Coop question...................

[gabby3535]

I have a lovely Amish built coop, with nest boxes that protrude from the sides. There is a slanted, hinged roof over
each set of nest boxes, so that they are accessable from the outside, by lifting the roof. I am in process of insulating the coop
itself........walls and ceiling.........but am wondering if the nest boxes need insulation as well? And, if so...........how the heck
would one do that??? There is not much room available to insulate.........except, perhaps, under the hinged roof, a bit.
But I suppose the chickens won't be actually sleeping in the nest boxes...........but roosting in the main body of the coop itself.
So does it pay to bother to insulate around the nest boxes at all? or don't bother?
Advice?
Thanks in advance..............

 

[gabby3535]

Or.............should I hang something over the box entrances, (old towels, etc), on the inside...........to prevent any cold air from the exposed nest boxes from infiltrating the coop itself?

 

[cajunlizz]

Are the nesting boxes on the North wall of the coop ? I would think if you are insulating the coop , go ahead and do it all .

OR , you can maybe put extra sheets of plywood on wall that nesting boxes are attached to , double walls would surely help as well as insulation.

My nesting boxes are on the west wall of the coop . Roost is on the East wall .

All the hens do in the nesting boxes is lay , not like they are sleeping in the nest . I would cover the coop with pine shavings and maybe line the walls with a couple of bales of hay for added warmth during winter months .... How many hens ? How big is your coop ? Do you have plenty ventilation ? Maek sure you do not have drafts . and WHERE are you located ?

 

[speckledhen]

One set of nestboxes in my original coop is exterior. The coop is heavily insulated, but those are not. What I do is make sure they have lots of straw in them, packed up around the sides to make them cozy. Seems to work well.

 

[LynneP]

You have to be very sure the hens can't get at any insulation. Big trouble if they do.

I use hay in my nest boxes, the only part of the coop not insulated. I use more in winter, seems to work fine, getting an egg daily-27 hours from each girl...

 

[Schroeder]

I plan to wrap the entire exterior nest box with a tarp on the handful of days each year it gets below zero. This will make it a pain to collect eggs (if any at that time of year) but should greatly reduce drafts. New coop - new to chickens - but that is my plan.

I too wonder about hanging something inside over the entrances.

 

[digitS']

I once covered the uninsulated plywood floor of my coop with 1 inch styrofoam and then placed a sheet of 1/4" plywood over that. I felt pretty good about this until the mice moved in after a few years. Now, I just go with deep wood shavings on that floor.
The R-value, per inch of thickness, of foam insulation is better than just about anything else. (example (per inch): fiberglass batts - 3.33 R-value, urethane foam 5.3 R-value). As was said, you'd need to keep the birds from getting at it or it-will-be-eaten.

Plywood boxes with foam board glued on their exterior might be a good way to go. With some clever overlapping, probably not much would be needed in the way of fasteners other than the glue. Or, plastic boxes could be purchased but appropriate size would be determinant.

I think you would have mighty cold nests if you curtained off the boxes from the rest of the coop . . . & maybe, frozen eggs.

Steve