Insulation for Olympia, WA??

[ChickenOlympia]

Hi

First flock.

Babies coming in May (black australorps, rhode island reds, golden laced wyandottes, buff rocks, barred rocks). We are building a 4x8 coop for 8-10 chickens. Do we need to insulate the coop??

Thanks

 

[patandchickens]

You surely don't need to.

However you may *want* to anyhow

-- it makes management easier in many ways. At the very least, if you decide not to insulate right now, you might want to finish the coop in a way that makes it not overly difficult to retrofit with insulation later on if you change your mind.

Have fun,

Pat

 

[coffeelady3]

It really doesn't get cold enough around here to worry about insulation. As long as the coop is dry and draft free they will be fine. Between their built in insulation (feathers) and the heat they generate huddling up together, they keep warm enough. The biggest challenge when it gets cold is keeping the water from freezing.

 

[ChickenOlympia]

Thanks for the advice!

 

[chookchick]

No need for insulation here, just keep them dry! You will probably want to cover at least part of the run. I use woodchip to keep the run puddle-free. My coop is 4 by 8 and I consider it tight for even 4 chickens, I am building a new, larger coop where I can hang out with them (8 by 8). Good luck!

 

[bumpershoot]

Hey Welcome! I know it's been a snowy and cold year up there (I now live in New Mexico), but I can't imagine the need to insulate. Waterproof is where I'd go. I doubt that hens enjoy that drip drip drip from the roof during on of the long rainy periods ya'll get. Go for the traditional blue tarp look!

 

[Chic's Chickens]

We are building our first coop and decided to insulate it. It got so cold this past winter... Why not spend the extra money now while building...? Better safe than sorry!

 

[Imp]

Quote:

ChickenOlympia from a neighbor in Renton. What everyone else said. If you feel you need it you can also add a little supplement heat.

And bumpershoot-with a blue tarp the chickens will always have blue sky.

Imp-wearing socks with my sandals

 

[ChickenOlympia]

thanks for all the advice. I'm thinking about all our usual rain (not this year-more snow than rain) and thinking I should cover the run, but I'll need to put a pitch on it in case we get another freak 2 foot snowfall.

 

[kristenm1975]

Welcome ChickenOlympia, from another Washingtonian! I'm sitting here on Whidbey, listening to the rain thundering down and thinking if there was anything I'd like to change about the hens' run, it would be all the poopoo puddles. I just had to chase around in there to catch some hens I was re-homing and realized anew how sucky all that mud is.

I've been using a bale of nice fresh straw about once a month and it's way past time for another one, but if a person doesn't want to have to haul one of those big heavy bales every month, than a run that is more covered certainly does make sense. One with a fierce pitch, yes! Who knows when the next snow could arrive!

By the way, I'm jealous. You live near so many people who are selling chickens all the time. Whenever an especially nice hen comes up on craigslist, it's likely near Olytown. Sigh. Enjoy for me!