Insulating a coop, necessary or busy work?

[tororider]

It looks like insulation it is. I will probably get some of the sheets of isocyanurate and then put a thinner veneer or thin plywood on the inside. The next question is, do I need a heat lamp out there in the winter? The idea of a hot light on all the time as a fire hazard scares me.

 

[speckledhen]

As long as your bldg is draft free with a little ventilation up high to let out moisture from their respiration and poop, I'd say only if you want to keep their water from freezing, perhaps over the waterer. I live in the mtns and we sometimes do get into the single digits on a few nights. I only have a heatlamp over the waterer, but no actual heat in the coop.

 

[tororider]

I was thinking of getting one of the plate type water heaters to keep the water from freezing. I don't think this will give off much heat into the coop, but I don't know as I have never had one. If I have a heater for the water, does that affect if I need a heat lamp?

 

[Wildsky]

I have a heated base for the water, and only half my coop is insulated, the north side, the west and east sides of the coop are shared walls with the shed and the horse barn.

I added a heat lamp when we went down below zero, and only used it three nights or so, on a timer..... (its a ceramic bulb) didn't make much heat but it made me feel better....

 

[CarlaRiggs]

I've seen messages before with the idea that Grandma didn't do it a particular way, so we don't have to either.
Grandma didn't *have* insulation available to her. The house wasn't insulated, she didn't have f/a heat, nor any heating system available to us today.
And Grandma was cold!!

If one has the opportunity to make one's animals more comfortable, I believe we need to take the time to do so.

Carla

 

[speckledhen]

My grandparents had old barn buildings and the chickens were definitely not draft free. They also were not comfortable and granddaddy lost some, to which he just shrugged his shoulders. Like Carla said, even his own house was drafty! It makes me feel better that I can do better at keeping them from losing body parts to frostbite or dropping dead from hypothermia.

 

[tororider]

Yep,
Well, with a bit of insulation and tight construction, add to that being against the garage, with a row of arborvitae to be planted on the west side, and bushes already on the north I think that will do nicely.

 

[speckledhen]

I think so, too. Sounds good. Love to see the pics when you're all done!

 

[tororider]

Me too, I wish I could fast forward to the finished pics, still a lot of work to do before then, hehe.

 

[patandchickens]

I agree, insulate.

But here is another concern to think about:

Quote:
You will have one heck of a time (transl: it will require extensive engineering of hooded and possibly ground-warmed vent openings) ensuring adequate ventilation of that small a coop without getting harmful subfreezing drafts.

The problem is that in such a tiny space (both in terms of footprint and in terms of height) there is nowhere for incoming air to go EXCEPT straight at the chickens. And you MUST have adequate ventilation -- you cannot shut it up tight, especially in such a tiny space -- because chickens give off a whole big lot of moisture and you will have severe humidity problems and the chicken health woes that accompany them (frostbite, respiratory disease etc).

If you are really intent on overwintering your chickens in a Michigan climate in what is basically a tractor-sized coop, you need to plan now, in the design stage, for how you will buffer and possibly warm the incoming air so that you can have respectable airflow through the coop (thus keeping the coop from getting all damp and ammonia-y).

jm$0.02,

Pat