Cold climate coops

[dae006]

I'm currently in the process of building my chicken coop and plan to insulate it. I believe insulation will definitely help during our harsh winters (we occasionally see -30ºF), but it should also be beneficial in the summer. While we rarely hit 100ºF, the high dew points can be tough. I’ll have plenty of ventilation for the warmer months, with the option to close things up during the winter to retain heat.


My main question is about the nest box design. I originally planned to build the nesting boxes inside the coop because I’m concerned that external boxes could get extremely cold in the winter. That said, I’m open to the idea of external nesting boxes if anyone has tips or designs that help keep them insulated and protected from the cold.

 

[Tib]

One of the easiest ways would be to put foam board in the walls of the boxes if they are outside. Eggs freezing would be my concern, and sheeting on the inside as well to keep the chickens from pecking at it. It will act more like a "styrofoam cooler" than a box so it will hold heat and moisture but ventilation solves that for me. Mine are externally attached to the coop.

It's never exceeded the outdoor temperature or humidity (sensors are calibrated and were kept together in both locations to verify the same readings over several days).

It doesn't get that cold here, we might see single digits F for a few days, it does get hot though and can break 100 some days.

I chose insulation (foam in walls) for climate stability inside and placed my coop to provide shade during the hottest hours of the days in summer. This can result in less solar heat during the winter though most of the trees are deciduous so that helps provide the sun then when I do want it to build in the coop.

I track the internal and external temperature and humidity of the coop every 30 seconds. The coop temperature and humidity are more stable/slow to respond to outdoor conditions. PDZ on the poop board dries the poop out very fast too.

It stays cooler and drier in the summer even when raining outside, and warmer during the cooler days.

I also opted for powered ventilation primarily with passive as a backup option if needed. That has held up nice and even with mid 90 degree temperatures outside it's around 5 cooler inside and hasn't broken 90 yet. During the cooler months it was around 5-10 warmer than the outside. The powered ventilation was put in such a way that it pulls fresh air without creating a draft.

 

[SandyRiverChick]

Most chicken keepers do not believe in insulated coops. My coop is insulated and wouldn't have it any other way. It stays cool in hot months and I don't worry ever about cold months. Even if not necessary it's worth my peace of mind and confidence in my coop. I do like foam core in the walls. It's so easy to cut/modify and I agree that if my boxes which are internal, were external, I'd just make sure to have the box walls, roof and floor lined as well.

 

[Penpal]

Are you in the tundra? Please add your location.