Any problems with blue insulation board???

[Maine Chicken]

Hello all. I am new to raising chickens, but am the proud caretaker of 3 baby Rhode Island Red chicks. They are only a week old and still inside, but I have their coop nearly completed. I want to insulate the inside with the blue insulation board that is used in home construction. My reasons are two-fold. First, it does get quite cold here in Maine in the dead of winter. Second, I have quite a few nails poking into the coop from the cedar shingles that I nailed onto the outside of the coop. My goal was to not spend 1 single additional dollar on the coop. I had all of the wood and my buddy had some cedar shingles left over from his barn. If I do say so myself, it came out quite sweet!!! My question is this - Will the chickens pull apart the blue board and eat it?? I don't mind the pecking of the blueboard, but i dont want them to get sick from eating the pieces. Any experience with this? Thanks a bunch. I've gotten a lot of info already from you folks. Ill post pics of the coop when it is 100% done.

 

[Riparian]

I used some of that blue board to insulate some of my 2 week old chicks from drafts. they pecked at a small amount and ate it. Not sure how large birds would take to it.

Perhaps covering it in plastic or thin plywood?

 

[xke4]

They will DEFINITELY eat the blue styrofoam board. I don't know what the attraction is but they are relentless in their pursuit of any exposed piece in the coop. I have never had one become ill from eating it, however. I suggest you cover it with plywood, thick plastic or feedbags. Carolyn

 

[AtRendeAcres]

cheep prepasted wall paper will even do!

 

[Anny]

Some time you can find super cheap, odd and ends and miss cut thin ply wood at the hard wood store in a discount section, it's worth checking into.

 

[yellowdragon]

My moms first batch (in 1998) ate a couple sheets. It didn't kill any of them. But i would cover the foam

 

[SeaChick]

We covered ours with old pieces of cheap-o paneling that we scrounged on Portland's "big trash day" (when everyone puts all their big junk out for the town to collect. You know that faux-wood stuff that's really thin pressboard? We puzzle-pieced it together and had to buy a small piece of thin 1/4" Luan at the lumber store to complete. It was VERY cheap. Much cheaper than the isulation!! We then painted everything white. Very cozy and it looks great!