Grow Your Own Magazine

hi all

we are painting a fence for chickens that are coming soon and wondered what is the safest weatherproof paint to use, we were thinking of creosote? but wasnt sure. anyone out there got any ideas? thanx in advance.

angelat

Hi,
Think most things are fine as long as the fumes have gone before the chickens move in. Mine was an old dog kennel and run and it's just painted in a wood stain and protector, can't remember what it is now, but they seem fine with it!
When and what are you getting?
Noodle

The water-based Cuprinol type paints are ok - they protect the wood but don't give off fumes.

__________________
Earth laughs in flowers. Ralph Waldo Emerson

www.vegheaven.blogspot.com

Updated November 17th - The Big Dig

Although creosote was an effective wood preserver and helped deter red mite, unfortunately it is a banned chemical now!

__________________
My Majesty made for him a garden anew in order
to present to him vegetables and all beautiful flowers.- Offerings of Thutmose III to Amon-Ra (1500 BCE)

I can vouche for cuprinol garden shades being safe for chickens, I was painting the fence with it the other day when Rene decided it looked tasty and took a sip.. Cue much panicing (and a phone call to the vets) by me and alot of water drinking by her but once she'd got the taste out of her mouth and wiped her beak she got right on with eating my primroses and has shown no ill effects since thankfully..

I never thought about stuff like that! Lucky I saw this thread

I am getting 2 hybrids as soon as hubby as finished the fence and gate. I can't wait!!!

Not for me to say, I know, but it is generally recommended to get at least 3 chooks?
Chooks are a 'flock' bird and if you get two and one dies, you're going to have a very lonely chook!

__________________
My Majesty made for him a garden anew in order
to present to him vegetables and all beautiful flowers.- Offerings of Thutmose III to Amon-Ra (1500 BCE)

I agree Snadger. We are hoping to re-home 4 ex battery hens. Don't want to leave one alone and don't want to try to introduce one alone, so when we are down from 4 to 2 we can introduce another 2. That's the plan anyway. At the moment the chicken house is made out of a rice crispies box, to one tenth scale. It showed us a problem or two with the design though, better waste a bit of cardboard than a sheet of exterior ply!

__________________
Earth laughs in flowers. Ralph Waldo Emerson

www.vegheaven.blogspot.com

Updated November 17th - The Big Dig

What happened Flum, were the rice crispies escaping?

__________________
My Majesty made for him a garden anew in order
to present to him vegetables and all beautiful flowers.- Offerings of Thutmose III to Amon-Ra (1500 BCE)

Har har - get back in the knife-box, you Snadger, you're impossible to have a sensible conversation with lad!

__________________
Earth laughs in flowers. Ralph Waldo Emerson

www.vegheaven.blogspot.com

Updated November 17th - The Big Dig

I couldn't agree with you more!

I made a proto-type nest box from cardboard but it was in full scale - that way I could see if the nest bottom was the correct size and how it would look in the house.

(Wish hubby had your idea when he made the house - amount of times design was wrong and had to be dismantled and started again!! I nearly went mad - the project took so long!! & I haven't started on the wasted wood yet! )

Cuprinol Shades is good. It's kids and pets friendly and comes in a variety of shades - we've used "Willow". It's fairly quick to dry and is water soluble (easy to clean paintbrushes), that way you can get your chookies sooner rather than later as it won't take hubby long. Plus, paint is suitable for brush or spray!!!


Easily bought from B&Q, and homebase.