insulation question/ suggestion

[CityChook]

Insulation will keep the cold out but it will also keep the heat in.

I don't think that insulation is a MUST HAVE sort of thing.... as long as you don't care what your heating bill ends up being from running a lamp and then having all that heat escape into the great outdoors.

And if he decides that running a lamp isn't necessary either then hopefully he has enough chickens to provide a fair amount of body heat for each other and keep the water thawed. Chickens can handle cold pretty well, but may quit laying as they reserve their energy.

I'm an egg hog, so I chose to heat my coop, and it's insulated too, but it still averages around 15F through the winter.

True, wild birds don't live in insulated houses, but you don't see wild birds flying around this neck of the woods in the depths of winter either. They're tucked away into their cozy little tree holes, reserving their energy and trying to stay alive.

To each his own.

 

[enggass]

So here's a question I don't see mentioned much. We talk about chicks and knowing when they are warm enough/cold enough etc...
But, how can we tell if our full grown birds are cold in the winter? What are some of the signs?
Steve

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
Er, I am not closely acquainted with the birds of Minnesota, but it does get fairly cold here too (lowest we've been was -34.5 C, which is what, like -30ish F?) and there most certainly ARE wild birds around all winter. (Otherwise I'd save a lot on my birdfeeder birdseed bill

) Chickadees especially, but plenty of other things too. And chickadees are not "tucked away into cozy little tree holes" at night! They spend their nights *outdoors*, on tree/bush branches, albeit generally somewhere out of the worst of the wind.

The biggest difference between chickadees and chickens is just that chickens have large combs and wattles to get frostbite, whereas chickadees have no bare skin exposed when perching.

Not saying one has to make one's chickens try to live like chickadees, but to say that birds do not overwinter in exposed locations outdoors in the North is just seriously, seriously incorrect.

Pat

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
I think some of this is covered in my Cold Coop page (link in .sig below)...

If the comb tips are getting pale or dark or scabby, like the beginning of frostbite, obviously that is a pretty clear sign that something is up. (Rooster wattles can also get frostbite, esp. where they may dip into the drinking water)

As far as telling when chickens are having physiological trouble dealing with the cold e.g. approaching hypothermia, you would worry if they are staying huddled/fluffed up in one place for a long time, are reluctant to move, are not eating well, and/or seem kind of 'out of it'.

As far as how they *aesthetically* feel about the cold -- whether they are thinking "ooh, how pleasantly refreshing a day" or mentally swearing a blue streak at the *$&#($ temperatures today, or not even thinking about it at all -- who can possibly tell. We can imagine but it probably says quite a lot more about US than about THEM

JMHO,

Pat

 

[Montana-Hens]

I'd say yes, based on my experiences here in Montana. But there are folks who say I need supplmental heat when we have our 5th -30 day in a row. My ladies are doing just fine with their life. So I say it is all personal, what chickens you get, where you put the coop and how much human comfort ration you add to the whole thing.

 

[dumb_cluck]

Depending on the breed of chicken, you may not need insulation. If your chickens are "winter hardy", then no insulation. If they are some delicate rare breed, then I would consider insulation or at least a heat source for winter.

 

[wildorchid053]

i am upstate ny and we chose to insulate ours but it is not a must. as long as you have no drafts on chickens they should be fine.. we insulated because my coop is 8x8 and 8' high at the peak and only have 5 birds in it.. we also have no trees and the isulation keeps the coop really cool during the hot weather..