How soon can I safely return birds after varnishing?

[Gill-b]

This may be a silly question but I would like to be absolutely sure (I have made mistakes before with things that I thought were obvious)...
How soon can I return birds after varnishing the bird loft/coop? And is it safe to varnish the perches?

 

[DobieLover]

Varnish on the perches is not a good idea. It will make them slippery and the birds need purchase to feel secure.
Are you varnishing the outside or inside? I would also not varnish the inside of a coop. Just use exterior grade, water based primer and paint. They could go back in the coop the next day after everything is very dry and fully cured.

 

[Gill-b]

Varnish on the perches is not a good idea. It will make them slippery and the birds need purchase to feel secure.
Are you varnishing the outside or inside? I would also not varnish the inside of a coop. Just use exterior grade, water based primer and paint. They could go back in the coop the next day after everything is very dry and fully cured.

Thank you for your advice - really helpful.

 

[Gill-b]

Is there a reason why one should not varnish on the inside of a bird loft or coop?

My bird loft is made from recycled box crates and other recycled wood and materials (including recycled nails). The varnish is what we had left over from varnishing an outdoor wooden work table. The bird loft is mainly for one Turtle dove which I rescued over two years ago when I found it with an abscess the size of a golf ball and a broken wing. This Turtle dove presently lives indoors in a cage barely big enough, with time spent walking around the garden when the weather is nice. We built the bird loft firstly so that the Turtle dove can spend more time outdoors, unsupervised; and secondly to have an outdoor space for the other rescue birds that come through my care before rewilding them.

It is almost a constant work in progress with things added on as we find materials for it. Busy making doors for storage space on top; and going to use the space below for plant seedlings.

I have left the perches unvarnished - thank you again for your advice.