Insulating My Coop For The Winter

[Ellochicken]

Hello, and thanks for stopping by.
I was wondering about how to insulate my coop, as temperatures get pretty cold here in the winter, but I don't want to insulate it too much.
Thanks!

-Ellochicken

 

[Y N dottes]

u dont technically have to insulate your coop....chickens are very cold hardy. As long as thy have a dry, draft free place to sleep, they do all right.
I live in Wisconsin, and the temps can drop pretty low here, but im only gonna put a tarp over their run so it stays snow free. if u have a number of chickens, their own body heat will keep themselves and others warm.
If u still want to insulate, u can put insulation on the outside walls of the coop(ive heared of people doing this) and take it down in the spring

 

[TheNewMrsEvans]

In my first coop as a kid we used the sheets of styrofoam insulation sandwiched between plywood and a sheet of melamine. Made it very easy to clean the coop walls.
Here it's even colder but I just have a cedar sided shed, thicker due to the siding, but no insulation. I leave a red outdoor bulb on a thermocube all winter to take the chill off when it's coldest. Chickens are very hardy as long as they have shelter. The neighbors coops have wire covered windows on the lee side that stay open all the time. They think our hens are spoiled!

 

[Ellochicken]

Y N dottes: Is insulation safe? Because I have gaps in between the different wood in my coop, and I need to push something in between them, so if my hens peck at it, will it hurt them? And I only have 5 hens, and winter can get pretty cold here.

TheNewMrsEvans: Is a 100 watt bulb warm enough for them? Because it doesn't seem to be doing anything but keeping them up at night.
Thanks!

-Ellochicken

 

[chfite]

100 watt bulb doesn't produce much heat considering the volume to be heated in a typical coop. Any gaps in the siding could be covered with strips of wood to keep out the draft. Eliminating drafts is the objective for winter.

Chris

 

[Greasydog26]

I have sandwiched styofoam in between the siding and the interior plywood walls to keep them warm into the winter. We are currently experiencing Hurricane Sandy and the wind is blowing really strong as of now. I would just put up a 250 watt red bulb heat lamp in their coop to keep them warm when it is really really cold, say 15-20 F. Hope this helped...Good Luck...