Woodstaining the coop - inside as well as out?

[techiebabe]

Hi! I recently bought and assembled a wooden coop. Then, following correspondence with the vendor, it transpired that I need to stain the wood to protect it. I wish I'd know that before assembling! Never mind.

I get my hens in a month and was advised that water based woodstain (rather than paint) will be fine if I apply it now, any fumes etc will be long gone by the time the hens move in. Ok then!

So, I've slapped some Woodstain on over the outside, to keep the weather out. Just one layer so far, I'll do another today.

Do I need to stain the inside too? And if so, do I need to apply it to the removable perches and nest box dividers, or just the inside of the walls and roof etc? I guess stain protects the wood from damp, but of course if the inside of my coop is damp, there's something wrong! Since hens need and like to be dry.

Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[TalkALittle]

If it were me, I'd certainly stain the inside of the roof. Prefab coops are notorious for leaking. I can't comment on the rest of the coop. I do know that poop is easier to scrape off a painted surface than it is raw wood. My roosts are unpainted/untreated 2x4s. When they get super crappy I'll just switch them out for new. In a small pre-fab I might be inclined to paint the entire interior. With a tiny coop where eveything is in such close proximity, poop is probably more likely to find its way onto the walls and nest boxes than it might in a larger coop.

 

[techiebabe]

Great, thanks, that's really useful advice!

As I'm getting ex-bats, I've been advised to leave the roosts out initially til their legs strengthen, and also as they won't be used to them. My dropping tray is metal lined, so I'm *hoping* that'll be easy enough to keep clean, particularly as it is deep enough to line with newspaper and a good inch or two of shavings.

Anyway, I've got enough woodstain to do inside as well, I think, and it's no bother to get more if it's needed. Might just do one layer there tho.

You certainly haven't given me any reason *not* to do the inside, so I'll crack on!

Cheers!

 

[techiebabe]

And just to add, I got the second layer on the outside today, and a first layer in much of it, so just a little to finish off when I can.

Thanks so much for your info. I hope the hens like their nice slate grey coop