My chicken coop has mold..

[aart]

If rough cut lumber I'm assuming it's not treated.

You really shouldn't build with green lumber, as it dries it could warp all over the place.

Vinegar or mild bleach might help, but it really needs to dry if it's truly 'green'(as in from freshly cut down trees) lumber.

Do not bother painting until it's really dry(which could take a year) or the paint will just peel off and your chickens will eat it.

What is your climate?
Putting your location in your profile can help folks give more viable advice.

 

[OverEggstended]

Mold, you say? How unusual. Not! Welcome to Washington!

In any case, if the mold worries you for chicks, use the bleach. Once that has dried though, the mold will come right back and continue to spread. We just had one heck of a flood here and I will tell you the same thing I have been attempting to get into my neighbors brains:

Bleach does NOT help much with mold. If it did, all those mold and mildew products for your bathroom would not need to be reapplied weekly. Bleach disinfectant. To really stop mold... you want vinegar. Home Depot even sells cleaning strength vinegar (20% stronger than reg white vinegar). It costs less than $2. Spray it all over with it and let it really soak in. No more mold will grow, I promise.

I have parrots and vinegar is all I use on their cages, too. It kills mold and 90% of bacterium. It deodorizes. Bird poop practically disintegrates. It does not harm their VERY sensitive respiratory systems.

Oh... and stick a 1/4 cup worth in the gallon of paint you are gonna use on the coop. It won't grow mold, moss, or algae!

 

[triplepurpose]

Thanks. I will keep that in mind. Once I put the singles on and fully seal up so water can't get inside it should dry out faster. It's not a lot of mold just specks in the wood. Mostly on the outside.

Well, that doesn't sound too bad then. Fyi none of the wood of my coop (well, except some pieces from old fence rails that already had paint) is painted or sealed, but it was all fully cured to begin with (and much of it redwood left over from another project).

I assume you mean sealing the wood, not sealing the coop up...? Forgive me if someone else already mentioned this but ventilation is crucial also for every coop not just because of moisture-mold issues but because of ammonia off gassing from litter or manure: it can be harmful to their lungs even at levels not easily noticeable to the human nose.

 

[Juniper148]

Meh, the fumes go away once it's dry. The only reason I suggested it is bc it is black mold. People have died and they condemn houses for it if it's not cleanable. If you find a small amount in your home, bleaching 3x and repainting is recommended....I guess it depends on the type of mold.

I would think, as you said, vinegar would be fine for most molds.

Not all mold that is black in color is thee Black Mold you hear about on tv. I wouldn't freak out just yet.

 

[WildfireSmitty]

Not all mold that is black in color is thee Black Mold you hear about on tv. I wouldn't freak out just yet.

X2

 

[aart]

Quote: x3

 

[justplainbatty]

Really not freaking out. many different types and colors of mold may produce mycotoxins, not just "thee black one". This is especially true in grain and animal feed as most well know. So, the growth of any mold, inside a chicken coop that produces spores, toxic or not is bound to upset their delicate respiratory system. With all the wing flapping and curios pecking, mold spores can easily enter the bird , the water, the feed and may or may not cause mild to severe disease. Chickens seem to be susceptible to fungal infections and a host of other maladies that can be traced back to mold. I guess I should have said all that in the first place, sometimes I answer people faster than I think about explaining all the ideas behind my answer. I'm sorry for that, I'll work on it.
My apologies to the op.

And I did mention, dry, dry, dry and ventilate to the max as part of the solution to mold.