Building in the Northeast - Should we insulate?

[DairyQueenMS923]

We are about to start constructing our coop and my husband was wondering if we should be insulating it. We live in Maine so and up on a hill so it can get quite cold and windy. We bought cold hardy chickens if that makes a difference.

 

[shouts]

We got to about -10 here in NJ with no problems. I worry more about ventilation, and no drafts. No insulation here.

 

[Folly's place]

I insulated my coop, and think it helps with summer heat, especially if you don't have enough shade. Consider at least doing the roof. Mary

 

[jetdog]

We are about to start constructing our coop and my husband was wondering if we should be insulating it. We live in Maine so and up on a hill so it can get quite cold and windy. We bought cold hardy chickens if that makes a difference.

Massachusetts here and i have no insulation in mine and they did just fine, good ventilation and a place that has no wind chill blowing on them is more important, I had my vents open all winter had no issues with frostbite or smell.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Insulating roofs is common in hot climates, especially if a metal roof. But being up in north country it's not needed. Once you get enough ventilation to eliminate frost bite on combs any insulation seems a waste of time and money to me.

Climate zone 3b here with no heat or insulation.

 

[vehve]

There's really no downside to insulating, so if you have the material available, I'd use it. The insulation will also help even out changes in temperature, the coop will be slightly cooler in the day and slightly warmer in the night. During short periods of extreme temperatures, it will take longer for the coop to be affected. And if it gets really cold and you decide to put in a bit of heat, you will need less of it with the insulation, and again, in the summer when the sun is trying to fry your chickens, the coop will stay a bit cooler.

On the other hand, it will complicate the build quite a bit, and make your walls and roof thicker. If you need to buy all the materials, it will cost a bit, and you will have to make a double sided construction. Most birds will do just fine even in colder weather, my flock chose to sleep out in the run even in 0F temperatures when they could have gone into the slighlty warmer coop (I had chicks in there so I had some heat on). And many people have birds that don't have issues with colder weather than that. Protecting the birds from wind and drafts while at the same time ensuring adequate ventilation is the most important factor in preventing frost bite and other issues related to cold. Selecting breeds with small combs and that are adapted to cold climates also helps.

 

[yellowchicks]

North Jersey (Zone 6) here and we have an insulated coop; R6 value with 1.5" insulated foam board sandwiched by 1/4" plywood.

The 1" x 1" interior framing and the foam boards helped to keep the coop light-weight and rigid, so we could use 1/4" ply instead of 1/2" or 1" ply.

There were only 2 nights this past winter that we closed all four windows due to the extreme cold and windy condition at night. However, all the vents on the coop and the coop door remain opened at all time for ventilation. I monitor the coop temperature and humidity, most of the time, the inside and outside temperature and humidity were almost the same. We do not provide extra heat and all the birds survived this winter without frost bite. The girls roamed outside in the sheltered run during the day regardless of the weather conditions.

A side benefit of having a small (4'x4') insulated coop is that bird that snuggled against the coop wall would not be cold. The insulation also helps to muffle the loud egg songs a bit in the morning.

We will see how this summer goes in terms of staying cooler inside.