Do I need to insulate my coop?

[mb poultry]

Extreme chicken math....4+10+25+6+6=51+5chicks(3wks)+5 chick (5days)=61 total! Oh yeah and 41 more in the mail as I write this. Grand total...102 feathered friends! Golden Comets, Silkies, Bantam Cochins (mottled and blue), Black Australorps, RIRs, Silver Laced Wyandottes, and Buff Orpingtons!

 

[duckinnut]

It's all a matter of preference,you want to,fine don't want to, fine also. I wanted to insulate but also have lots of ventilation. I think it serves many purposes,shields out drafts,guards against extreme cold as well as heat and as a sound barrier,cause Rocky likes to start early more so during the summer 4:00 am with the crowing.Winter Nor'Easters often come with lots of wind and it will find a way in so that's why I did,again your winter storms I'm sure are different. Also insulated the roof bays to shield the heat from the mid-day sun,I didn't think it would much difference but was vastly wrong. There is at least a 15/20 degree difference from outside and inside temperature. Asphalt shingles really attract heat and I could feel it in the bays until I insulated them. So the choice is yours.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'm glad you are getting suggestions from people in your general area. They should have more credibility than someone that lives where I do for you. The reason you see so many different opinions is that so many different things work. Many people do things for ther chickens thinking they need them but they really don't.

I don't know how warm you get in the summer. I'd think the nights are pretty pleasant compared to some of us and nights are when the chickens are on the roosts. But daytime heat can be a risk too, especially in the coop when they are laying. Chickens can handle cold much better than heat.

What I suggest you consider is to leave the top of some or all walls open for about 4" to 6" and cover that with hardware cloth to keep predators out. The areas between the rafters are usually under the overhang and are hard to fit the siding in anyway. Covering those openings with hardware cloth is a great way to provide ventilation. Leave that area open year round and put your roosts low enough so the chickens are not sleeping in the cross-draft. That should be all the winter ventilation you need.

During the summer, a direct draft hitting them when they roost is not a problem at all. It can even be pleasant for them. So consider a window or some type of opening at or below roost level that is predator protected but can stay open all the time in the warmer months but you can close off in the winter.

Duckinnut makes some good points about why you might want to insulate, but keeping them warm is not one of them in your area.

I'll give links to some articles that might be a real help to someone building a coop and run. The lady that wrote these lived in Ontario so she should have some credibility to you.


Pat’s Big Ol' Ventilation Page
https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=1642-VENTILATION

Pat’s Cold Coop (winter design) page:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=1642-winter-coop-temperatures

Pat’s Big Ol' Mud Page (fixing muddy runs):
https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=1642-fix-a-muddy-run

 

[Nanabuni]

Hi, I live in Waterloo, Ontario and I am new to the backyard chicken world. In the winter time it can get pretty cold here. Like -20 felling like -30/-35. So no insulation? or heater? They should be fine right?

Thanks

 

[jetdog]

Insulation is a personal choice one person says don't the other says do, I did it didn't take a lot of extra effort when I built it, drafts are the most important thing to keep out I caulked all the cracks before painting it.ventilation is the most important thing when you think you have enough add more.

 

[Hokum Coco]

If it is a metal shed I would say yes (metal shed get extremely hot in the summer.). If it is a wooden shed I would say no.

 

[MarcieJane]

Hello! We moved to CNY last year(near Syracuse). I'm curious if you decided to insulate or not. We just finished building the winter coop and are undecided regarding insulation. We have 5 RIR, 3 sex links, and a Guinea fowl that showed up in my yard a few months ago. Any advice is appreciated!

 

[chickenwisper16]

I also live near Syracuse we did not insulate our chicken coop we put plastic around it (it's pretty large) making sure drafts are to a minimum they seem to be doing pretty well I do worry about them during drops in temperature but no heat lamp or light. Just let these girls do their thing