To paint or not to paint?

[jjhere]

This coop is taking SO much longer to get finished than we expected (doesn't help that our weather is more fall-like than summer-like!).

We're thinking about painting the inside of the hen house with a high gloss paint to make it easier to clean. Thoughts?

 

[Qi Chicken]

DEFINITELY paint it with a high gloss EXTERIOR paint. We just returned from a 5 day vacation. I don't know how they did it but there is chicken poop on the walls 5 feet up. Hard to imagine a scenario that would account for that.

I don't know what your walls are. Ours are OSB, it is 11x12 and I used 2 gallons of primer and 1 full gallon of paint. It took FOREVER. We put the shower surround stuff on the bottom 2 feet. The stuff we used to stick the shower surround on with is not working and it is coming off the walls. It is easier to clean that the osb though. I would screw that stuff on the bottom at least. I cleaned the walls and the osb is uneven so it is difficult to clean even with the paint, I don't want to even imagine what it would be without it.

We painted ours pale lavender in case you're interested!

I would use a light color for the coop and a dark color for the nest boxes.

ETA I feel your pain with the taking longer than expected thing. We are going on a full month for the run. It is about 1 foot deep in mud. The chickens are going crazy as they can't go outside yet. So am I as I can't stand to clean it for an hour every day. Yuck!

 

[briteday]

Paint. Chicken poop goes everywhere! Walls are no exception.

 

[mikecnorthwest]

Paint. It's easy to succumb to the pressure to just finish and be done with it but you'll be happy you stuck it out and took care of the details.

 

[will hunt for food]

Paint it. Do not succumb to fatigue now. Make it right the first time, and you will spare yourself lots of grief later.

 

[dumb_cluck]

Good thing I am a member of this forum! I was not going to paint the inside thinking that it the paint would be poisonous to the chickens.
Knowing how they peck at everything !

 

[jjhere]

I was worried about them pecking at the paint, too. Sounds unanimous though. Paint it is! Thanks!

 

[patandchickens]

Definitely paint, it makes life much easier later on.

But make real sure that you thoroughly dust/clean and prime the surfaces first. You won't regret it, it'll make the paint last a lot longer. And use THIN coats of primer and paint, not thick coats (which will get peely much much faster)

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[darkmatter]

Quote:
Yes, paint the inside but leave the roost poles unpainted and the nest box interior. For me, it's not the easy to clean part, but white paint on the interior makes it brighter and easier to see. I hate stepping into the dark onto a possum or worse.

 

[jjhere]

Not paint the nest boxes? Is that just because it should be dark in there or is there another reason?

Thanks.