Waterproofing inside of coop - toxicity

[CajunChooks]

Hello all,

I am building a coop with a carpenter friend of mine and he made an interesting suggestion: to apply a sealant inside the coop, making the walls waterproof, so that I can occasionally clean it by just hosing off the entire inside (the floor is a removable tray with sand, so I could just take that and the nesting boxes, also removable, out to hose off everything). He suggested that I use elastomeric roof coating, I think it is this stuff here

My concern is that it might be toxic to the chickens? does anyone know? Has someone done this and could suggest the right material?

Thanks!

 

[iwltfum]

I've heard the same suggestion while building the coops that I've built. If that is your management style and it fits your lifestyle to have everything super sanitary and what not, then I think it couldn't hurt. I was told by someone to cover the floor and walls in as much thick polly as I could.

I do think there is something to be said for the ability of wood to absorb good microbiota and in that way, it is able to control the spread of problem causing issues for poultry by out numbering the bad players.

For example, when people 200+ years ago made cheese in wooden barrels, there were very few (documented) cases of food borne illness from cheese made by professional cheese makers. The problems with e-coli, campylobacter, salmonelle did not arise until people started using stainless steel vats to make cheese in.

If you have a solid roof and protection from driving rain, then you could be causing yourself more problems and work in the long run by coating the wood with some kind of sealant. Sealing the wood in your coop could in fact cause moisture issues in your bedding as well as in your structure by not allowing the wood to absorb/release residual humidity. Also could cause toxicity issues (for example, what do you do when the sealant starts peeling or rubbing off?)

My final thought is that domesticated chickens have survived for many centuries by just having a dry corner of a barn to live in, or a simple log shed, etc. They seem to like it rustic so why complicate things?

 

[CajunChooks]

If that is your management style and it fits your lifestyle to have everything super sanitary and what not, then I think it couldn't hurt. I was told by someone to cover the floor and walls in as much thick polly as I could.

Yea, it was not so much about me wanting to be super duper sanitary, it was more about me being lazy and figuring that would be the easiest way to do an occasional deep clean on everything...

That said, everything you said makes sense. I mean, it's not like all the poop is going on the walls (pretty sure I am going to eat my words on that actually, gotta think about the position of the roosting board ). And in terms of the floor, I think my current (still unfinished) system of having sand on a tray-like removable floor already makes things super easy anyway....

I was told by someone to cover the floor and walls in as much thick polly as I could.

Oh, not sure what you meant here - I am assuming polly means some kind of polyester varnish?

In any case, thanks for the super detailed answer with all the microbiota science!
Much appreciated!

 

[CajunChooks]

I am thinking now that this stuff would probably be pretty good for the outside of the good and the structure of the run (2x4s), right? One note here is that I live in super rainy and humid weather (New Orleans)

 

[21hens-incharge]

If one MUST seal the wood....porch and floor paint is designed to be out in the weather.

5++ years on the floor of my big coop and I am a believer.

 

[CajunChooks]

If one MUST seal the wood....porch and floor paint is designed to be out in the weather.

5++ years on the floor of my big coop and I am a believer.

You mean externally, right? Not inside like I was originally talking about?
Another note, this is all treated plywood and 2x4s

 

[Folly's place]

It really won't be possible to sterilize any chicken coop made for a home flock, regardless of the sealer used. Cleaning? well, many of us shovel ours out a couple of times each year, and scrape off the 'big hunks', and call it good enough. It's not a kitchen!!!
My old wooden coop would melt if I tried to wash the interior, and power washing with disinfectant is meant for those huge commercial operations, where 'all in, all out' flock management is the rule.
Mary

 

[Folly's place]

Also, chickens can get poo everywhere! Definitely on the walls, maybe not the ceiling, at least not mine, eight feet up.
If you are going to paint, stain, or lime wash the interior, do it before the birds move in!
I've used a solid stain in mine, because it's not really going to be prepped as necessary for paint.
Mary

 

[iwltfum]

Another note, this is all treated plywood and 2x4s

Externally on your run or the outside of the coop is not a bad idea. It could save you from having to rebuild sooner than you would have to otherwise. Just make sure the treated wood has a couple months to dry before sealing it.

Oh, not sure what you meant here - I am assuming polly means some kind of polyester varnish?

Sorry, yes I was using "polly" to refer to polyurethane.

 

[CajunChooks]

It really won't be possible to sterilize any chicken coop made for a home flock, regardless of the sealer used. Cleaning? well, many of us shovel ours out a couple of times each year, and scrape off the 'big hunks', and call it good enough. It's not a kitchen!!!
My old wooden coop would melt if I tried to wash the interior, and power washing with disinfectant is meant for those huge commercial operations, where 'all in, all out' flock management is the rule.
Mary

Yea, I wasn't really thinking in terms of being super sanitary and sterilizing, more like a lazy way to get poop out. Obviously hadn't thought it through, first timer here