Treated timber for an outdoor run?

[cochon_dingue]

I want to build a run to allow my pigs a bit of outdoor time, but I'm not sure what timber to use. Looking online, some people recommend pressure treated timber to help it last, and others warn that treated timber could be toxic if chewed.

What's the best choice for a sturdy run? Plain untreated timber, pressure treated timber, or applying a preservative myself (in which case, which?)

 

[midwesternrodent]

I do woodworking in my free time. I would definitely avoid treated lumber for anything the pigs could contact, but if the wood is going to be in ground contact you should probanly go with treated for that portion.


Outdoors is the worst environment you can put wood. You'll have expansion and contraction with changing heat and humidity, and UV damage from sun exposure. If you want the wood to last, best thing to do is paint it (I'd recommend a lighter shade exterior latex paint). Polyurethane (think like a wood deck finish) can work really well too. But at some point, you'll need to reapply it. The damage will start as soon as it wears away.

You complicate this with the piggies though, because you do not want them eating paint or finish, so I would leave the interior unfinished.

Do you have a particular design or size in mind?

 

[midwesternrodent]

I forgot some safety tips I need to mention.

I cannot stress this enough: LOOKUP THE MSDS of anything you use for a finish or cleanup. This is for your safety, a lot of it is nasty during the application process. Some can make you pass out from fumes with inadequate ventilation, others like linseed oil can autoignite if you leave soaked rags laying around. You'll be fine if you take precautions, but you need to know what those are.

Also - wood dust is cancer causing over long periods, don't freak out too much but a lot lf people don't realize they should wear a mask when working with it.

 

[Piggies&buns]

As the mesh you need to use for safety has very small holes, you will possibly find the piggies find it quite hard to chew the wood (plus once in the run their focus is always grass!). None of mine have chewed runs but many a hutch has become a victim in my free roam sheds!

I use cuprinol garden shades paint

 

[cochon_dingue]

I do woodworking in my free time. I would definitely avoid treated lumber for anything the pigs could contact, but if the wood is going to be in ground contact you should probanly go with treated for that portion.


Outdoors is the worst environment you can put wood. You'll have expansion and contraction with changing heat and humidity, and UV damage from sun exposure. If you want the wood to last, best thing to do is paint it (I'd recommend a lighter shade exterior latex paint). Polyurethane (think like a wood deck finish) can work really well too. But at some point, you'll need to reapply it. The damage will start as soon as it wears away.

You complicate this with the piggies though, because you do not want them eating paint or finish, so I would leave the interior unfinished.

Do you have a particular design or size in mind?

Thanks! Perhaps the solution is to paint/treat the run but add a sacrificial untreated strip of timber around the inside of lower portion of the frame where it might be chewed and just accept that favoured sections of this might occasionally need replacing. That's not a particular burden - but equally I wouldn't bother if it was unnecessary.

I am still mulling over the design. I think that I will likely just make a large rectangular run with a roof, but built in a way that allows disassembly for flat storage. Maybe hinges between panels, but more likely removably bolted-together for strength (I'd leave it out all summer, so it doesn't need to be quick to pack away). I'd looked at those triangular A-frame runs, but whilst they're simple they don't offer much width and they get more complex when you consider access from above to add/remove pigs without the risk of escape.

We have both a fox den and a badger sett in the garden, and the foxes are sometimes active during the day. Whilst the plan is that the pigs will be largely supervised, I won't be watching them constantly so I'd be looking at a very robust run, with thick timber, decent weldmesh, and a wide skirt - that unfortunately those requirements instantly rule out pretty much any commercial option aside from possibly the very expensive Omlet walk-in runs.

Half of me wonders that if I'm going to that trouble (and expense) then I should just build a permanent structure and leave it up all year round.