Coop insulation.

[Alaskan]

Sometimes, like yesterday morning with the wind chill, the temperature was -45C. How should I insulate the coop? Would 1 1/2" styrofoam be good enough or should I build 2x4 walls with 'pink' insulation including the ceiling?????

You don't have to, but I find that it is nice, IF you can insulate so that rodents do not get into the building, and IF you still keep lots of ventilation.

Even with lots of ventilation, insulation will keep the coop warmer, especially if you have a great deal of wind. Also, my construction skills are TERRIBLE, which means that my buildings are super drafty, which isn't good. The one coop that I insulated is very lovely, and much more comfortable than my other chicken buildings. The insulated coop is the only one that I can use for chicks hatched out of season, broody birds, or my quail.

However, the uninsulated coops have very healthy chickens in them, I simply have their perch over a poop tray (nice and solid, so it blocks drafts) and then I put something solid on the wall behind the perch. That keeps the perching area draft free.

I have a chicken pen that's 1 1/2 metres in legnth, 3 1/2 feet in hight and 50cm wide how many chickens could I fit in this just for then to sleep in as they are free run chickens on my farm ?

Where do you live?

My sister lives in Texas, so she truly can free range every single day, except for very rarely when she goes out of town. She has maybe only square feet per bird (.19 square meters).

My birds hate going outside when it is nasty windy and horrid cold. I find that I need 8 square feet per bird to make sure that there is no egg eating or feather eating etc. (0.74 square meters)

 

[JackE]

Even with lots of ventilation, insulation will keep the coop warmer, especially if you have a great deal of wind.

I have found my un-insulated coop to be usually 10 degrees warmer, than the outside temp. And that is with one whole wall open, covered only with hardware cloth. Temps just below zero, not including any windchill. Winds from practically any direction, including those blowing directly at the open front. Insulation... pffffft.

 

[Alaskan]

Quote:
I think that you get that good result... because your coop was well built

My buildings (even the ones built by better people than I), are like giant sieves. Wind all over the place through the poor things. For me, I need the insulation and then a second layer of plywood before I could get 'tight' walls.

Of course... I only did that to one building.... the only one built well enough to keep the rodents out of the walls.....