Using Cedar Posts as an alternative to treated wood?

[FreedomLover]

We have aLOT of smallish cedar trees around our place and I had been contemplating using those as posts instead of treated lumber. I did read the post that said outside is okay, but since these posts will be going up into the coop would that make them bad to use?

I'd prefer to use wood we already have instead of paying for 4 x 4 posts. Plus cedar is much more resistant to rot than most wood.

Thanks!

 

[BoerneChickens]

I'm wondering the same thing - the coop plans I have calls for cedar fence boards to use as the siging on the coop. It does have an interior wall as well that is plain plywood but I was wondering if the fumes woudl be strong in the coop and cause trouble?

 

[Imp]

Cedar lumber is OK. It's the cedar shavings that give some people problems. Their large surface area gives off more gas than lumber.

Imp

 

[BoerneChickens]

Quote:
Oh that is great news - thanks!

 

[patandchickens]

Yes, cedar lumber is perfectly safe to use.

HOWEVER, be aware that "smallish cedar trees" are not going to be *that* rot-resistant. It is mainly the heartwood that is (rather) rot-resistant, not the softwood, and smallish ones e.g. 4-5" diameter just do not have very much heartwood. And even the heartwood is not generally *as* rot-resistant as pressure-treated wood is. If you are only wanting it to last 10-15 years or so, that is probably adequate, I just want to make sure you are aware of this. Remember that post foundations for a building are subject to more stress, and the consequences of failure are greater, than when the posts are just fenceposts.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[FreedomLover]

Quote:
thanks for the replys!

My DH is going to build me a pole barn to house my future animal population so the poles will be relatively covered by the barn itself so I'm hoping that will be ok. The posts won't be supporting muck except the hardware cloth so I'm not to concerned about stresses, etc.

 

[Barry1963]

You'll want to strip the bark and allow then to sun dry for a spell. I highly recommend avoiding using them for roosts or any cross beams the birds can perch on. A cedar even a year old (after cut) can still seep a large amount of sap or resin to be more accurate . This sticky residue will cling to your birds feet and everything from bedding to dirt will stick to them(meaning their feet).

 

[ChickenToes]

We used cedar posts for our run. They work really well, and we have had no health problems.