Paint inside of coop or not?

[PetRock]

We are close to finishing up our coop, finally! My DH is working on the chicken door and the ramp today. I am trying to decide whether to paint the inside of the coop or not. I would love to hear your opinions and/or see pics of the inside of your coops. Also, if we do choose to paint, should we use a primer first? We are leaving for vacation on Wednesday and I need our babies to be using the coop by then. Our 18 year old son will be babysitting and we need to have a routine established by then.

 

[sgtmom52]

I do paint the insides of my coops for 2 reasons. The first is I think it makes it easier to clean as it seals the wood and second is I have walk in coops and I like the looks of the painted walls ~ it is much more pleasant to me. I always use primer before I paint anything.

New coop ~

Old coop ~

 

[kjhowe77]

We just finished building ours too and I will be painting both inside and out. I think it will make it easier to clean.

 

[PetRock]

Quote:
Beautiful coop! I love the colors! I was just thinking about white but now you have inspired me to think beyond white! Thank you!!!

 

[columbiacritter]

Inside paint is a very good thing since it seals the wood against a lot of the mites and other insects that cause problems. I give all my coops a good thick coating inside. I've read several books talking about mite outbreaks being related to the crevices and cracks in the wood being breeding grounds for mites. Plus I go through at least once a summer, strip it bare and spray it down with a bleach solution something that would be hard on raw wood.

Back in the day my grandfather mixed DDT in paint for his coops and his kitchen. He thought it was great that when a fly landed on the wall it died.

He said he never had mites or lice on any of his birds, go figure. He was very put out when I triple bagged his last two cans off DDT and to them to a hazardous waste disposal cleanup.

 

[sgtmom52]

Quote:
Beautiful coop! I love the colors! I was just thinking about white but now you have inspired me to think beyond white! Thank you!!!

Actually the blue coop became blue after I added a partial quart can of dark blue paint to 2 gallons of Dutch Boy white paint I got cheap at an Ollies (an overstock store). I really like how the color came out. I used an electric power sprayer to paint and when I was finished I looked like a big blue Smurf!

I also use a semi-gloss paint for easier coop cleaning.

 

[mgw]

We have 2 coops niether are painted on inside. My vote is paint it.

 

[PetRock]

My husband, bless his heart, is outside right now spraying the inside of the coop with off white (left over paint so free) semi-gloss. It is over 90 degrees today so it is a labor of love. I love the chickens and he loves me!

My oldest daughter and I are thinking about painting the inside roof light blue with white clouds. Gotta add a little color to our babies' home. We thought about adding a mural with some flowers but that might drive the chickens crazy trying to peck the "plants".

 

[Sharoney]

I painted the inside of my coop with Kilz primer (leftover from our house construction) and then three coats of semigloss on all surfaces, including window interiors. I also caulked all cracks and crevices prior to painting. I painted the ceiling sky blue. The result is wonderful and well worth the work--easy to dust and/or scrub down, and mite- and bug-free. It's cheerful, bright and my 9 gals and one roo seem to really like it.

Hubby (who was a wonderful help during the process) sez that if I give up on chickens he's going to claim the shed as an office!

 

[ZooMummzy]

I got lazy and didn't paint the inside of my new coop last summer. I regret it. I had a lot of mold issues this winter which I think would have been easier to clean and treat had I painted the inside and I've also had lice and mites, again, I think I could have eliminated some of them with painting. In the next couple weeks I am going to be power washing and cleaning the coop and then getting up very early one morning to paint it. I am using paint with low odor so hopefully between the fans running and all the ventilation (doors/windows/vents) open all day, I will have it safe enough for the girls by late evening. No white for me though...going to go with something pretty

The outside of my coop is "iced melon" so I need to find something to compliment that.