Treated Wood

[5peeps]

So I was at Lowes and was going to start buying the wood for my coop when I realized ( as I was putting treated 4x4's in my cart ) That it seemed to me that all the coop pictures I looked at none of them had treated wood or they were painted so I couldn't tell . So can you use treated wood and not paint it ? Also besides lead based paints is were any type of paints you shouldn't use ?

Thanks for you help

The Newbie

 

[Acre of Blessings]

Fon the exterior you do not have to paint treated wood. Staining it would be better and nicer looking. You can also get it in the water repellent gallons as a stain. But only use paint (if you intend on painting) that is made for the exterior. Do not use latex paint, Glossy paint, etc.

We have wood siding on our coop and when we are finished we are going to stain it.

 

[Jashdon]

Treated wood is pretty toxic. They have stopped using it in childrens playgrounds because even minimal amounts of contact can leach nasty stuff into your system. So I guess most people use untreated lumber so that that stuff doesn't leach into meat or eggs.

 

[Oblio13]

The newer pressure-treated lumber is supposedly much less toxic than the old stuff used to be. Still, I limit it's use in my coops to only the parts that are in direct contact with the ground.

 

[Kristi912]

I just bought pre treated lumber today. We were going to use it for the run. Should I return it or if I paint it (which is what I planned on doing) is it okay?

 

[Jashdon]

I think it would be fine for a run, and painting it would add even more of a barrier.

 

[jaku]

I used treated lumber for the base of my run and the buried 2x8's that my run is attached to (to keep out predators.) Treated wood will last SO much longer if it is to have contact with the ground. It used to be toxic because it was made with Arsenic, but not anymore. I'm sure you still wouldn't want to make popsicle sticks out of it, but it's not nearly as bad as it used to be. Just to be safe, though, I'd only use it where you need it- avoid it inside your coop. (Especially places like roosts, nesting boxes, etc.)