Opinions on winterizing my coop? Picts

[MamacatPatch]

I'm surfing the posts here today looking for insulation ideas too. We're using a basic wood garden shed for a coop and it's worked terrific since we got the chicks in May. We have used the foam STUFF in cracks up high and also stuffed wadded up newspaper in between where the roof and side walls meet.

Had a crazy idea of stapling newspaper to the wood on the inside and then putting some wood slats across them to hold them better in place. I've heard newspaper makes great insulation?

Am I being too cautious and protective? I'm in northern Indiana and the winter's are brutal. Last year we had below freezing many times and many feet of snow!! This will be my first winter with my chickies!!!

Some of these coops posted are just AMAZING!!! Wish my hubby was that good at building stuff! WOW.

 

[SeaChick]

We're using actual insulation: a combo of the regular pink fiberglass roll stuff and the rigid foam board that we have left over from house projects. Maybe overkill, but our henhouse will be pretty big for our 5 girls and winters get cold here (Maine). We have one of those remote thermometers we can monitor from inside the house: if it gets too cold in the henhouse we'll probably also use a heat lamp on one of those cool thermostatic plugs that turns on when tems hit 32*. Hopefully, though, the insulation will be enough.

We will finally be getting our chicken permit at the end of the month (yippee!) and we'll post pics when we get all set up!

Stacey

 

[Flufnstuffs~FluffySilkies]

Our coops are not insulated. I do not make my coops air tight as this can cause moisture to build up.
Just fix the big cracks.
I do not heat the coops either I made that mistake the first year and will not do it again.
I put in a red heat lamp above where everyone sleeps when the weather hit 33 degrees then when the weather hit 25 I added another one then when the wether went below 20 I added a third then the temps went below 10 we had a bad storm lost power for 2 days "NO LAMPS" and everyone got sick. because I added heat lamps to quick they never feathered out as much as they could have for winter.
NOW I only add one heat lamp per coop when the temps drop to 15 or below.

Melanie in NY

you can view most of our coops/pens/cages here
http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=7724703&uid=3314574

 

[MamacatPatch]

Quote:
We have the exact same shed for our coop and for our 'cat house'. We have two sheds but they are identical. We have 10 cats who need shelter/food/water in the bitter Indiana winters. We have heaters in both. Even with the heater, the cat house got so cold we could see our breath. I'm worried the chickens and eggs will freeze without some insulation.

Guess I'll just live and learn!

 

[ChickenOrTheEgg]

I don't have this problem since I "gutted out" a singlewide mobile home for my coop, but couldn't you guys just box in a ceramic heater that has a thermostat?

 

[s6bee]

I live her in the Rochester, NY area and winters are cold and WINDY!
We have not had a winter yet with the girls, but did decide to insulate with foam board. The outer & inner wall is 1/4" plywood w/ foam board in between. We got weather stripping for all windows and doors to prevent the drafts for those brutal days, but plan on having them open when the sun is shining. We also created the roof so that we can prop it up an inch or two for ventilation when needed. I'll have to take photos, to show. I don't plan on having a heat lamp. My next concern though is what to do with the outdoor run and snow? Do people cover it with a tarp, or what? Will the chickens come out of the coop in the snow?

Stephanie

 

[aran]

stephanie i have the same questions. I had planned on adding some extra floor space to the coop and lining the inside with 2 inch styrofoam board and anothe layer of plywood but had thought that in addition to a good 12-16 inches of pine shavings and straw that I would put a heat lamp on a timer to run just for the really cold hours in the early morning. I am not too concerned about drafts because the chickens will not sit in the draft im sure and it will provide good ventilation. To a certain extent i figure that these creatures have existed for centuries in cold and hot environments without heat lamps and fans and have survived those extremes if not thrived in them. I think asides from the water issues which I have not yet figured out the girls will do ok this winter. Im curious about filling the waterer with snow...what do you all think? As long as the inside of the coop is above about 35-40 the snow will melt right? It would save me carrying the big waterer into the house and back since the hose will be frozen LOL!

 

[pwand]

Beautiful Coop. I insulated my coop with foam board and put tar paper over it, but plan to cover that with plywood. A bit concerned about the tar paper and the smell it can give off. However, we put this corrugated 4ftX8ft plastic sheets over our chicken run and it works well for snow, I live in BC on the coast and we get dumps of snow over 1 ft at a time, I have 2X4 bracing under it to support it. I go out and shovel mine off because we get wet heavy snow, if you put the 2X4 about every foot apart, that probably would do the trick. You could also cut small strips of wood to go around the frame of your door. That would help to allow some ventilation. Great job on that coop.

 

[md123]

I live in Dutchess county also. I have 6 sex-linked chickens about to spend their first winter outside. My coop is 4'x4', 4' off the ground, and somewhat insulated. I was planning on keeping the door to the run open all winter like I have done all summer. Am I wrong in thinking I can get away with that? All windows will be closed or sealed up for winter. Thanks.

 

[LynneP]

You're getting good advice about your very accomplished coop- I'll add some in the form of a link. A lot of your decisions will depend on how you run your setup and whether our opinions match your climate and needs.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=7693-seasonal-concerns


Baffling the wind from the run does wonders too, whether in the form of snow boards or the use of a barrier like plastic. Keeps the snow on the outside and the deposits act as a form of insulation, too. Your run is beautifully constructed and you may decide to roof it in the future. It's difficult to explain just how much difference it makes until you're tried it!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=7693-LynnePs_Run

I like insulation but lots of others prefer not to insulate, often because the insulation can become a nesting site for rodents. Because w have feral cats in and around the barn, we were able to insulate and it may not matter as much to the hens as it does to me! I like to be comfortable when working in the barn- I end up staying longer and doing a better job, especially with cleanup.