Painting a chicken coop with animal-friendly paint
A chicken coop is functional, but why not make it look great as well? Whether you have installed a new chicken coop or are building one from old boards, a layer of paint protects the wood and making it a beautiful part of your yard or garden.
Moose F a very practical, animal-friendly and robust paint. It contains a minimal amount of preservative and is therefore no problem for animals who lick or peck at the wood. The paint is very easy to maintain and is available in beautiful, matt colours.
Painting a chicken coop? Use wood paint Moose F
Which paint or stain for painting a chicken coop?
A good paint protects the chicken coop against weather elements and gives it a beautiful look at the same time. It can be the eye-catcher of your garden! When choosing the right paint, it is a good idea to consider a number of aspects, with the health of your chickens on top of the list, of course.
You should preferably paint a chicken coop with an animal-friendly paint that is easy to maintain. Moose F is a paint that is best described as an opaque stain. It has the protective characteristics of a stain (vapour-permeable) and gives your chicken coop a nice opaque colour. This makes Moose F a very suitable option for painting your wooden chicken coop.
- Animal friendly. An important requirement when painting your chicken coop is, of course, its animal-friendliness. Moose F is harmless to your chickens (and rabbits, bees, horses or other animals), even when the paint is not yet properly dry or the chickens peck at it.
- Vapour permeability. A stain or vapour permeable paint protects the wood from moisture. A lacquer paint seals the wood, preventing moisture from getting in, but also from getting out. Wood that stays damp for long periods of time can become mouldy and eventually rot. It is not good for the health of your chickens. To prevent this, choose a vapour-permeable paint such as Moose F. The wood can “breathe” and will therefore remain good for longer.
- Easy maintenance. When you’ve painted your chicken coop, you don’t want to redo it every year. Moose F is absorbed into the wood like a stain and will therefore hardly flake off. No need to sand and repaint every year. Moose F will last – depending on the weather conditions – about 4 to 5 years. If the colour starts to weather, just clean the wood and apply a new layer of paint: then you will have years of durability. There’s no need to sand the wood when applying a new paint layer. An additional advantage of a paint that does not need to be completely sanded off is that no paint residue ends up in the environment.
Staining your chicken coop? Choose Moose F
Steps for painting a chicken coop
Is your chicken coop new and impregnated? If it is freshly impregnated from the hardware store, it is best to first leave it for a few months. The impregnation will seep out of the wood and the wood will start to shrink and expand. Because Moose F is vapour-open, you can technically paint one coat after degreasing and sanding. The second coat should then be done after a few months for the best result.
How to paint a chicken coop?
- Degreasing and cleaning
Make sure the wood is thoroughly clean and degreased. You can easily clean the wood with linseed oil soap Polarsken.
- Sanding smooth-planed wood
Coarsely sand the wood with 80-grit paper if it is smooth-planed wood. If the wood is sawn (rough), this is not necessary.
Is there an old layer of paint on the chicken coop? Assess how this layer is attached. If the paint layer is peeling, we recommend removing it before painting with Moose F. Well-sanded stain or paint residues are no problem. - Painting the chicken coop
Apply 1 coat of Moose F with a brush. Dilute this first coat with 5 – 10% water so that it can absorb well into the wood.
- Let the paint dry
Allow the paint to dry thoroughly (at a temperature of 20 °C this is about 6 hours) and then apply the second coat. After 2 – 3 days, the paint will be fully dried. Until then, no rain should get on the fresh paint layer.
Chickens are very sensitive to paint fumes. So preferably wait until the paint is completely dry and all paint fumes have disappeared before putting your chickens in it. - Maintenance
Usually, you will have no maintenance for about 5 years after painting with Moose F. If your chicken coop does need a new coat: just clean and apply a new layer. Sanding is not necessary. One coat of paint, that’s sufficient for maintenance.
- Painting the inside of the chicken coop
It’s not necessary to paint the inside of the coop. It will get dirty anyway and it is technically not necessary. Because Moose F is breathable, the wood will not start warping if you paint on one side. It is possible, of course, if you want to give the wood a protective coat from the inside as well.
Moose F paint colours for your chicken coop
Moose F is available in beautiful, natural colors. These colors are characteristic for the Scandinavian landscape and they all have a calm appearance. Different light causes the colors to look slightly different. This phenomenon is called metamerism.
Would you like to see the Moose Färg colors in real life? Request our hand-painted free colour chart.
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Falu Röd
Swedish red
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Vasa Svart
Deep black
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Blytungsgrå
Lead grey
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Bohus Blå
Swedish blue
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Ljus Blå
Light blue
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Kiruna Grå
Perl grey
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Skiffer Grå
Slate grey
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Dalarna Grön
Swedish green
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Amål Grön
Soft green
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Skåne Gul
Swedish yellow
Planning to combine multiple colors? Try out different color combinations with our colour picker tool!
Frequently asked questions on painting a chicken coop
If you choose a vapour-permeable paint such as Moose F, there is no need to paint the inside of the chicken coop as well. However, it is possible to paint the inside, of course.
For the safety of the chickens you do not have to wait long: the paint is not harmful to them. However, to prevent the chickens from getting paint on them, it is advisable to wait until the paint is dry (2 to 3 days).
If you want to assess whether the paint and colors are suitable for your chicken coop, it is possible to try out the paint first. you can order a paint sample here.
Experiences of others who painted their chicken coop with Moose F:
“Nice website with clear explanations about the product. I had a great time using the app to finally choose the color Kiruna Grå Pearl Grey. Quickly ordered and paid and 2 days later it was delivered! Our new, impregnated chicken coop got his new colour very quickly! The paint was diluted a little and then it was very easy to apply with a flat brush. I did not sand the wood because I like it when it looks a bit rough!” (translated from Dutch)
Tanja (the Netherlands): “This summer I painted my chicken coop in Swedish red. It turned out very nice. What a pleasure this paint is. Especially not having to sand all the time was very pleasant. The paint also works fine, doesn’t drip etc like other paints do.” (translated from Dutch)
Stella (the Netherlands): “Looking for an environmentally-friendly paint for the beehives and chicken coop, I came across your paint. I was immediately enthusiastic and ordered the paint. Grey, black, light blue and Swedish blue. After painting, I was a bit worried: the paint did not seem to adhere well. My question was immediately answered via e-mail. The reassuring words turned out to be right. It needed some more drying time. I am very happy with the paint: no more sanding and the animals are poison-free! I can recommend it to everyone.” (translated from Dutch)
Judith (the Netherlands): “Thank you for the Moose Färg key ring. And for the beautiful paint of course!
The colours are really nice. For everything actually.
Window frames, chicken coop, doghouse… and the shed will be next.” (translated from Dutch)
Joelle (the Netherlands): “Oh your linseed oil soap is really great 🤩. Once we started painting it unfortunately started raining… Still managed to finish today. The chicken coop is like new 😁” (translated from Dutch)
Rick (the Netherlands): “Here the promised photo series of my chicken coop construction. All in the color Blytungs Grå (lead grey). Super fun experience to design and build the coop myself. Your paint is very good and I am satisfied with it.” (translated from Dutch)
Would you like additional, personal advice?
We are happy to help. Send an e-mail or call +31(0) 6 55 333 165. Watch our Instruction Video for more information. Apply here for a free color-card.
