Treated or non treated lumber for coop

[Steven727]

Should I use treated or untreated wood? I thought I read not to use treated lumber.

 

[DobieLover]

Should I use treated or untreated wood? I thought I read not to use treated lumber.

If the lumber will be exposed to the elements it should be treated.

 

[Rldad1]

Should I use treated or untreated wood? I thought I read not to use treated lumber.

The newer treated wood is safe. As DobieLover says, if it will be exposed to the weather or touch the ground, it should be treated. Another option is to paint the wood but only if it doesn't touch the ground. Paint won't help that.

 

[HorsesRMe123]

I’m definitely no expert on construction work, but the only part of our coop that is treated is the legs touching the ground. We have 4 four by fours that are treated. They are the only treated wood for our entire coop.

But if you aren’t using treated for the rest of the outside wood for your coop like us, I suggest staining or painting it. We painted our coop and it hasn’t warped from the elements at all. The only thing I would worry about having treated would be whatever touches the ground. But, again I’m no construction expert, so don’t count on that to guide you. That’s just what we did and it works great!

 

[drinkoj]

I say treated flooring and any part that will touch the ground is a must, sides of the coop are strongly suggested as treated because of the exposure to weather, and I used cheaper/lighter for the roof because it's roof papered and has asphalt roofing. Inside studding use non-treated.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Should I use treated or untreated wood? I thought I read not to use treated lumber.

Did they tell you why you should not use treated wood? Or what to not use it for? In certain circumstances there may be a reason to not use it. Since I don't know what they were talking about it's hard to argue. I don't find blanket statements like that very helpful or reliable.

I use it for anything that will touch the ground.

 

[Panhandler80]

I went treated into the ground. Then treated floor grid. Untreated plywood floor, but it was Blackjacked and so far seems pretty darn tough. All my framing was untreated, with the exception of window / door sills, headers, and uprights. They are all treated.

 

[imnukensc]

My entire coop and run is constructed with treated wood.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Any wood with ground or moisture contact should be treated. Exterior grade plywood. PT 4x4s legs and sill plates. You can use whitewood framing inside, depending on how you are handling your flooring - deep litter + whitewood is a short term solution. Latex paints are not a waterproofing seal. If you plan to use sheet vinyl flooring to separate the bedding/litter from the hen house materials, now your circumstances are a lot more forgiving.

Think of a well planned hen house as a system - things work together, one choice informing others.

 

[Ted Brown]

I support the use of treated lumber for use if it is in contact with the ground; note that there are different grades of treated lumber, some of which is intended for use when buried.

For the rest IMHO it depends on what type of wood (sheet or dimensional lumber) is used and where. Sheet lumber used on the exterior with no ground contact can be non treated but will benefit if it is painted or stained or oiled, (OSB will "quickly" deteriorate if it gets wet). Structural internal lumber (2" by 4", 2" by 6" etc) does not need to be treated nor does it need to be painted.

If one is using dimensional lumber on the outside I point out that many farm buildings were constructed using 1" by n" pine lumber and lasted 100 years or more UNPAINTED. I used 1" by 6" rough cut pine boards with 1/2 by 2" battens for my coop; I have not painted it nor do I intend to. I expect that it will easily last many years without problem (yes it will grey but I like that).

I also used 1" by 6" boards doubled at 90 degrees for the floor. I then used 2 coats of BlackJack 57 on the floor and 12" up the walls. Completely waterproof even when drinking water gets spilled onto the bedding and then sits on the floor.

In Canada treated lumber is currently twice the price of untreated lumber, lots of motivation to avoid its use where possible.

To each their own but it is not as simple as treated or non-treated uniformly everywhere.