First time chicken owners. Insulation help in Bend, Central Oregon.

[Mtormey]

My husband and I are first time chicken owners and our chicks are ready to go out to their coop.

Before we do so we wanted to make sure the nightly temps were not getting too cold in the coop. We monitored the coop temp throughout the night and it seems too cold. It was at 38 degrees at its lowest.

We build our coop out of an old shed. It does have ventilation. We were heating it with a heat lamp but it didn’t seem to keep it warm last night.

Suggestions to how to warm our coop up? Insulation ideas? Any others out here in Central Oregon care to share their advice with our freezing nights?

 

[JackE]

Unless you have chicks, with no feathers, 38 degrees, is NOTHING, to a chicken. Get the heatlamp, out of the coop. There has been plenty of coops, and the birds, burned to the ground, in some baseless attempt to "KeepThemWarm". Insulation, where you live, is also a total waste of time, and money. The chickens are already perfectly insulated, they don't need any help from us. Take a look at my avatar pic, the whole front of the coop (Also uninsulated)is wide open, year round. !0 yrs, with winter temps around 10 below, and the birds have never had any problems with it.

 

[ZoomuKeeper]

I brood my chickens in the big coop outside. It is not insulated. It is a new metal shed with windows and a large heavy door that I cut a hole in and screened for ventilation. I have a heating pad I use for them until they get their feathers. I will not use a heat lamp FIRE HAZARD!

 

[rosemarythyme]

Agree with the others, you don't need heat or insulation. Chickens come equipped with their own personal puffer coat.

 

[aart]

our chicks are ready to go out to their coop.

How old are your chicks and how have you been heating them?
No need for insulation or to heat the whole coop,
but young chicks may still need a warm spot.

Welcome to BYC! @Mtormey
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