Should we cover drywall with non-permeable material?

[Chicka-boom Chicka-boom]

Hi everyone

I am new to this whole chicken thing, and as of yet we don't have any chickens

We are converting a shed/studio into a henhouse. My husband's concern is the smell the chickens will produce

and if it will permanently affect the interior walls

which are drywalled and painted. I have seen some pictures of others coops and one used some bathroom wall board on their walls which are easy to clean. I have read of something called Glasbord. Does anyone have experience with this type of shed/coop? Should we be covering the walls in something or will they be fine if left as they are (painted drywall). Thanks for your input/advice!

 

[Farmer_Dan]

I doubt the smell will "stick" in the walls.

However, really the only way to keep the smell down is to clean a LOT. Like daily. also, if you use sand as litter, you can "scoop" (like a kitty box) daily and really have no smell at all.

I would worry about the chickens pecking the walls and eating the drywall though, that can't be good for them.

 

[CelticOaksFarm]

Chickens peck, and can and most likely will peck the walls and you don't want them eating the drywall. Would either remove it or cover it.

 

[Desert Rooster]

Quote:
2x

 

[patandchickens]

My chicken building is drywalled (not, heaven knows, by me -- it was a dog breeding/boarding kennel before, and thus drywalled except in actual dog pens). Yes, they peck and eat away at drywall. So yes, you will need to cover it with something peckproof, at least down at chicken level (and anywhere they can reach it from the roost).

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[WoodlandWoman]

The good news is that a well managed coop shouldn't stink. Still, the floor and bottom edges of the walls need to be protected from moisture.

I would definitely cover at least the portion of the walls that the chickens can reach. I would paint anything else with a type of paint that is sturdy and can take washing, just so it holds up better over time. Something better than the typical flat interior paint.

What is the floor like?

Are you planning on giving them the entire building or using part of it for other things? Chickens are very dusty, that's why I'm asking. Anything in their area tends to end up with a thick coat of dust.

You'll probably need to put in a lot more ventilation. That normally means cutting into walls. Is that going to be a problem? Adding more windows can help with that, but you'll definitely need to make a ventilation plan.

I wasn't familiar with glasbord, so I looked it up quick. It looks like the surface coating is a fiberglass reinforced plastic and it gets used in restaurant kitchens and bathrooms, along with other applications. It sounds like a pretty good product to me. I don't know what the cost is.

 

[Chicka-boom Chicka-boom]

Quote:
The floor is plywood so I was thinking of covering it in vinyl linoleum. The shed is 10 x 10 with a gabled high roof, one appx 2 x 3 screened window on the north side and one man door with a large window on the east side of shed. I thought we would use some 2x4's and chicken wire to partion the shed so that we can enter through the door without immediately stepping into the chickens area. This would allow us space to keep the food and cleaning supplies on our little side of the hen shed. Hubby will have to cut a hole in the wall to install a chicken door for access to their run

and perhaps more holes if more ventilation is necessary.

 

[ll]

I would definitely recover all of the walls. Right over it with the bathroom waterproof board so they can't pick and you can clean easier.
Post photos of the coop project on your BYC Page so we can see!