Goat Friendly wood Preservatives

[Goatdad]

I am putting up a new pole and rail fence in my goat yard and I want to put some kind of preservative on it. I usually use "Copper Green" on my fences because I love the oldish looking finish it gives the fur I use. I am concerned that if the goats chew on the fence which is entirely possible that it might poison them. Does anyone know if "Copper Green" would be toxic to goats and if it is what would you recommend as a goat friendly wood treatment?

[Madfarmer]

I do not know. Google "Organic Wood Preservative" or "Non-toxic wood preservative" & see what pops up. Goats will nibble on wood, but if they really start to gnaw, it means your not providing enough hay/browse.

Madfarmer

Edit: The Organic Gardening website has a recipe from the U. s. Forest service. Uses parafin, mineral spirits or turpentine, & boiled linseed oil

[Goatdad]

Originally Posted by Madfarmer

I do not know. Google "Organic Wood Preservative" or "Non-toxic wood preservative" & see what pops up. Goats will nibble on wood, but if they really start to gnaw, it means your not providing enough hay/browse.

Madfarmer

Edit: The Organic Gardening website has a recipe from the U. s. Forest service. Uses parafin, mineral spirits or turpentine, & boiled linseed oil

Thanks Madfarmer, other then the paraffin I think that the copper green has about the same stuff as the USF stuff except it has copper. So far the only woody thing my goats eat is the bark off of trees but I want to make sure I don't put anything in their habitat that is toxic to them.

[stanb999]

You should use white wash... Non-toxic. Easy to use. Cheap.
The only draw back is it must be done every 2 years or so. But it's not like painting. It's more like washing a car in the effort needed. The other great thing is it requires no scraping..

P.S. you should also be disinfecting your milking area this way as well. It will kill bacteria, leave a coating that inhibits bacterial growth, and brightens the place up.

[Goatdad]

I love the way white wash looks. Do you know how to mix it? I know the hillbilly method of mixing paint 50/50 with water or thinner but I don't think that is the real way of doing it. I grew up learning the low budget hillbilly way to do most everything and now that I am older I try to do things the way they are supposed to be done.

[Nancy_in_GA]

Hate to tell you this, but I whitewashed a few things, including part of the inside of the barn to lighten it up inside, and a couple of trees. Well my goats decided they wanted to chew it all off and took part of the wall with it. The trees didn't make it either.

BTW, it requires hydrated lime, and the "recipe" for whitewash was on the package I got.

[stanb999]

Originally Posted by Goatdad

I love the way white wash looks. Do you know how to mix it? I know the hillbilly method of mixing paint 50/50 with water or thinner but I don't think that is the real way of doing it. I grew up learning the low budget hillbilly way to do most everything and now that I am older I try to do things the way they are supposed to be done.

What you do is follow this recipe.

http://www.fiascofarm.com/recipes/whitewash.html

It works good, looks good, and is easy.

[Goatdad]

Thanks for the link. Will white wash give weather protection? It doesn't seem to have anything to keep water out of the wood. I don't mind having to do it every year if it works. Mainly because I don't do the painting at my house. That's my wife's job. She loves to paint and I hate it more then you can imagine.

[stanb999]

Originally Posted by Goatdad

Thanks for the link. Will white wash give weather protection? It doesn't seem to have anything to keep water out of the wood. I don't mind having to do it every year if it works. Mainly because I don't do the painting at my house. That's my wife's job. She loves to paint and I hate it more then you can imagine.

What it does is "pickle" the wood. It makes the wood unappetizing to molds and wood fungus. It will also deter insects to a point. But it won't make it water proof at all. In fact the white wash .... Washes off in the rain slowly over time. This is the part I like best is that you don't have to scrap paint. I detest scraping paint. It's also easier to apply than paint. It's kinda the consistency of cream or whole milk. You just paint it on with a big brush. It's real easy.

P.S. when you do it. Let it sit in the bucket over night. This time makes it stick better. Also no white washing if rain is in the forecast it's best if it cures for a few days before getting rained on. But once mostly cured the rain will continue the cure for several months.