Should I paint the inside of the coop to weather proof it?

[wamtazlady]

You answered my question, thanks. I definitely wouldn't close up the vents but I can see how some people might think that makes it warmer. Don't you have problems keeping the water liquid putting it outside? M water freezes inside, I can't imagine how it'd hold up outside. That sounds great for the chickens to have a covered run like that to keep the wind out during the winter. Mine sometimes brave the cold, but when It's really cold or pretty snowy out they just chill out in the coop all day. They can go under the coop to get away from the snow but i have to shovel them path to get there. The 4 years I've had chickens I've never lost one to the cold or gotten frost bite however mine never laid as much as yours during these times. I have been cautious about the ventilation as you mentioned above but after reading all this I'll definitely add more.
Speaking of winter, about 2 years ago I had a light bulb in the coop burst from the cold. It had been a stretch of a week of around 10-20 below 0, but luckily I was in the coop when it happened. Some of the bedding caught fire from the busted lightbulb but I was able to put it out, but i hate to think what would've happened if i wasn't there. I have a light bulb in this new coop, do you know any ways to prevent that from happening or have you had a similar experience?

For winter water I use an 11 gallon tote with lid, horizontal nipples, and a stock tank deicer. Keeps my water thawed for as cold as it has gotten here. To use this kind of system you have to have access to electricity. I have an outdoor outlet that is not far away.

I have never used anything that requires electricity in the coop itself. Light bulbs are just not safe. If I were using a light in the coop it would probably be something like rope lights. I just have had no reason to have a light in the coop.

 

[UtahCooper]

I am not sure if this was mentioned in this thread at all. Remember this. A DRY CHICKEN IS A WARM CHICKEN. Do not forget this. A chicken keeps itself warm if you give it an area that will make the chicken keep warm. The area needs to be well ventilated so humidity does not build up. It also needs to be draft free so wind does not ruffle the feathers causing the chickens to loose that wonderful heat they build up under that lovely down coat they make for themselves.

I am not against insulation. However, if you are going to insulate to give yourself an excuse to close up the coop to "keep the heat in" then there is a problem. Thinking about getting the humidity out and your chickens will be happier. It gets down into the -20s F here in northern Montana. I have never lost a chicken due to cold weather. In fact at that temperature my girls are outside in the covered and protected run doing chicken things all day. They peck at their food, they drink, and scratch through the pine shavings hoping to find a lost treat.

It does seem relevant to know how cold you really expect it to get in the winter. I figure insulation is irrelevant and a waste of resources if you're going to ventilate at the same time. I think you definitely need to go into the negative digits F before considering any thermodynamic help for the birds in winter time.

 

[Laurahowemt]

Holy cow, It’s taken us 5 months and I’m still not done with the coop. We camp a lot in the summer and only ever worked on it on weekends we were available but it’s been taking us forever. Granted we have no idea what we’re doing and aren’t carpenters in the broadest definition of the word, but that’s awesome you were able to get all that done.

Sistah!!! I am on month 6 and not done either. I spent 3 hours figuring out how to make a nesting box lid that lifts, and didn't finish. I need to he DONE for winter in 3 weeks!

 

[One Lucky Momma]

I painted the interior of our coop after a couple of months of use, not to weatherproof it but to (1) improve the lighting by using a light color and gloss paint, and (2) to eliminate hiding places for mites by sealing the wood and to make it easier to see mites if we had them.

I wish I’d done it earlier but was keen at the time about the naturalness of the unpainted wood. The painted interior is a huge improvement light-wise, important as we have no electricity there and I’m often in the coop after dark.

You might consider no/low VOC paint. Good luck with your project. It’s going to be grand!

 

[Bonnie-Jean]

I just read this thread and I am left wondering if the coop has enough ventilation! It will be hard to sleep with the thought.
This is my first winter with my flock of 8. I plan on wrapping the run in plastic and it has a roof. Tomorrow I will be giving them some fallen leaves to keep them busy while I calculate a plan.

 

[Skyla]

Sistah!!! I am on month 6 and not done either. I spent 3 hours figuring out how to make a nesting box lid that lifts, and didn't finish. I need to he DONE for winter in 3 weeks!

Best of luck to you too. Honestly the amount of time we spend just trying to figure out how to do anything, realize we did it wrong, take it apart, and redo it is a lot.
We also spent a good 2-3 hours trying to figure out how to figure out the nesting box roof pitch. We tried doing all this weird math and in the end we realized we could’ve just done this super simple solution in the first place. I hope you finish before winter, best wishes!

 

[Skyla]

I just read this thread and I am left wondering if the coop has enough ventilation! It will be hard to sleep with the thought.
This is my first winter with my flock of 8. I plan on wrapping the run in plastic and it has a roof. Tomorrow I will be giving them some fallen leaves to keep them busy while I calculate a plan.

Ha, me to, me to. I’m definitely going to add more ventilation now. Good luck on your first winter, it’ll be great for them to have a covered run

 

[Skyla]

I painted the interior of our coop after a couple of months of use, not to weatherproof it but to (1) improve the lighting by using a light color and gloss paint, and (2) to eliminate hiding places for mites by sealing the wood and to make it easier to see mites if we had them.

I wish I’d done it earlier but was keen at the time about the naturalness of the unpainted wood. The painted interior is a huge improvement light-wise, important as we have no electricity there and I’m often in the coop after dark.

You might consider no/low VOC paint. Good luck with your project. It’s going to be grand!

I ended up sealing it with spar urethane, my old coop I painted white (which I also didn’t want to do to keep the natural wood color) but it definitely lightened it up. With the new coop I did transparent but gloss. I did use a high VOC paint but I’m giving it plenty of time to dry out and cure properly. Thanks for the response!

 

[CluckerFamily]

This may be a little late to post, but I also painted the inside of my coop to make cleaning in the spring better.

 

[Bonnie-Jean]

Ha, me to, me to. I’m definitely going to add more ventilation now. Good luck on your first winter, it’ll be great for them to have a covered run

I ended up making a new roost. I had saplings we cut attached to high and they were roosting in front of the vents. They did get a pile of leaves to play with.
I had them in the run and closed the door so I didn't have feathered friends helping. Well the neighbor free ranges and one particular chicken likes me. She came in eating what my flock discarded. So funny.