Do I paint inside my chicken house or not?

[Cluck Cluck 25]

What do you think? I was going to paint inside all white.

 

[AntiqueB]

Painting can make cleaning the walls much easier. They WILL eventually splatter something on it, from poop to blood from a comb injury.

Just be sure to use a low or no VOC paint, and make sure it dries completely. Also watch out for peeling through the years, so they don't eat any of it.

 

[Ted Brown]

I went old school and used whitewash (hydrated lime with water).

Cheap, effective, non toxic, does not peel, easily renewed, reputed to deter unwelcome critters like mites. Mine is in it's sixth year, needs to be renewed but still better than plain wood.

 

[DobieLover]

I went old school and used whitewash (hydrated lime with water).

Cheap, effective, non toxic, does not peel, easily renewed, reputed to deter unwelcome critters like mites. Mine is in it's sixth year, needs to be renewed but still better than plain wood.

Can you renew over the splatter? Can you share some initial application and current, aged pictures of the finish?

 

[Ted Brown]

Since I have not renewed I can only offer background and opinions:

1. As pictures show below I do not have much splatter, blood, etc.. I was careful to follow recommendations herein re 12" from back wall and between roost bars.
2. My sister painted the inside in 2019; two coats. Nothing done since.
3. When I renew I would use a scraper to remove any lumps and would probably spot sand any dark spots.

This is the inside shortly after painting

These taken a few minutes after your request. Excuse, have not picked up this morning. The first two show the results of chickens brushing, pecking, living; the last shows a front corner that has simply aged.

 

[townchicks]

I painted mine inside, mostly because I like the look, and it makes it brighter inside. Approximately 6 years now and nothing is peeling or really worn. It is a small coop that they just sleep or lay in, though. I did take the hose to it a couple summers ago, but mostly just brush out the dust once in a while.

 

[Island Coppers]

Ted Brown,​

I am curious, as hydrated lime (calcium hydroxide) is used to make lime mortar does it saturate into the wood and make the surface harder? It's also an anti-fungal I've read

 

[Ridgerunner]

Hi, welcome to the forum! Glad you joined!

What do you think? I was going to paint inside all white.

As you can see, many do. I personally do not. I'm not worried about a little poop splatter as long as it is dry. If poop stays wet it can stink and harbor diseases but as long as it is dry it isn't a problem for me. Since I don't clean the walls being easier to clean is not a criteria for me. I use a garden hoe to scrape the top of my droppings board. I doesn't bother me if some dry poop stains it.

I personally like the inside of the coop to be a bit darker. I think it helps keep them calm. But as you can see many people like it bright. I consider that personal preference, it matters more to humans than it does the chickens.

If you treat it, let it dry before you put chickens in there. Chickens have a delicate respiratory system, you want that stuff to not be in the air when the chickens are in there. I have not used white wash, I don't know how dangerous those vapors are. Some paints dry quickly, some take days.

 

[AGeese]

You can seal it, which won't peel like paint, but does break down over time.

 

[Ted Brown]

Ted Brown,​

I am curious, as hydrated lime (calcium hydroxide) is used to make lime mortar does it saturate into the wood and make the surface harder? It's also an anti-fungal I've read

The mixture is largely water so yes it does saturate into the wood; the lime is dust so even subsequent coats penetrate. Also, the more coats the whiter it become; the 1st coat goes on translucent, leaves one wondering if a mistake has been made, drys to white.

There is no change to the surface of the wood, does not harden.

I too have read it is anti-fungal.

As I indicated above this is back in the day stuff. Not a lot of science just decades of farmers using it inside barns, coops, etc. and word of mouth collaborating it works.

I bought a bag of hydrated lime, did two coats and still have half the bag left. $17 for a 6kg bag at the time I purchased, $23.99 today.

Hard to understand why one would not use it for animal enclosures if other than a wood finish is desired.