paint/stain in coop and run

[Sammimom]

We are building our coop and run combo, and I'm wondering if the chickens will peck at, and possibly eat, paint if I use it on the framing for the run. I have a non-toxic stain and wood protectant (for decks) but I would prefer paint. Not only would this look better to me personally, but here in the Seattle area wood rots very quickly and paint protects better. We used untreated fir for the frame to reduce costs, and the entire run will be covered with a roof, but here water gets to everything anyway.

The run is 6x10, and while an adequate size for our four chicks (rapidly growing in the laundry room) I could still see them getting restless in there and pecking at the wood. We do plan on letting them out on our fenced acre a few times a week, but both my dogs and our massive raccoon population put them at too great a risk to let out all the time.

Let me know what you think...

 

[GardeNerd]

I like paint. Mine haven't appeared to chip it off and eat it yet, but it is a little early to tell. My only recommendation would be make sure you use a good quality primer first. Good Luck.

And welcome to BYC!

 

[jubylives]

Paint if applied correctly will come off. MAke sure the surface is clean and free of grease, dust and poo. My local walmart put alot of their paint on clearance. It was already mixed so I ended up with walls being a different color then the ceiling but it was cheap. I used laytex enamel and painted it during the day when they were outside. No problems so far.

jeremy

 

[Ridgerunner]

Glad to see you are thinking and planning. I predict you will do well.

If you properly prepare the wood surface, prime it, and paint it, you have no worries about this.

 

[flopshot]

i like to use solid stains on exterior surfaces instead of paint when possible. it's much easier to freshen up than paint.

 

[CityChook]

Paint in the run is going to chip off. Actually, deck stain probably will too, but more slowly. Have you considered linseed oil? You'll have to recoat it every other year or so, but it's not that hard. You just paint it on and it soaks into the wood. Wipe away any excess. Easier than paint or stain, and you'll have to recoat those too. I do this with ALL of my cedar/teak patio furniture as well as my cedar arbor every spring. It's not hard and the furniture is 10 years old now and still in really nice condition.

Inside the coop I used oil-based primer - two thin coats - and then exterior semi-gloss paint over that - 2-3 thin coats - and couldn't be happier. Easy to clean and will brighten up the interior. No regrets.

Good luck!

ETA: I like flopshot's idea - those colored stains are really quite pretty.

 

[Sammimom]

Thanks for your advice, everyone! I suppose the challenge for me here is that the wood, being fir for studs, isn't a thing of beauty like cedar. Maybe I will put some of the non-toxic stain on a small part to see how it looks--I think we have one more day of no rain in the forecast so I'll try it tomorrow.

I will definitely paint the inside of the coop! It sounds like it eases clean up significantly. Should it be a light color (to brighten it up) or a dark color (to be more "restful") or is there no preference from the chickens' point of view?

Here where it rains over 200 days a year people value a well-lit room, maybe I'm just projecting my thoughts of a "bright" coop onto chickens who don't want it that way (it's been a really long, wet winter!)

 

[CityChook]

I don't think the chickens care what color it is. I personally like painting light colors to brighten up the inside. Paint it a color that is going to make you happy while outside doing chores.