To insulate or not to insulate?

[jbher]

I like below freezing but you can't even go fishing when it's 30 below

Very true! Our backyard hockey rink hardly got any use after Christmas because it was literally just too cold for the kids to be out. And now of course it's melting. Errrrr.

 

[Blooie]

That's what we're gonna do too. How are you doing yours? I just saw a coop last night that did 1/2" OSB/ply with 1/2" rigid insulation and then another 1/2" OSB - all put on the outside of the studs. I liked that idea because then the inside of the coop was just the painted studs - not walls.

We are doing plywood (sorry, he's not home so I can't ask what size it is) on the inside with the insulation sandwiched between that and outside sheathing. Don't think we'll get fancy and paint the inside, although I did read somewhere that painting the inside helps seal the wood and gives mites and lice fewer nooks and crannies. Hope we don't have any of those pesky troublemakers, but I'm not naive enough to think we're somehow immune! LOL

 

[JackE]

People have kept chickens for hundreds of years without insulation. In a coop, as far as cold weather goes, insulation is USELESS. A coop, unlike your house, HAS to be open, and well ventilated, even through the coldest days of winter. Your house has insulation to help keep in the heat, generated by your furnace. A coop should be open to the outside, for proper air exchange, that is VITAL to the chickens. What is insulation going to do, with free air exchange with the outside? Nothing, that's what.
MY coop has the whole front wall open to the outside. It doesn't have any insulation, no added heat of any kind. But, you can go out there on any cold morning, and find the coop is usually 10 degrees warmer than the outside temp. I don't have a magical coop here, but that is just how it is.
As other people have mentioned, if you have insulation, you will HAVE to have interior walls. Otherwise the chickens will shred the useless insulation. When you put interior walls in a coop, you will have just provided insect pests, mites, and whatever else, and mice, maybe rats, a real nice hidden place, close to food, to set up housekeeping of their own. Safely out of view of you. But the chickens will deal with them 24/7/365.
The only useful insulation in a coop, would be foam glued directly to the underside of the roof, to help absorb some of the heat in the summertime. Other than that, forget about it, it's a waste of time. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, God (Or Nature if you're an atheist) has provided these birds with PERFECT insulation of their own. They do not need any "Help" from us to deal with cold weather.

 

[JackE]

Yup, you're probably right. But I'm doing it anyway.

It's your time and $$$ to waste as you wish, have fun.

 

[blucoondawg]

Well wind protection and insulating are 2 different things, building a solid coop with no insulation will be an adequate windbreak, insulation is a thermal barrier which blocks heat exchange through walls and roofs by conduction regardless of wind. The thing is if you have adequate ventilation the coop will likely still be quite cold if it is cold outside which defeats the purpose of insulation, if you insulate and heat or insulate and block ventilation you are likely creating a very unhealthy messy situation with all the added dampness. I understand not wanting strong winds and drafts on your birds but insulation doesn't stop wind, solid walls and good coop design stop winds and draft.

 

[Terry S]

I had the same question. Thank you all for the answer. It get a bit nippy up here in Maine.

 

[jruhle]

I insulated my coop with feed bags, cardboard, and plastic bags. It was all free and keeps the eggs fromfreezing!

 

[blucoondawg]

I insulated my coop with feed bags, cardboard, and plastic bags. It was all free and keeps the eggs fromfreezing!

Seems like it would also provide a cozy home for vermin

 

[Blammmo]

I added insulation and lined my interior walls with steel, cleans up nicely and keeps the heat in from my south facing window. I also live in MN and when the temps drop to -30 to -40f you notice the difference, it will be much warmer even with ventilation, and when we get those cold snaps for a longer period, I can adjust my vents to be almost closed to retain heat then open them back up when it warms back up, no mites or vermin for the last 7 years either. If you live in this frigid winter wasteland I recommend insulation, you won't be disappointed, just make sure you do it right the first time

 

[blucoondawg]

I added insulation and lined my interior walls with steel, cleans up nicely and keeps the heat in from my south facing window. I also live in MN and when the temps drop to -30 to -40f you notice the difference, it will be much warmer even with ventilation, and when we get those cold snaps for a longer period, I can adjust my vents to be almost closed to retain heat then open them back up when it warms back up, no mites or vermin for the last 7 years either. If you live in this frigid winter wasteland I recommend insulation, you won't be disappointed, just make sure you do it right the first time

My winter temperatures in northern Wisconsin are similar to yours, I have no insulation and the birds are fine.