Coop for 10-15 that stands up to hard winters...

[JackE]

Insulation in a chicken coop is a waste of time and money. There was a post a few days ago, somebody with an insulated coop, had found that rodents had set up house within the walls. And that's all you are doing, is giving mice, rats, or who knows what else, a perfectly hidden space/housing, from where the can come out and harass your birds, and eat their feed. Worry more about proper ventilation/fresh air flow, then insulating and heating to "KeepThemWarm". Unless you have some kind of thinly feathered, exotic breed, they don't need any help from us to keep warm. You are doing those birds no favors at all, maintaining the temp above 0-C (32-F, which is nothing to a chicken). Lose power, and those un-acclimated birds will suffer then. And it's senseless.

I've had temps below 0-F, not including any windchill, and my chickens thrive. And that's with the whole front wall of the coop open, covered only with hardware cloth. No insulation, except for what God gave them. And it's a walk in, stand up coop (A Woods) People make the mistake of putting their own human limitations with the cold, on an animal, that is more than properly equipped to handle it.

 

[snow5164]

Insulation in a chicken coop is a waste of time and money.   There was a post a few days ago, somebody with an insulated coop, had found that rodents had set up house within the walls.  And that's all you are doing, is giving mice, rats, or who knows what else, a perfectly hidden space/housing, from where the can come out and harass your birds, and eat their feed.   Worry more about proper ventilation/fresh air flow, then insulating and heating to "KeepThemWarm".  Unless you have some kind of thinly feathered, exotic breed, they don't need any help from us to keep warm.   You are doing those birds no favors at all, maintaining the temp above 0-C (32-F, which is nothing to a chicken).  Lose power, and those un-acclimated birds will suffer then.  And it's senseless.

I've had temps below 0-F, not including any windchill, and my chickens thrive.  And that's with the whole front wall of the coop open, covered only with hardware cloth.  No insulation, except for what God gave them.  And it's a walk in, stand up coop (A Woods)  People make the mistake of putting their own human limitations with the cold, on an animal, that is more than properly equipped to handle it.

Ok so such brood blanket..
Wow -0 F(-17.7C)thats spring weather here we go well below -40 C (-for weeks on end ,without the windchill.

Let' us make our choices based on where we live and how we want to care for our hens, just surviving is not my choice for my hens.


Edited by Staff

 

[JackE]

Ok so such brood blanket.
Wow -0 F(-17.7C)thats spring weather here we go well below -40 C (-for weeks on end ,without the windchill

Let' us make our choices based on where we live and how we want to care for our hens, just surviving is not my choice for my hens.

Open air coops, are documented to have been used, in locals, such as yours, with winter temps at -40 C or F, take your pick over 100yrs ago. Open air, UN-insulated coops. You put your human limitations with the cold, on a bird, with an avg body temp of 106-7 degrees, Covered with one of nature's BEST insulators, feathers.


Edited by Staff

 

[tmarsh83]

This might be a tick bigger than you need, but that's my first suggestion anyway. Build more than you expect to need.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1088808/coop-2-0-nearly-complete

I built this last spring to accommodate new chicks.

Largely, i'm happy with it. I'm in NE-IN, so winters are comparable, for the most part.

I re-did the nest boxes, but the layout didn't change.

In hindsight the biggest thing i wish i would have done is not use steel. It's just easier to seal up the nooks and crannies pests use with tight-fitting wood panel sides, than the ribbed steel.

The best thing i did was use the clear panels for the lower roofline on the gambrel. The light is a big help.

The door/bunk feeder is only used sporadically, as i prefer to feed outside, but during rain/wind/snow storms, it's great to be able to not lose or waste feed to the elements.

 

[DzieChick]

Thanks for the tips and guides. I feel like my question was answered that the hoop coop isn't really a good idea, and that building vs premade is the way to go. Our winters sometimes get down to -20F but probably average about 15-20F. My concern here is wind chill, my place is quite windy and 20 degrees- still and sunny feels a lot different than 20 degrees and blowing. Also my lawn doesn't get much sun. It sounds like insulting is preference but I think it is something that is worth our while, it keeps them cooler in summer also! I picked heat/cold hardy breeds but will still try to keep them comfortable. I'll have to spend some more time navigating the site and figuring out how to find answers.

 

[Folly's place]

I'm the lucky person with rats in my coop insulation recently. After several years, it happened, and I'm going to redo a few things. My ceilings are insulated, and closed off well enough to prevent interlopers. The old coop walls were the problem, and they will either remain uninsulated, or be redone differently. Here in Michigan, it's more about summer heat, and the roof insulation does help keep the unheated coop warmer than ambient temps in winter. I also think that there's a difference between bare survival, and comfort, and -40F isn't fine! Mary