Insulation or no insulation??

I am thinking of converting a metal shed. I live in central Illinois. The weather..... Well your guess is ad good as the weather man. Sometimes we are barely below freezing sometimes we are - 20. Summers we can be in the 90s or 115. Who knows. My question is do I insulate? It will be completely shaded.
I was planning on leaving the front open (like in the picture ) until and making the run that attaches to he front predator proof. I see plans for open air coops in the winter with snow on the ground. Why would you bother with insulation when the coop is basically open?

Metal is the "go to" material for shed roofs and side, and for good reason. Compared to most other options, it is low cost, easy to install and easy to maintain. For housing poultry, however, it has it share of problems. Hot in the summer, cold in the winter and it traps moisture within, making it really cold in the winter.

First.......Google "condensation in metal sheds".......this may give you some insight into the problem.

Compounding the problem are the birds themselves, which create lots of moisture and unless it escapes / is removed, will create a lot of health problems inside the shed. The moisture tends to condense on the inside when you least want it and can rain down on the birds, creating cold damp conditions for them and that leads to all kinds of health problems. A dry bird is a warm bird.......no insulation needed..........insulation in a metal shed is needed to prevent condensation, not to keep the warm air in........as you say........that can't happen since it is so open.

So open is also good for ventilation.....fresh air and removal of all that moisture........unless it is so open that it becomes drafty.........think wind chill. That matters most in the winter. So the trick is "well ventilated with no drafts", which almost seems like an oxymoron. How is that possible?

So while it may seem like birds can and are raised in just about any old type of shelter, one that gets it all right and optimal for the birds health, safety and comfort is in truth a complicated piece of work. Books have been written about it.

Not saying it can't be done, nor that it shouldn't be, but you will need to do some homework to deal with the issues of successfully raising birds inside a metal clad shed.

Swurts said:

My question is do I insulate?

Click to expand...

I would insulate and remodel your sliding doors for hinged doors opening out. Debris will collect and freeze in the channel and make them impossible to open in the winter. Unless you have a inner door planned.

You will have to ventilate as well I just cut windows into my plywood doors with hardware cloth on the inside secured to the large opening left in the door when the window was taken out.

I made windows out of the cut out portions of the door recessed and silicone plastic from clear 5 gal jugs into the plywood.

I later built two inner screened doors (Covered in hardware cloth) that I expose when needed. Ventilating is a bit of a balancing act with ratios between coop size, condensation, climate, and number of chickens. You must pay attention to ventilation or it will eventually cause health issues in your flock.