Insulation for coop and other questions

Deegie · Feb 5, 2023

My hubby and I are planning our first coop for our first chicks that arrive in June. I have questions that I have not been able to answer by searching the forums.

1. Our best and probably only location has an oak tree near it. This would mean acorns in the attached outdoor run. Is this a problem? We intend to mostly free range anyway so there would be no way to keep them away from them completely but I would like to know if acorns in the run would be a problem when we leave the chickens in the run... which would do on the rare occasion I am not home to let them out of the run. I have been told they won't eat things that are toxic for them but I still have concerns.

2. Our summers are 90ish on average for a high but can get up to 100 or slightly more. The winters are usually mild with only two to four inches of snow a couple of times a winter. The low temp averages in the 20s but can on rare occasions go to 0. We even had a winter a couple of years ago where the wind chill was 40 below for two days. We are in the northern Ozarks. We are considering insulating the walls and floor. The floor will be approx 2 feet off the ground because of our very wet season. If we insulate we are hoping we don't have to have a heat lamp(or electricity). If we might need it anyway, we are considering no insulation. What is the educated opinion of folks with experience? Insulate or skip insulating and run an electrical line?

I am sure there will be more questions later as our plan develops. Thank you for being here.

3KillerBs · Feb 5, 2023

Welcome to the wonderful world of chickens.

The tree will provide welcome shade in the summer and the acorns will do them no harm.

Insulation is only very rarely needed in a chicken coop -- in near-Arctic conditions or under a metal roof in certain climates that are extremely prone to condensation. Adequate ventilation renders insulation moot anyway -- we don't aim to keep our chickens warm, we keep them dry and their built-in down parkas keep them warm. Heat is a bigger problem than cold except for the most extreme conditions.

Here's my article on coop ventilation: Repecka Illustrates Coop Ventilation

And my article on hot climate chicken keeping: Hot Climate Chicken Housing and Care

How many chickens are you getting?

5Australorpasaures · Feb 5, 2023

Go to chickenandchickensinfo.com/can-chickens-eat-acorns Answer is no' As far as insulation goes chickens are curious and if it isn't closed in they will peck at it. Batt, foam or foil faced. Hope this helps.

imacowgirl2 · Feb 5, 2023

Run an electric line…you will want heated waterers in the winter, along with a million other things you aren’t thinking of now that will occasionally come in handy on and off.

I’m in central IL, probably about straight east of you because the weather you describe is similar to mine. I did not insulate my coop. When we had the -30 windchills earlier this year, I did have to bring them into the partially heated garage (I did NOT run electric, and refuse to have a heat lamp running on an extension cord), but other than that the ladies have done great this winter. My coop is loosely based on the woods open air coop design, so it has one whole short wall that is hardware cloth. For winter I cover half of that with clear shower curtain, and I have another shower curtain acting as an awning over the top to keep rain/snow/wind out (I didn’t think about roof overhang when we modified this free shed) and it’s been great…plenty of ventilation in summer and winter without the elements getting in.

Egghead_Jr · Feb 5, 2023

Depending on how much shade you have on roof you may want to insulate that in very hot climates. Other than that you don't need insulation. The floor is insulated with the pine shavings or whatever liter you use. When building the coop keep in mind how deep your liter is going to be so you have openings higher. Deep liter is nice, makes for less clean outs as they till it in and you add more liter to it as it breaks down. If done right you only should have to clean it out once per year and it's garden ready.

On this forum you'll read of people bringing birds into the house, heating the coops and all sorts of things. Not many get colder than my climate and I can assure you the birds don't need insulation or supplemental heat in the coop. Proper ventilation is best achieved by using a slant roof of 3 or 4 to 12 pitch. Slight opening along entire bottom and top eave to vent the air out. You'll also read that chickens need 1 sqft of openings per bird. That is completely false information. There is a lot of "rule of thumbs" online that are dubious at best.

3KillerBs · Feb 5, 2023

Egghead_Jr said:
You'll also read that chickens need 1 sqft of openings per bird. That is completely false information. There is a lot of "rule of thumbs" online that are dubious at best.

1 square foot per bird is a useful guideline and starting point.

Personally, here in central North Carolina, I need either DEEP shade or 2-3 times that amount of ventilation.

But I don't need insulation under the roof, I need generous airflow under the roof.

My coop is in full sun, but because of the ventilation and working with the microclimates in my yard it's the coolest place in the yard on one of my normal, 95+F summer afternoons.

nuthatched · Feb 6, 2023

raingarden said:
Never heard this before, but I read the other day that if you make your coop double-wall with insulation between it will muffle the sound of a rooster's crow making it less disturbing early in the morning.

Not unless the coop is airtight or the vents face a difference direction than the house. I looked into when I was concerned about my rooster bothering my neighbors. Turns out, they all liked hearing him. :]

3KillerBs · Feb 6, 2023

raingarden said:
Never heard this before, but I read the other day that if you make your coop double-wall with insulation between it will muffle the sound of a rooster's crow making it less disturbing early in the morning.

If you have adequate ventilation the sound will get out.

And the rodents will LOVE the cozy home they've been given between the double-walls.

Deegie · Feb 6, 2023

3KillerBs said:
Welcome to the wonderful world of chickens.

The tree will provide welcome shade in the summer and the acorns will do them no harm.

Insulation is only very rarely needed in a chicken coop -- in near-Arctic conditions or under a metal roof in certain climates that are extremely prone to condensation. Adequate ventilation renders insulation moot anyway -- we don't aim to keep our chickens warm, we keep them dry and their built-in down parkas keep them warm. Heat is a bigger problem than cold except for the most extreme conditions.

Here's my article on coop ventilation: Repecka Illustrates Coop Ventilation

And my article on hot climate chicken keeping: Hot Climate Chicken Housing and Care

How many chickens are you getting?

Hello and thank you for the info. We are getting 15 Buff Orpingtons. Only half are guaranteed to be pullets. We will see how many we end up with in the end.

3KillerBs · Feb 6, 2023

Deegie said:
Hello and thank you for the info. We are getting 15 Buff Orpingtons. Only half are guaranteed to be pullets. We will see how many we end up with in the end.

I don't have any myself, but Buff Orpingtons are reputed to be really great.

Here's some more basic information to help you work out your coop needs:

The Usual Guidelines

For each adult, standard-sized hen you need:

4 square feet in the coop (.37 square meters)
10 square feet in the run (.93 square meters),
1 linear foot of roost (.3 meters),
1/4 of a nest box,
And 1 square foot (.09 square meters) of permanent, 24/7/365 ventilation, preferably located over the birds' heads when they're sitting on the roost.

8 hens

32 square feet in the coop. 4'x8' is approaching the limits for a non-walk-in coop even with the access door in the middle. 6'x6' should be walk-in because even the tallest chicken-keeper won't be able to reach the far wall.
8 feet of roost
80 square feet in the run. 8'x10' is a nice looking number but, remembering the common dimensions of lumber, a roomier 8'x12' is actually easier to build. 6'x14' looks good on paper but would require a lot of weird cuts.
8 square feet of ventilation.
2-3 nest boxes.

12 hens

48 square feet in the coop. 6'x8' is more practical than 4'x12' since a long, skinny coop like that would be difficult to work inside.
12 feet of roost
120 square feet in the run. 10'x12' or 8'x15' -- 8'x16' means fewer odd cuts than either of those. 6'x20' is possible, especially if your run is an open-topped, fenced area instead of fully-enclosed with a solid and/or wire roof but risks social problems because subordinate hens need to be able to pass the dominant hens at a respectful distance.
12 square feet of ventilation.
3 nest boxes.

15 hens

60 square feet in the coop. 8'x8' is easier to build than 6'x10'
15 feet of roost
150 square feet in the run. 10'x15', 12'x12' or 8'x20'
15 square feet of ventilation.
4 nest boxes.

For the number you're getting you'll probably want to keep only 1 male, but having a number to start with is good so you can select the one that suits you best.

Insulation for coop and other questions

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