Chicken coop untreated lunmber

[dancingchickenman]

Hello chicken people,

I am in new england. If I build a chicken run with untreated lumber, about how long will it last? I am trying to decide whether to DIY with wood and wire or just buy a metal chicken run.

 

[McChooky]

Hello chicken people,

I am in new england. If I build a chicken run with untreated lumber, about how long will it last? I am trying to decide whether to DIY with wood and wire or just buy a metal chicken run.

If your roof has a big overhang it should last longer.Building it off the ground helps too.I build everything on cinder blocks to keep the wood dry. Untreated lumber is lighter and easier to glue, drill, cut, screw or nail and cheaper but I use it because I have carpal tunnel in my hands

 

[Apis mellifera]

I'm in the NE and the soil gets damp here. Ground contact untreated lumber here would last about 3 to 5 years.

 

[Ridgerunner]

If non-treated lumber is in contact with the ground it will rot. If you can keep it from contacting the ground it can last a long time. So any lumber in contact with the ground should be treated wood or special wood like the heartwood of cedar.

 

[K0k0shka]

What do you mean by "untreated"? Not pressure treated pre-sale, or not painted/stained/treated in some way by you after you buy it? If you mean completely untreated with anything either by the manufacturer or by you, just completely raw and untreated wood, I would not use that outdoors, especially not on something that needs to be structurally sound and that can hurt somebody (human or animal) if it fails. If you want to buy untreated (as in, not pressure treated) lumber from the store, at the very least give it a couple coats of waterproofing seal or outdoor paint to make it last longer. And as others have said, make sure it doesn't contact the ground. Buying a metal run has its own risks. Metal can rust, and is more difficult to patch up or fix if it starts giving out.

 

[LoneStarBirds]

Hello chicken people,

I am in new england. If I build a chicken run with untreated lumber, about how long will it last? I am trying to decide whether to DIY with wood and wire or just buy a metal chicken run.

I use untreated wood for my macaws in their outside cages and I treat the wood with Tung Oil. Real Tung Oil not anything Tung oil finish. I cut it with mineral spirits to help it soak into the wood. Most articles online will tell you to use 2 coats but I have tried it and I will never put 2 coats on again! Even in the Texas heat it just does not dry completely, well not for a long time. One coat protects pretty dog gone good if you ask me. Here are a couple of pictures of some wood that is treated on one side and not the other. These boards were Tung oiled a couple of years ago. You will have to reapply it but how often will depend on where and what it is subjected to.