Whitewash the Inside Of Your Coop: Recipe, Cheap and Easy

[mobius]

@Tooshay89 , re: being a Gator fan, I guess I should get my flag! Yes! I will be the only one in my neighborhood but that is okay by me! UF is my alma mater!

 

[Tooshay89]

Ditto to what Mobius said. Definitely build for more chickens than you currently have. Your coop is a great size, but definitely consider how many chickens you may have in the future before building your run. Take it from me, we bought 6 chicks and I custom ordered a coop/run to accommodate those 6 chickens. Sounds like a logical idea, right? Nope! lol. Within a week I went back to Rural King with my little sister who visits me on weekends (she's 13) and she really wanted to pick out a chick. We add two Welsummers. (One ends up being a crazy cannibal killer chick, so she's re-homed to a farm.) I go back AGAIN this past week ONLY to take advantage of the sale on organic chick starter and they have Easter Eggers. So... long story short, we have 10 chicks currently and our coop accommodates 6. So within a month of owning chickens, I find myself now buying a much larger coop to accommodate all of the chickens I have (with the possibility of a few more.) The guys from the company I ordered from is actually in the backyard now putting it together. So stay tuned for the white washing results! Yay!

Side note: I'm pretty sure my husband thinks I'm insane.

@mobius Uh oh! A gator fan. We're seriously surrounded. My husband's family went to FSU so we proudly display a seminoles flag in our front yard. We're pretty much the only ones in the neighborhood. I'm surprised our house hasn't been TPed. I really have no preference, personally, but I have to side with my husband on all college football choices, ha!

 

[Couchmo]

This is the old-fashioned stuff I love to do, and I have had some inquiries, so I am posting the recipe: Why do it? It prevents lice and mites, and has a small-antibacterial effect. Whitewash recipe: For one gallon: One gallon warm water, mix in two cups table salt til dissolved. Add and mix throughly: 7 cups HYDRATED lime (garden or feed store). You can add maybe 1/4 cup elmers or wood glue. Helps it stick and last... Mix and keep mixing as you use. The lime can settle out pretty quickly... Slop it on well..roller, big brush, rags....get in all cracks and crevices... Dries more quickly if weather is warm....I even did the ceiling of the coop... Goes on clear, dries white! People do this once a year during coop clean-out!

Thanks soooo much Mobius. I am building a coop now and will definitely be doing this!

 

[mobius]

Thanks soooo much Mobius. I am building a coop now and will definitely be doing this!

You are most welcome! Let us know how it turns out for you!

 

[mobius]

Just wanted to mention for those of you now constructing coops, consider removable roosts (more easily cleaned)...you can see how I did mine with 4x6 joists, although there are other ways of hanging...that was easiest for me...2 x4 s will fit, nice and sturdy! Also if you look at the spacing of the roosts, that is how I determined they are supposed to be spaced...after much research: top one 12 inches from wall, next one drop down 12-18 inches and back by 12-15 inches so chickies don't poop on each other. Above nest boxes. Mine all sleep on the top one now at 9 weeks of age.

My coop came with roosts which were nowhere near like what I have now...silly...and I tore them out and after much figuring, put these in.

Next up: poop hammock...

 

[Tooshay89]

The coop and the hydrated lime are here, so today is the day! Here's my before picture. I'll take an after when it's dried.

I didn't get any glue to add to the mix, is that crucial??

 

[mobius]

The coop and the hydrated lime are here, so today is the day! Here's my before picture. I'll take an after when it's dried.

I didn't get any glue to add to the mix, is that crucial??

Oh my how awesome and exciting! Glue is NOT a crucial ingredient...just the salt, lime and whitewash. If you are lazy like me, I didn't cover the floor, I just wiped it down with a wet soapy rag after I whitewashed...but you can put down a drop cloth if you want, lol!

AND not that yours needs it, @Tooshay89 but the whitewash brightens/lightens up the interior considerably...

SOOO looking forward to your pics, this looks amazing already! Here, kitty kitty!

 

[Tooshay89]

Yay!! The whitewash project is complete! I'm so pleased with the results. I'll take a better picture tomorrow of the final result. It was still drying most of the evening and by the time it was totally dry, it was too dark to take a picture, but here are the preliminary results (an hour after applying):







And yes, there are almost always cats in my pictures. They supervise everything I do. ;-)

 

[henlady777]

What do you use on the floor ?

 

[Tooshay89]

I have linoleum on the floors covered with sand. I love the sand method... So easy to clean!