Insulating the Coup

[tkh1rn]

I've seen some of the ideas on winterizing, but are there any on insulating? Doing something that will help warm in the winter, but also cool in the summer? I don't have a walk in and for now I've been ok without a run.

 

[FarmerGirl101]

Straw on the ground would help for snow

 

[flyin-lowe]

Rodents become a problem with most types of insulation. As long as they have a draft free location the cold itself won't be an issues, especially in KY. Unless you have some breed that is not cold tolerant.

 

[Pork Pie]

Hi and welcome to BYC. I have no experience with keeping chickens in cold climates, but maybe these links will help:

http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/winter-chicken-keeping
http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/winter-coop-temperatures
Topic of the week - Winter chicken keeping

This is a useful link of BYC guides to take a look at announcements-feedback-issues-guides.3 (there's a guide on how to include your location under your avatar - including your location is very helpful). You can use this link to contact members in your area - Find your State's thread - members there should be able to give you the best advice.
Best wishes

Pork Pie

 

[Hokum Coco]

any on insulating?

Insulating is not that necessary only if you have a metal coop as in my case. The main reason it may be feasible is not because of the cold your birds can handle that ( I live in Canada and am subject too -40º temperatures) it is to combat the heat in summer is my experience.

 

[wamtazlady]

If you add insulation you will want to close up the coop to help hold any heat the birds make inside. That would not be good for the birds. A warm chicken is a dry chicken. chickens have a great down coat they wear year round. They suffer more in hot weather than in cold weather. You need to vent all the moist air from pooping and breathing out of the coop. You do this by having ventilation up high. My coop has two 1 foot by 3 foot vents under the eaves, a 2 foot by 2 foot vent in the back that never gets a breeze, and the pop door is open to a run that has clear vinyl shower curtains on 3 sides of the run. My birds have been fine down to -22 F. In fact, they are out in the run all day no matter how cold it is.

 

[tkh1rn]

Rodents become a problem with most types of insulation. As long as they have a draft free location the cold itself won't be an issues, especially in KY. Unless you have some breed that is not cold tolerant.

Thanks for the information! I have a mixed flock, but tried to make sure I didn't get any breeds that weren't at least moderately cold tolerant. The coop does have ventilation and I didn't realize insulation attracted rodents ( though I don't know why I didn't think about that). Last winter they just became a lot less active and I was trying to think of something that might help with that.

 

[aart]

Last winter they just became a lot less active and I was trying to think of something that might help with that.

The chicken or the rodents?
JK ....I assume the chickens....

for now I've been ok without a run.

A nice covered run with some wind blocks might help....

 

[tkh1rn]

Thank you all for your replies! I think my biggest issue is the coup itself. It does have ventilation, has metal roof, but is really made just for them to sleep in and lay eggs (3 roosts and 3 nesting boxes). The floor is about 2 ft off the ground and has a large area that is just chicken wire. For cleaning, that does help in some ways since I can't walk in to, but it it also means I can't really use alota of straw and there resrea isn't floor room for them to be up and about in. All of your information has been very helpful!