Insulating a chicken run

[Dragron_ heart]

I run firring strips (2"x 1") as a backing against the hog panels and chicken wire and use 1" wood screws to directly secure the Coroplast panels to the sides of the run. They are feather light but so durable that there is little wear after putting them up each winter and taking them down each spring.

Admittedly, Coroplast involved an initial financial investment, but unlike plastic sheeting and tarps, solar radiation and wind have no effect on them so no replacement expense needs to be factored in.
The photos show one section of my run that has the Cloroplast panels fastened to the side beside permanent recycled glass doors that act as wind breaks during the intense spring winds here in the Rockies.
View attachment 1875922

Thanks so much for the help. I'm pricing it now. Does the coroplast have to be protected by anything else or is it good as a stand alobw insulation material?

 

[CatWhisperer]

I run firring strips (2"x 1") as a backing against the hog panels and chicken wire and use 1" wood screws to directly secure the Coroplast panels to the sides of the run. They are feather light but so durable that there is little wear after putting them up each winter and taking them down each spring.

Admittedly, Coroplast involved an initial financial investment, but unlike plastic sheeting and tarps, solar radiation and wind have no effect on them so no replacement expense needs to be factored in.
The photos show one section of my run that has the Cloroplast panels fastened to the side beside permanent recycled glass doors that act as wind breaks during the intense spring winds here in the Rockies.
View attachment 1875922

How thick is the chloroplast that you use? I want to get some for my run.

 

[azygous]

How thick is the chloroplast that you use? I want to get some for my run.

Quarter inch thick.

 

[azygous]

I use my Coroplast panels free of any framing other than to provide wood stripping to fasten them. I find it very easy to cut them to fit an area with a saber saw.

 

[wamtazlady]

I used to live in your area, in Oak Harbor. Now I live in NW Montana. The temperatures over there are very mild for chickens. Polish are more cold hardy than you believe. It has gotten down to -22 F here and my polish and my neighbor's polish are just fine. I will add that neither of us have an insulated coop or use heat in the winter. To keep the chickens comfy during winter I put clear plastic tarps on 3 sides of the covered run. They spend all day outside in the protected run doing chicken things.

 

[CityslickerHomestead]

I’m prepping my run right now. Billings, MT is a nice and hot this week, but I know winter weather is only a few weeks away. I’m nervous for my first winter with chickens, but I’m sure it’ll all work out.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

@Dragron_ heart, you have not told us how many chickens you have or how big the coop is. Is it possible the coop is too small for the number of birds you have? Also, how is the ventilation? I believe @aart suggested you post pictures of your coop, maybe we can help you figure out why your birds are not sleeping inside.

 

[wamtazlady]

I’m prepping my run right now. Billings, MT is a nice and hot this week, but I know winter weather is only a few weeks away. I’m nervous for my first winter with chickens, but I’m sure it’ll all work out.

I was scared my first year too. I had to force myself to believe what the experienced people in here were saying. First and most important, a dry chicken is a warm chicken. That means providing enough ventilation to remove the moisture from pooping and breathing from inside the coop without allowing a draft blowing through the coop. A chicken can get frost bite at temperatures just below freezing if the coop is humid. Yet a chicken in a dry coop with good ventilation will not get frostbite at 10 below. I have 10 square feet of ventilation for a dozen chickens. My chickens are out in the run all day even when it's -22 F. Have a covered run with 3 sides covered with plastic such as a clear tarp, or more recently, clear plastic shower curtains. Open side is away from the wind.

Water is kept outside in the run to avoid adding moisture to the inside of the coop. I use an 11 gallon tote with lid, horizontal nipples (not vertical nipples), and a stock tank deicer that is rated for use in plastic. Have been using that system for 4 winters and so far my water has not froze. Have wood shavings, straw, and leaves in the run. It always feels warmer in the run that the outside temperature. Food is also in the run. The girls hate to be inside the coop no matter how cold it is outside.

Chickens can deal with cold weather more easily than hot weather. It has to do with that down coat they wear year round. They don't even notice when the temperature goes down to freezing.

I did not mean to write a book. Just saying your birds will be fine in Montana's winter.