Do Walk-in Coops Need to be Insulated?

I just finished building my walk in coop, and I did insulate the walls with r-19 insulation between the studs. I realize some people in cold climates don't insulate, but I am not adding any supplemental heat, and if I was going through the effort to build this, I wanted to do it right. It is up to you.

 

I converted my shed into a coop but im just using a heat lamp works great.

 

What is the shed made from? I'm in the process of converting a shed also and this is a good question.

 

I think you'll get a lot of different answers from different people. Some do and some don't in cold climates.

We plan on insulating ours, but we will not be running electricity out there, so no option for a heat lamp.

 

we are going to insulate ours and use heat lamps when necessary . it does get pretty cold up here in Maine and i lost 5 chickens this winter

 

I didn't insulate my coop but cold was not near the concern as the heat in summers. I live in metro Atlanta and winters are mild for the most part, summers you can fry a egg on concrete. I think if I were you I would insulate and then even on the coldest nights you probably won't need a heat lamp.

Buffs only- Conyers GA

 

Quote:It depends.

Insulation is not generally *necessary* but in many cases it is *useful* (if your coop is built such that it "wants to" hold some amount of heat going into the evening; and/or if you have any thought of running electric heating at any point).

How chickens tolerate cold has a lot to do with breed choice and good ventilation. If you have large-single-combed chickens sealed up in a humid (because insufficiently ventilated) coop they can get frostbite at 30 F; if you have wisely chosen breeds for your situation, and/or if you have plenty of draft-free ventilation keeping the coop fairly dry inside, chickens are often perfectly fine down to 0 F or even lower without any heat. It just depends. It is never a bad idea to have the *ability* to add heat if unforseen circumstances should arise, but good planning and good management will usually suffice

If you haven't seen them you might wish tot ake a look at my 'cold coop' and ventilation pages, links in .sig below, for more on the subject.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat