Insulation

[nhorrin]

Here I go again!

Just visited a neighbor who has 18 sex links in a large coop. He has both the walls and ceiling insulated and keeps it sealed up tight in the winter. I thought it was very damp and the ammonia smell was very strong. I think lack of ventilation is a problem here. This got me thinking about an uninsulated coop again. I know at this point that there is no definitive answer to the insulation question. I plan on keeping 12 to 15 cochin bantams in an 8' x 8" coop with about 3' x 5' of the floor space used for storage. This leaves about 50 sq. ft. of floor space for the birds. At 7' high I am wondering if it will be warm enough without insulation. I plan to leave the front and back eaves open with hardware cloth for ventilation. As I have posted before -20F. and 30 MPH winds are not uncommon in this area during January and February.

If anyone has any ideas I would like to hear them. I will be starting construction around the end of April, still have 3' of snow where the coop is going, and will get the chicks some time in May. Thanks for the help!

 

[elmo]

Your instinct about your friend's set up is right: inadequate ventilation in winter can actually make frostbite more likely because it tends to increase the humidity in the coop and then moisture condenses on combs and freezes...bingo! frostbite.

If you haven't seen these excellent pages yet, check them out:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=1642-VENTILATION

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=1642-winter-coop-temperatures

p.s. It isn't just frostbite in winter that's a problem coming from inadequate ventilation, it's general health, too. Chickens like all birds have very efficient respiratory systems and are more vulnerable to air pollution than a similar sized mammal.

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
Yup. The tough thing is, it is often a self-reinforcing problem, b/c with all that humidity, people often get frostbit chickens in that sort of setup even when temps are barely below freezing, so they think 'gee if it is this bad with being barely below freezing, just imagine how much worse it'd be if I let any cold air in!"

I think lack of ventilation is a problem here. This got me thinking about an uninsulated coop again.

Bearing in mind that insulation really does not have a lot to do with lack of ventilation, they are two independant things. (One can have good insulation and no ventilation; or good insulation AND good ventilation; or no insulation and no ventilation; or no insulation and good ventilation) (The first and third options are rather unwise tho)

I know at this point that there is no definitive answer to the insulation question. I plan on keeping 12 to 15 cochin bantams in an 8' x 8" coop with about 3' x 5' of the floor space used for storage. This leaves about 50 sq. ft. of floor space for the birds. At 7' high I am wondering if it will be warm enough without insulation. I plan to leave the front and back eaves open with hardware cloth for ventilation. As I have posted before -20F. and 30 MPH winds are not uncommon in this area during January and February.

here is my take on it (I don't know if you've seen my ventilation and cold coop pages, if not, links in .sig below).

It is a medium-sized coop. If it has a slab or dirt floor, it will have some reasonable thermal inertia. If it has a raised wood floor, not so much. I do not know what it's got in the way of S-facing windows but they will be relevant too, especially if you are on slab or dirt floor.

You kind of have three ways you can go. If you think the overall effect (size, flooring, any other sources of thermal mass, sunlight input, and/or any electric heating you may choose to do) will be such that the coop will naturally carry reasonable internal heat into the evening, then insulation is for sure worthwhile to help hold that heat in and prolong it as much as possible.

If OTOH your coop design just is not *going* to collect or store much heat, and you won't be running electric heating, then there is no great point in insulating (it may still buffer things a little but not likely enough to make the exercise worthwhile).

Or, perhaps you are not sure or the coop is sort of 'in the middle' on those axes; in which case, I'd say "well, how much do you LIKE putting in insulation and internal walls?" (seriously)

Remember that if you choose not to insulate now, as long as you leave the walls open, studs exposed, it is easy peasy to add insulation later if you change your mind.

Regarding the eaves, remember you will want to be closing off the upwind side during your nastier winter weather. You do not need to be freeze-drying the chickens in an indoor wind

And you can regulate how open the other vents are, with flaps or rags shoved in there or whatever works for ya.

So, to a large extent you can sort of "learn as you go", put a max-min thermometer out there and keep a sharp eye on the chickens and just figure out what you need to do with your coop to make it run optimally. It's going to be different for every coop.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat​

 

[nhorrin]

Thanks elmo for the information and links to the 2 articles. These really helped me make some decisions.

Pat:

Thanks for the advice! I can see you really have given this subject some thought. Great articles by the way! The coop will have a wood floor and 2 windows one facing South and the other facing East. When the sun is out , which is not to often in the winter, the windows will collect some rays. When I had bantams years ago in southern New Hampshire I did have some frostbite problems. Probably not enough ventilation. Living in the mountains of northern New Hampshire now where we average only 70 days of sunlight out of 365 a year I do have concerns about the cold. I am going to frame adequately for insulation, but try going without this fall and see what happens. As you said; worse case would be to add insulation, if needed, on a very cold day. That would be my proplem not the birds.

Thanks again elmo and Pat!!