A Better Way to Seal your Backyard Chicken Coop

Have you spent hours on the internet trying to find the best way to seal your Backyard Chicken Coop? ME TOO! It is crazy the amount of time I have poured into just researching stuff and trying to find out what would be the best way of doing things.

I wanted to use something that was safe for my chickens and didn’t harm us when we ate the eggs. And of course, the best idea was to find something that didn’t cost me hundreds of dollars and yet worked in the long run. I really didn’t feel that was too much to ask for. haha

Yet I was having a really hard time finding the perfect solution.

I was given a hand-me-down chicken coop from my neighbor that I remodeled. I cleaned it up, rebuilt some parts, and then it was structurally ready for my girls to live in. But I knew I wanted to seal the inside for various reasons.

Reasons to Seal Your Chicken Coop

• Helps keep mites and small critters from growing in the cracks of the wood.
• Helps prevent your wood from rotting due to moisture.
• I use a deep litter method and wanted the wood to last a long time.
• Helps seal some of the cracks and prevent unwanted drafts.
• Makes cleaning your coop so much easier.

The thing was all the ideas I kept finding had issues with them. There were chemicals in the seals. It was a long process that would have to be repeated each year, like using paint that would chip. I wanted something super durable that was safe for animals and would last under crazy composting and moist conditions.

My Ah-Ha Moment

My brain – I laugh at how my brain works at times. I was really trying hard to come up with some idea for my coop and at the same time, I was thinking of the 100 other projects I wanted to be tackling. One of those projects was sealing up my stock tank. I had already attached the filters and we were using the tank. But sealing it was a future project I knew needed to be done in order to have it last.

I had spent hours researching the perfect sealant for the stock tank as well. And that is when I had my ah-ha moment. Why couldn’t I use the same product I wanted to use on my stock tank on my chicken coop!? It was safe for animals, waterproof, made to be painted on wood, and would hold up long-term EVEN sitting under all that compost. I felt like I thought of some magical secret here!!! haha

The Magic Secret

So are you ready for it? …..The best thing to seal your chicken coop with is POND SHIELD!

Pond Shield is an amazing product. It is epoxy that is used to paint the inside of a pond or a fish tank. People create huge tanks out of cement and/or wood and use this product to create a sealed tank to raise fish in for aquaponics and such. It of course has become popular with everyone building backyard stock tank swimming pools because it bonds to the metal as well. My thought was if it is amazing enough to bond with wood and hold water right up against it, it would be amazing to hold composting chicken poo.

I called the Pond Shield Company and spoke to them about my ideas. They were very excited to tell me that the idea I had come up with would work.

So I jumped on Amazon and bought myself 2 packages of the Pond Shield ….. I went with white of course. (wink) But there are many colors to choose from.

Supplies you will Need

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• Pond Shield
• Paint Brush (cheap and to throw away)
• 9″ Paint Roller
• Paint Roller Covers
• Disposable trays
• Mixing Cups (I used aluminum cups – solo would work too)
• Gloves
• Mixing Sticks (I used plastic knives)
• Old Clothes
• Hat or something to Wrap YOUR Hair in

That last one is so important! haha, I painted the Pond Shield inside the whole coop, and let me tell you – it dripped from the roof and got into my hair and it took 6 months for the last of it to come out. It was by my roots and in a place that I could not just trim off… so COVER THAT HEAD! haha

Prepping

Of course, you want to gather all your supplies. I used a fold-out table to make it easy. But remember this stuff does not come off what it touches, so cover the table with newspaper and such if it is something you want to still look pretty when you are done.

Be sure to read all the directions first before mixing anything to ensure you have everything you need and know what steps to take. It dries fast so you will want to work quickly. You won’t want to stop and read anything.

I did not use more than 2 mixing cups to measure my stuff out. But have extra stuff on hand in case you need it.

After I was totally set up, I cleaned out the coop the best I could. I used a handheld broom to get everything out.

Before you Start

Get a game plan of where you are going to start and what all you are going to paint. My one piece of advice is to tell you to do what you can not reach easily first. Also working in small batches for me worked easier. You also can break the project into parts. If you paint the whole thing and then have to crawl on top of tacky epoxy to paint the second coat, it may cause issues.

I used the paintbrush in all the corners and any small areas that I knew the roller would not reach. Then I used the roller on all the flat surfaces.

IF you are limited in the amount you can use I would suggest at least doing the bottom 12 inches or so of the walls and all the floors in the coop as well as the nesting boxes. These are the areas that get most of the dirt. Of course covering the whole coop, including the ceiling, will really help keep the coop so much cleaner in the long run.

Your First Coat

Your first coat will be a bit thin and might even come across as a bit see-through when you apply it. Don’t worry though that second coat will cover it all up nicely. Allow the first coat to dry following the instructions.

Your Second Coat

Your second coat is where the magic is. It lays on so nicely. And in the photos above, the Pond Shield is not wet anymore. It has a really nice smooth surface which helps fill in all the little cracks and crevices in the wood.

That smooth surface is what also helps when it comes to cleaning the coop out. Rinse it right out and wipe it down. It is so easy to clean!!

I allowed the Pond Shield to dry fully and then she was ready to go! I added my bedding and it was ready for my girls to use as their new home.

UPDATE: Since I sealed this back in November of 2021 I have of course used the heck out of it. My deep litter is inside here. I turn it with a pitchfork all the time. The walls have been pooped on and cleaned off easily. The nesting box has been wiped down. There has been no visible damage that I have been able to see. I am so happy I made this choice and I tell everyone about it!