Yikes! Is this going to kill my chickens?

[bawkbawkbawk]

Coop is 2/3 finished. Every time I gave DH info on what to use/not use, he waved me away

and said he had it under control, knew everything he needed to know, etc etc.

Well, today he had a painter come over, turns out this guy has dealt with many a chicken coop and he says the stuff our carpenter used for the inside is toxic and could kill our chickens. He says it's made with formaldehyde.

It's called sheathing, made by Weyerhaeuser. http://www.ilevel.com/walls/w_Structurwood_wallsheathing.aspx

Anyone familiar with this?

He also said that the fact that our carpenter didn't seal the wood where it meets the concrete is going to make the coop wet and humid, and even I know what that means for chickens.

I don't think we can start over, but I can't let my chickens go into a coop that will kill them.

Help!!

 

[LilRalphieRoosmama]

That's what we used in ours and after almost 2 years, our chickens are just fine. I've never seen them as much as peck at it. We did paint it with regular primer and paint.

Edited to add: Our coops (DBF's and mine) are in our garages. We walled part of it off. We didn't seal where the wood meets the concrete either and no problems so far.

 

[bawkbawkbawk]

Whew. That's good news. Thank you so much.

They're out there talking about taking it all down and starting over...not sure whether to let them or just hope for the best.

 

[doxpeople]

At this point you have to let them take it down....once a guy has made up his mind about something like this you are done. I used the same thing and my chickens are doing great. I have to say though if somebody told me this before I put them in I would have done the same thing or risk worrying about it forever.

 

[LynneP]

You'll be fine with the primer and paint. We used exterior latex. It's important to protect that wood after your hard work too. Oh and air out the place well before priming- most formaldehyde will leak out on a nice hot day.

 

[rhondapiper]

I just googled about this since my coop is made from the same thing, and although the walls are painted, the roof is not. But what I read was pretty comforting, and said that the type of formaldehyde in this stuff gives off it's vapors very slowly and is relatively safe. I think a lot of people have used it for chicken housing with little issue.

Around here, it's usually called OSB, and is used for a wide range of applications.

 

[CityChook]

There are PLENTY of folks here on the BYC who have used OSB/sheathing on their coop. I would, however, still recommend doing a good primer coat (use oil based paint if you can) and a couple coats of a exterior paint (latex is okay - easier to clean up). It will make your coop significantly easier to clean, it will look nicer and brighter, it will seal IN the formaldehyde and seal OUT the humidity, which will break down the wood. Don't worry about it. It sounds like you'll be a good chicken mommy.

 

[bawkbawkbawk]

Thanks for these replies. Our painter had suggested not painting the sheathing, says that painting it will make the uneven nature of it worse. Sounds like that hasn't been a problem for any of you, either.

We're keeping the door and all the windows open to air it out as much as possible. Very comforting to know we aren't the only ones with this stuff in the coop!

 

[patandchickens]

For sure prime and paint the sheathing. Then it will be fine. Remember you are going to have lots of good ventilation anyhow (yes?). Lots of people have built that way without subsequent problems.

Nekkid wood on top of a concrete slab may be a real problem however, esp. if it is regular (untreated) wood.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[1littlefarmer]

Most plywood, including OSB and especially exterior grade, is made with formaldehyde glue. It's used all over the place including people's houses without much ill effect. The only problem I've ever heard of with it was all of the FEMA trailers used for hurricane Katrina and I think that was because of the massive quantity they used and the lack of ventilation. I'm sure sealing it with paint and letting the coop air out will alleviate any remote problems.

My $.02