Painting interior of coop

[Folly's place]

What worries me about that ceiling, is the wonderful rodent haven it could be! I think taking it down is a good idea, and then those boards can be reused somewhere.
Rodent poo and urine? Wear gloves, at least!!! It's nasty stuff!
Mary

 

[Folly's place]

Favorite breeds; so many choices!
Chanteclers, an original Canadian breed!
Speckled Sussex, very interactive and beautiful, having a single comb, but the hens will be okay.
Easter Eggers, so many colors, small combs, and green or blue-green eggs usually.
Wyandottes, so many beautiful colors.
French Marans, those dark eggs.
Look at Henderson's breed chart, and feathersite, and some of the catalogs, for birds that do well in cold climates.
Mary

 

[Cchurchill91]

What worries me about that ceiling, is the wonderful rodent haven it could be! I think taking it down is a good idea, and then those boards can be reused somewhere.
Rodent poo and urine? Wear gloves, at least!!! It's nasty stuff!
Mary

I thought about that part too as there was a lot of rodent poo. I’ve been wearing a respirator mask and gloves when I go in there (mainly because I’m expecting a baby this summer). Husband will be doing the majority of the work while I hang out with the toddler and work on the run. I’m just here to provide him with the knowledge all of you lovely chicken experts have been giving me!

 

[Cchurchill91]

Favorite breeds; so many choices!
Chanteclers, an original Canadian breed!
Speckled Sussex, very interactive and beautiful, having a single comb, but the hens will be okay.
Easter Eggers, so many colors, small combs, and green or blue-green eggs usually.
Wyandottes, so many beautiful colors.
French Marans, those dark eggs.
Look at Henderson's breed chart, and feathersite, and some of the catalogs, for birds that do well in cold climates.
Mary

Very cool, I will check those out. Can’t wait to experience more breeds and add to our little chicken family

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Do you think if we went through with taking the attic floor down to expose the ceiling joists as a PP suggested, the vents would be effective in providing some ventilation? We are planning on doing that.

That'll definitely be a good start. I might just add some whirly birds... but I'm very limited in this experience and very much defer to others. My favorite and preferred is Woods' style or essentially three sided building with as much ventilation as possible on the one side... either the whole thing or up high and down low. One thing I do know is that it isn't just ambient humidity that matters as some might not realize the birds exhale a huge amount of humidity when they breath... to that the general recommendation for ventilation is 1 sq foot per bird. I have never achieved this, and live in a high humidity area... but don't generally face any freezing. Pretty sure Folly's place faces it yearly.

Hey, your ahead of the game already... since you found BYC! Those birds will grow sooo fast!

So many wonderful breeds... so many personal choices and goals or needs, uses and environments... paper facts never really add up to real life. But for fun, I do have several comparison charts bookmarked... I LOVE Rocks, Marans and EE as flock mates and pets.
pickachicken

Chicken Chart

Breeds of Chickens

I couldn’t find the link on ventilation in your post

Go figure... I didn't include it!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/ventilated-but-free-of-drafts.1048597/
Sorry for cruddy format and being all over the pace.. think I might be a little brain fried this morning.. er um afternoon!

 

[Cchurchill91]

That'll definitely be a good start. I might just add some whirly birds... but I'm very limited in this experience and very much defer to others. My favorite and preferred is Woods' style or essentially three sided building with as much ventilation as possible on the one side... either the whole thing or up high and down low. One thing I do know is that it isn't just ambient humidity that matters as some might not realize the birds exhale a huge amount of humidity when they breath... to that the general recommendation for ventilation is 1 sq foot per bird. I have never achieved this, and live in a high humidity area... but don't generally face any freezing. Pretty sure Folly's place faces it yearly.

Hey, your ahead of the game already... since you found BYC! Those birds will grow sooo fast!

So many wonderful breeds... so many personal choices and goals or needs, uses and environments... paper facts never really add up to real life. But for fun, I do have several comparison charts bookmarked... I LOVE Rocks, Marans and EE as flock mates and pets.
pickachicken

Chicken Chart

Breeds of Chickens


Go figure... I didn't include it!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/ventilated-but-free-of-drafts.1048597/
Sorry for cruddy format and being all over the pace.. think I might be a little brain fried this morning.. er um afternoon!

Thanks for all the info!!! I just read through page one of that thread on ventilation and will be reading the rest tonight when I have a chance. I really liked the way one poster explained it:

“Think of being in a car with a bunch of people in cold weather without the heat on. Almost immediately the moisuture begins to build up on the windows. This warm air condenses because it is in contact with the cooler window or wall inside a coop. That is damp, and that is what happens in a too small, too tight of coop with chickens. Damp chickens are cold chickens.”

Very informative thread and website in general. Glad to have found this community and thanks again for all the help!

 

[aart]

Do you think if we went through with taking the attic floor down to expose the ceiling joists as a PP suggested, the vents would be effective in providing some ventilation? We are planning on doing that.

Yes....and open the soffits if possible.

Here's how to add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!

 

[Cchurchill91]

Yes....and open the soffits if possible.

Here's how to add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!
View attachment 2058110

Done! Thanks for the tips. I’m going to step outside and have a good look at the soffits. I’m wondering if they’re already vented. If not we will open them up. Went up to the attic and the 2 vents have hardware cloth on them too like a previous poster suggested putting on.

 

[Cchurchill91]

Just updating this post with some progress pics. So far, the ceiling has come down and the divider wall was taken out. Cleaned out lots more garbage that came out of the attic.

Plenty more to do but I think our next step will be sanding that old interior paint off the wood and giving it all a good clean. What do you recommend for cleaning. We were wondering about using the pressure washer and or a vinegar scrub down?

When everything else is done, where do you suggest the roost and poop deck go in here? I’m having a hard time deciding on the layout. Appreciate any feedback. Thanks!

 

[RiverOtter]

I love a pressure washer for cleaning.

While Killz paint is great, for coops and barns I use whitewash. It's cheap, kills bugs, germs and odors and looks good. Some of it will dust off and a new layer yearly is a good idea, but that new layer will take down some dirt and disinfect - and yearly disinfecting is never bad.

One part (coffee can) fine livestock salt, 3 parts barn/hydrated/masonry lime (NOT garden lime) and enough water to give it the consistency of fresh milk.

It goes on almost clear, and is a lovely, clean, bright white by the next morning.