Do I paint inside my chicken house or not?

[StinkyAcres]

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.

Thanks for all this information. You got me interested. What is the lime to water ratio? Do you think it can be painted on while the birds are currently living in the coop?

 

[Ted Brown]

... What is the lime to water ratio? Do you think it can be painted on while the birds are currently living in the coop?

Lots of info online - https://www.wikihow.com/Make-Whitewash

"Hydrated lime in large amounts or over a long period of time is dangerous to animals and people." I believe this is referring to lime in it's powdered form. However, - good info here https://www.weekand.com/home-garden/article/hydrated-lime-hurt-animals-18003307.php

My coop was painted before I introduced chickens so I have no direct experience. However, after the whitewash is mixed (one does not want to be breathing lime powder), there is no odour and the only thing that is off gassing is water. Given moderate temperatures and low humidity it drys in a few short hours. I am guessing but the worst that could happen is a bird pecking or brushing while it is wet. I doubt this will have any negative effect. Note from my pictures that pecking is common, I have not had any birds laying upside down with white beaks.

Chickens underfoot while painting you can judge for yourself.

 

[Ted Brown]

@Cluck Cluck 25 My apologies, while my posts are related to your question it may seem your thread got hijacked - not intended!

 

[K0k0shka]

I used solid color wood stain instead of paint, both on the inside and outside of my coop. It's been 5 years now and no wear and tear yet, and no chipping (because it absorbs into the wood).

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.

In some parts of the world, back in the day that's what they used on the walls inside human houses, too, not just animal structures. And in some areas it's still used to this day. I grew up in Eastern Europe and that was standard practice for walls and ceilings in people's homes. Our house (and most in the area) still has the lime on the walls and ceilings inside, and it holds up for decades unless something is rubbing against it regularly (like behind a coat rack or around light switches). So my mom refreshes those areas periodically, but the rest of it lasts a really long time. The barn and chicken coop have that, too, as do tree trunks on the bottom 3 feet or so closest to the ground. Supposedly it protects the trunks from bugs or pathogens getting in through cracks in the bark. I've never done that on my trees here and they seem to do fine, so I'm not convinced it's necessary.

 

[Daisy June]

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.

My gosh! This is what I am going to do when it warms up some. I had planned to repaint, but this white washing sounds like the best way to go. Thank you for sharing.

 

[Ted Brown]

My gosh! This is what I am going to do when it warms up some. I had planned to repaint, but this white washing sounds like the best way to go. Thank you for sharing.

A caution. The lime penetrates into the wood. If the wood is painted it will probably prevent this.

 

[Daisy June]

A caution. The lime penetrates into the wood. If the wood is painted it will probably prevent this.

Okay, it is painted. I suppose sanding it well would work, right?

 

[Ted Brown]

Okay, it is painted. I suppose sanding it well would work, right?

First verify that my comment is correct. You have probably use acrylic paint (least expensive), oil based seals the wood.

https://www.hometalk.com/diy/decora...white-wash-an-acrylic-painted-canvas-44375589

 

[Daisy June]

First verify that my comment is correct. You have probably use acrylic paint (least expensive), oil based seals the wood.

https://www.hometalk.com/diy/decora...white-wash-an-acrylic-painted-canvas-44375589

I am not sure what was used as I purchased this coop from Tractor Supply with the paint already on it.

 

[Ted Brown]

I am not sure what was used as I purchased this coop from Tractor Supply with the paint already on it.

I would think you could test things.

Using water paint a small section and see if it sinks in. If not sand a small area and test again.