Coop requirements for the very cold states like NY

[lilshadow]

Quote:
Yep sure did. I made it just like a regular house for them. I was afraid they would freeze to death.

Make sure you paint that drywall with a latex bathroom paint. Drywall retains
moisture and could get very moldy. The paint will seal it up nice.

Okay, thanks for the info...I didn't think of mold issue..

 

[FutureChickenMan]

there's an additive you can get for the paint (you mix it in) that also helps the paint resist mold/mildew. I think it's called zinc oxide. I believe the ratio is one ounce of zinc oxide per gallon of latex paint.

 

[peepkeeper]

I live in upstate NY too and I didn't insulate or anything and my chickens are fine, but I might insulate in the spring because a few of them do have a touch of frostbite on their combs. I have a heat lamp out there for when it gets down into the single digits. The most important thing is that they can get out of the weather and drafts. If they can stay draft free and dry they'll be OK.

 

[SeaChick]

I live in Maine and we insulated with leftover scraps of rigid pink insulation and normal fiberglass batting.... I used thin luan plywood or old fake-wood paneling pieces (most of which I salvaged by driving around town on "big trash day") to cover the insulation. I then painted all the mis-matched pieces of paneling. Our henhouse is in the corner of the garage, but we'd have done the same in a freestanding building...

Stacey

 

[54smokepole]

It gets cold up here in north east North Dakota, I insulated my coop 2x4 walls with batt insulation and the roof stringers are 2x6's with batt insulation also. I have one heat lamp hung over the waterer to keep it from freezing and it stays at least 50 degrees F. It regularly gets 20 to 30 below zero at night.

I covered all of the insulation with 7/16 OSB (oriented strand board) One side is very smooth and I put this side facing out. The price varies here depending on the season, but it ranges anywhere from $4 to $6 for a 4x8 sheet. It is comparable in price to sheetrock and way more durable.

 

[hart31]

I'm also in ND and our old henhouse has fiberboard covered by 1x 10 lap boards and an attic full of straw. It has lots of south facing windows. It was very good for 50 hens but is way too big for just a few. We haven't had chickens for about 10 years and I'm currently using it for storage.

We have a smaller brooder house that is just 2x4 frame with plywood and it has a shingled roof. I'm going to insulate it and will add nest boxes later in the summer for the hens we will keep. The biggest concern is keeping fresh water and I'm going to invest in a heated water base.

 

[bjcoop]

We are in WNY and it does get cold, but not extreme. We insulated our coop. DH put in roll insulation all around and drywalled too. Didn't paint tho. Didn't consider mold, but sounds like a good spring project for dd.

It's funny because it's an old tractor shed, kinda looks iffy on the outside, but inside, it's nicely drywalled, with easy-2-clean cement floor, lots of fresh hay, electric, lights, music. etc. hahaha
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16 spoilt chickens, 1 rescue-hound dd

dh

 

[Happyfarmwife]

We raised chickens when we lived in Alaska. Zone 2. We used fiberglass insulation and my husband put up the heavy visqueen (sp?) over it. We never had a case of frostbite, and our hens kept laying during the winter. Less than the summer, but still kept us in eggs.