Ventilation vs insulation, not seeing how I can have both

[Quicky06]

Been looking through coop designs and articles about coop insulation and ventilation requirements.

I understand that the coop needs a good deal of ventalation especially during the winter. I also understand that I need to insulate the coop for the winter..

Most designs I see have the vents up high but wouldn't that just let all the heat out?

My thoughts are that heat rises and the hot air would go up and out the vents.

just trying to finalize my design and this is the last thing m trying to figure out.

 

[justplainbatty]

Been looking through coop designs and articles about coop insulation and ventilation requirements.

I understand that the coop needs a good deal of ventalation especially during the winter. I also understand that I need to insulate the coop for the winter..

Most designs I see have the vents up high but wouldn't that just let all the heat out?

My thoughts are that heat rises and the hot air would go up and out the vents.

just trying to finalize my design and this is the last thing m trying to figure out.

That is basically what you want. The warmer air holds moisture which can cause frostbite. The chickens will be fine in the slightly colder air below the vents.

 

[Primo]

Not sure why you think you need to insulate the coop for the winter. What is important is there are no direct drafts blowing on them. Put your vents up high and make sure down below where they roost there is no direct wind blowing on them.

 

[kmiller11]

Insulating is jmportant; this way you don't need to heat you're coop.

 

[RWD]

If you have a insulated, and well vented coop where the outside temp is 10 degrees, guess what the inside temp is going to be.......10 degrees. Chickens come pre insulated. Provide a dry, draft free house, that is well ventilated. More chickens die from burning to death in coop fires every winter than dieing from exposure to the cold. "Move along folks, nothing to see here".

 

[Ankhdad]

I asked the same thing when I was starting out. The debate is still going on...
I live in NW Ontario where temps can go from one extreme to the next. -30 C in winter to +35 come summer. The winds seem to come from all directions, which is nice in the summer, but can add windchill dropping the temp down even further.
I ended up insulating my 15x10 coop. I noticed in the summer that the temp inside was a several degrees cooler, which was nice. So far this winter, the coop as been slightly off the outside temp. On really cold or stormy days, I close up all vents but one and that one is only slightly opened to keep the blowing snow and winds at bay. The temp then sits 10-15 degrees warmer than outside. (I have a fenched in run which I wrapped in plastic to help keep the wind and snow drifts down).
Is it worth the extra money to have 'peace of mind'? In my case, the answer was yes, but I think the bottom line comes to what do you want to do? Like I said at the start...the debate here still continues.

Good luck either way!

K.

 

[JackE]

IMO, insulated a coop with cold weather in mind, is a waste of time and $$$. Unless you have some kind of thinly feathered exotic breed, they are already well insulated, and need no help from us. Chicken coops are not like your house, which is kept closed up and insulated to keep heat in, in the winter. Coops, if built right, are fully ventilated, year round. Exposed, and open to the outside.
I have a uninsulated, unheated, Open-Air coop. You can read about the idea behind it, in the link below. I have found the inside temp of my coop is usually 10 degrees or so higher than the outside temp. The birds themselves generate the extra heat. And that is with the whole front wall open.
There is no real on-going debate about it. Ventilation, year round, is KEY to the health and vitality of the chicken. Insulation, adding heat, or closing the coop up with the idea of "Keeping them warm", not so much. All of this was settled over 100yrs ago, with the introduction of the open-air coop design.


http://archive.org/stream/openairpoultryho00wood#page/n0/mode/2up