as long as you give enough time for the fumes to completely dissipate and the paint to fully cure, you should be ok. When I painted it took a while, since I had to wait for each coat to dry before I added another coat. It was at least a month, before the girls moved in.

 

[Mybackyardpeepers]

I think that as long as you give enough time for the fumes to completely dissipate and the paint to fully cure, you should be ok. When I painted it took a while, since I had to wait for each coat to dry before I added another coat. It was at least a month, before the girls moved in.

Ok thanks!

 

[trumpeting_angel]

I saw some “chicken-friendly” paint at TSC. Probably overpriced!

There is “low VOC” paint (volatile organic compounds) that is better for the person painting and better for the environment. Minimal fumes.

 

[SurferchickinSB]

I think linol is wise for cleaning. I am even going to use the sticky linol tiles on the walls. My non chicken friend was trying to tell me that it's not necessary...just to paint it. But seriously wetting wood on the inside during a good scrub down..not smart. Plus I think it will help prevent mites from living in the wood.

Those sticky linoleum tile squares are not the greatest. They do not butt up exactly to each other and there is always a little gap.

 

[LJoWilly]

I saw some “chicken-friendly” paint at TSC. Probably overpriced!

There is “low VOC” paint (volatile organic compounds) that is better for the person painting and better for the environment. Minimal fumes.

Omg!! There is, I just googled it. It's $29.99 for a quart!! Holy shitaki, I'd have more $$ wrapped up into paint than the whole coop itself if I'd had used that!

 

[danceswithronin]

I use absorbable animal bedding (Kaytee's; the kind you buy for indoor rabbits and guinea pigs) in the coop with some fragrant timothy or alfalfa hay scattered over it and in the nests, and then I just use wheat straw in the run itself over brown mulch.

I do feel like the bedding gets kind of damp at the edges of the coop where the upper and lower doorways are and I don't like that, but I think that's more poor coop design than poor choice of bedding (I have a kind of sh*tty prefab coop) so I'm gonna continue using what I use because I've had no issues with respiratory disease or anything else. I do make a point to try and clear the entire coop of bedding and refresh it at least every few weeks though, and scrub stuff down with dish soap and a bit of diluted bleach.

 

[green_thumb]

I put about 4 coats of paint on every square inch of the inside of my coop

I noticed you did the ceiling too which I see many people leave raw wood. Any problems with condensation? I’d like to do mine, but I wasn’t sure how that would affect moisture in the coop.

 

[LJoWilly]

I noticed you did the ceiling too which I see many people leave raw wood. Any problems with condensation? I’d like to do mine, but I wasn’t sure how that would affect moisture in the coop.

Actually, only the 2x4s are painted. The white flat parts are a double bubble insulation, then on top of that is wood, then lastly is the metal roof.
I'll attach some pics to give you an idea..

 

[Celticdragonfly]

I just recently switched to hemp bedding, and I am completely sold on this stuff.

Where do you get your hemp bedding?

 

[courtsmarans]

linoleum sounds like a good idea for cleaning. I have always used straw and have never had a problem, though I do clean my coops out almost monthly and use shavings in the nesting boxes.