4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[Cyber Chook]

Evening all, just wondering how long the roosting bars survive five chickens doing their doo-doo's on them every night?

 

Has anyone treated their roosting bars with anything - oil, non-toxic preservative etc - or isn't this really needed?

 

Thanks everyone and here's hoping for a sunny weekend in the garden

 

Caroline

[Egluntyne]

Quite a few of us have used either Plastidip or PlastiKote with reasonable effect.

[Abbey Road Girl]

The Omlet man suggested vegetable oil, which I suppose would include expensive Extra-Virgin Olive Oil from Tuscany if you want to go up market.

 

I found the bars quite easy to clean: don Marigolds, s"Ooops, word censored!"e off the poo bits with some trowel like implement, use one of those square green sponge things with scratchy nylon backing with soapy water to cleanse thoroughly, rinse and sponge dry.

 

As I don't have a spare rack, I can see myself using the hair dryer in winter!

 

I wouldn't use anything with chemicals, though some varnishes make claims to be non-toxic to pets and livestock--I'd avoid anything that isn't reassuring on that score.

[Cyber Chook]

Thanks Egluntine and Sue

 

Caroline

[lindyloodles]

i treated mine with Danish oil, as that is what you can use on wooden worktops to make them water resistant. Haven't noticed any adverse effects in the last couple of months since I got the chooks, so presume it is Ok. Got it from B&Q

[Cyber Chook]

Aha, fab, I like the sound of that. I'll use that bottle of Danish oil which I've had in my shed for ages and couldn't remember what I'd bought it for.

Caroline

[n2hec]

The breeder I collected my girls from loves eglu's. She even has one herself and suggested we used gloss paint on the roosting bars - making sure that all fumes have gone before using. She said she had known some people to get red mite at the ends of the roosting bars in the eglu and the gloss paint would seal any areas red mite can hide.

 

We bought an extra set of bars from Omlet and undercoated twice then glossed twice. After a week drying out in the fresh air I put them in the eglu and the girls seem perfectly happy with them.

[grasshopper30]

My roosting bar didn't survive delivery let alone Doo Doos!

 

I emailed Omlet with pictures showing the damage but heard nothing back, I took the staples out of the wood and put some screws in. When they are worn out I'll just make some more and use the old as fire wood