Coop insulation?

[cattbird]

Hello

I'm getting a few eggs for incubation and have been doing LOTS of research, and came across this board! Perfect! I've got lots of questions about everything chickeny, but will start gently

I'm making my own coop, only small, to house 2-6 chickens. I have read it's best to insulate it? Has anyone else done this? and if so how?

Secondly, I'm going to put a nesting box in , but want it off the ground a bit, how far can chickens jump/climb? Should I put a little ramp up to it?

And lastly (thank if you have gotten this far) When I open the coop door I think all the sawdust/flooring will spill out. Any ideas how I can build a device to stop this?

Thankyou, Catt.

 

[annek]

I live in SC and decided to do light insulation. It is very humid here and I was afraid of using the fiberglass batts because of mildew and getting wet when I wash out the coop-I have a concrete floor. I decided to use the pink extruded poly foam panels (pink) from Home Depot in between the studs and then the silver bubble wrap looking stuff on the inside of the wall before I put my wall covering up. I finished my walls with what they call frp (fiberglass reinforced panels) which is easy to wash down. My intent is to keep the coop cool enough during the summer, our winters are pretty mild. I also put in a lot of ventilation and ordered a thermostatically controller fan for the peak which is open.

haven't done nesting boxes yet, mine are too young so can't help there but I think it around 18-20 off ground-do a search on nesting boxes for the correct #.

Put a board up acoss your door entry and that will keep the stuff in.

 

[Judy]

The trick with raised nest boxes is to keep them lower than the roosts. In a walk in coop the roosts should be around 30" to 40" high -- oh, metric, about a meter high. Depends on the breeds; some breeds don't even need roosts.

Many do not insulate even in colder climates. Really a matter of personal choice, though I believe your climate is moderate, so you probably would not miss it. If you do, you must cover it, and don't cover it with sheet rock, as they will eat it. They will also eat styrofoam.

Ventilation is a lot more critical than insulation. Do read this:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=1642-VENTILATION

Then spend some time in the coop section, do a search on insulation, etc. Every coop is different. Settle on what you really want.

Then make it twice as big!

Oh, and welcome to BYC!

 

[Chirpy]

Our grandparents/forefathers/etc. never had insulation for their coops and their chickens did just fine. Now, there are some cold hardy breeds and some not cold hardy breeds. If cold is your issue then research and get only cold hardy breeds.

I have partially insulated my coop, I'd like to finish it someday but money is tight and my chickens have gone through two winters with no problems thus far. Drafts are actually a bigger concern than just cold. If there are drafts then your chickens can get sick; you want good ventilation (so moisture doesn't accumulate on the inside of your coop) but no 'wind' inside the coop.

If you do insulate make sure you cover whatever you use with a hard board of some sort (like old paneling pieces) so that the chickens don't eat it.

I have a double row of nest boxes; the lower ones are about 12" off the ground and the higher row is about 2 feet off the ground. My chickens use both equally. Some people actually put them on the ground and that works also.

As ddawn said you want to make sure that your roost(s) are higher than your nest boxes. Otherwise you'll have chickens sleeping in your nest boxes and end up with poopy eggs. I wouldn't put your roosts over your nest boxes either... put them across the room. I have several roosts. The lowest one is four feet in the air... the highest one is eight feet in the air. They ALL like the highest roost except for my Silkie who uses either the lowest one or the second lowest one.

I put a board across my door so that the bedding doesn't fall out. We used two pieces on either side to make "tracks" to slide the board down into and put finger holes in it so we can easily pull it up and out when cleaning out the coop. It's about 12 -14" high... we just step over it. I use the DLM (Deep Litter Method) in the coop so we put their pop-hole door about 15" up off the ground so no bedding every gets up to it and fall out either. They just jump up to it on the inside and we have a ramp on the outside.

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
Lots of people insulate; lots of people don't. I cannot envision that in your climate it can possibly be *necessary*, though it's never a bad thing if you happen to feel like doing it. Basically you take batt or foamboard insulation, put it in the coop (usually between studs), then cover it with something peckproof like thin plywood or such.

Secondly, I'm going to put a nesting box in , but want it off the ground a bit, how far can chickens jump/climb? Should I put a little ramp up to it?

Unless it's more than a foot or two up, there is no question of them having problems getting in; you can always wait and see, and add a ramp later if necessary

And lastly (thank if you have gotten this far) When I open the coop door I think all the sawdust/flooring will spill out. Any ideas how I can build a device to stop this?

The easiest thing is to cut the door opening *above* floor level, so there is a built-in sill to retain bedding. My popdoors and people doors have about 12"+ of sill, works well.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat​

 

[cattbird]

Thanks so much for your replies!
Some great advise.

Can't wait to get started now!

 

[ducks4you]

cattbird

You'll need some insulation 'cause it's kind humid where you live, right?

Chirpy and patand chickens are good sources. It's humid where they live AND where I live, and ALL of our animals have to be protected from this in the winter.
Just make sure that you have airflow without drafts, keep the birds from living in wet bedding or a damp floor, and they should do fine.

 

[GrannyPat]

This is something I've been trying to decide on myself. I'm in East Tennessee and I don't remember any insulation on my grandparents farm for their chickens. I just read somewhere a few days ago that chickens can take the cold but they can't take drafts. To me that meant seal all cracks well but insulation is not necessary. Maybe in much colder climates north of Tennessee though???

GrannyPat

 

[PurpleGizmo]

Quote:
Hi cattbird,

I'm in a similar climate and do not plan on insulating my coop. The only place where I might consider insulating is underneath the roof to keep temperatures down in the summertime. From what I've read, the reflective, bubble-wrap insulation can work well there and isn't affected by humidity.

 

[Thomas423]

We insulated all of our coop except around some of the top where the vent holes are. We wanted to stop drafts from the wind. DH also used plenty of silicone to seal in the windows.

We installed the insulation in the floor by putting 1/4" boards attached to the bottom of the foundation, then layed the insulation in, then put plywood on for the floor. See my coop page for pics.

We used chip board for the outside walls as well as the inside walls. It holds up to weather and is cheap.

We also insulated the ceiling and used chip board for the ceiling.

Everything was covered with 2-3 coats of paint.

Unfortuantly, I won't be able to hose it out but I tried that in my goat hut and it didn't work too good anyway. We didn't want drain holes for the water because of drafts and predators. But we did use vinyl for the floor so I can mop it (if ever needed) and the walls are painted with washable paint.

I don't know much about the weather in the UK but here in Maryland we get all 4 seasons. Hot days, cool nights in the summer. Mild winters (compared to Canada) but still very cold periods. Lots of wind at times. We had to design the coop to cover all weather conditions. Also, the coop is off the ground because sometimes we get lots of rain and usually about once a year we get a foot of snow or more.

For the doors, they are built about 8" off the floor with a removable partition for easy cleaning. (Also pics on my coop page)

Good luck with your chicks and coop.

Oh yea, one more thing.....build it bigger than you think you will need. LOL