Insulation?

[Berniejane]

I know there's a similar thread about outside material for coop but I have a slightly different question. I scavenged wood for my coop and found some thin outdoor siding in my alley for outside of coop. It's some kind of composite. Do I need to insulate? I was thinking of putting blanket insulation between interior studs. And covering it with heavy cloth. To avoid having to cut plywood (I'm not a carpenter-- disabled).
Any thoughts? Here's the structure before we sided.

 

[21hens-incharge]

What part of the world are you in?
It makes a big difference in what will be recommended.

I myself am where we have hot summers and cold snowy winters. I do not have insulation. If you have adequate ventilation insulation in most climates is just a great place for bugs and mice to set up a cozy home.

 

[Ted Brown]

Your location information will be helpful to those who might offer opinions.

I live up in Canada, our winters reach -30C (-22F) with lots of snow, wind, etc. My birds live in a Woods style "fresh air coop" that has an open front (hardware cloth) year round. No insulation, no heat, pine boards on the outside only.

You DO NOT NEED any insulation, by installing it and any kind of inside wall covering all you are doing is providing a perfect home for mice and other critters to establish themselves.

You need to concentrate on providing lots of ventilation (eliminates the humidity that they produce in abundance) and a roost location that allows your chickens to avoid any drafts that will harm them.

 

[Berniejane]

Your location information will be helpful to those who might offer opinions.

I live up in Canada, our winters reach -30C (-22F) with lots of snow, wind, etc. My birds live in a Woods style "fresh air coop" that has an open front (hardware cloth) year round. No insulation, no heat, pine boards on the outside only.

You DO NOT NEED any insulation, by installing it and any kind of inside wall covering all you are doing is providing a perfect home for mice and other critters to establish themselves.

You need to concentrate on providing lots of ventilation (eliminates the humidity that they produce in abundance) and a roost location that allows your chickens to avoid any drafts that will harm them.

I am in Minnesota. The top of my coop is open on two sides. Plenty of ventilation.

 

[Berniejane]

What part of the world are you in?
It makes a big difference in what will be recommended.

I myself am where we have hot summers and cold snowy winters. I do not have insulation. If you have adequate ventilation insulation in most climates is just a great place for bugs and mice to set up a cozy home.

Minnesota. Thanks

 

[CluckerFamily]

I'm in Central Wisconsin and I chose to insulate my coop but I used the pink sheets of insulation since I had leftovers. I also installed hardware cloth between the plywood and insulation on the the bottom of the coop. I personally haven't had any critters or predators attack any of my flock that I have had for 7 years. I do live in the country with predators like bear, coyotes, bobcats, cougars, and the typical predators. The inside of my coop doesn't get below freezing unless it is extremely cold in which I will turn on a heat lamp for a set time but only on those extremely cold days. The flock can come and go into the coop and run all day long.

 

[New2COchicks]

So, what do you put down on the floor to make it warmer? Do you build little books in coop so they can cuddle. I have 8 x 6 she’d turned coop so kinda big. Should I have bales of hay all over?

 

[Ted Brown]

So, what do you put down on the floor to make it warmer? Do you build little books in coop so they can cuddle. I have 8 x 6 she’d turned coop so kinda big. Should I have bales of hay all over?

I have 8-12" of pine shavings with some straw on the floor; my birds often burrow into this but they do not sleep on the floor rather up on roosts. They are side by side on the roosts but no "cuddling" although when they were very young they did sleep in a heap in a corner on the floor.

 

[wamtazlady]

I live in NW Montana and do not use insulation in the coop. I don't see what purpose it would serve as I also have 10 square feet of vents to get the moisture out of the coop. The vents are never closed. If I insulated I might be tempted to close up the coop and that would make for high humidity and cold birds.