Insulation

[chfite]

I am not one to think about heating or insulating a coop. Of course, the temperature never goes below 0 F ( -17 C) here. If the coop is not drafty, their feathers will keep them warm.

Even on the coldest day, the first thing the chickens do is come outside to forage. The heat of summer is what concerns me in the care of my chickens.

Chris

 

[4 the Birds]

ok, could you suggest some ways of making the house warmer without using a heat lamp as that is completely out of the question

Straw has great insulating properties and is great in the coop during the Winter. Having windows in the coop also helps with passive solar heating. There are ways to make homemade thermal solar heaters out of cans using sand but you need to live in a region that gets sunny days here and there during the Winter weather pattens. Do a Google search if you want to give the solar heating a try. Ideally electric to the coop is the way to go. This way you can have power for heated water dispensers as well as a brooder lamp or two. We also power horse buckets to make sure the livestock has water at all times during the Winter months. Hope this helps!

By the way.... If you do insulate the walls then rigid insulation is the way to go. Easy to cut, size, and tons of air pockets for great insulation. I fully insulate our dog housing but not the coop or goat shed.

 

[Arielle]

Some birdsd are more sensitive to the cold-- the way I delt with this was to select birds that could handle the cold.

I"m concerned that you are trading in one problem for another. For the air in the insulated space to become warm, it implies that the heated air fromt he chickens body is staying inside the coop. HEre is where you walk a fine line. THere needs to be enough air circualtion and venting to prevent the moisture accumulation and the ammonia accumulation as this is what is bad for their health.

IF you are short on cash and willing to do a short term fix. consider the crumpled paper or shredded paper. THe purpose is to hold air and prevent air flow = hold warmed air in place. YOu need to seal up all faces of the wall for this to be effective. THen work on controlled air flow for ventilation.

I do know of someone that brings in 1-2 birds anight and puts it in a box for the night and returns it outside in the morning. I'm not sure what " inside" means exactly. MOving a bird or any animal from out living conditions to the outside winter conditions is NOT healthy-- they don't have a coat to put on and take off as we do. THey keep their coat on. Perha[s a garage, or cool basement IF that is well ventialted and not moist and moldy.

Also consider how wide the roost boards are-- I use wide boards so the feet are flat and not curled around a pole. Allows the birds to sit over their entire foot including the the ends of the toes.

Feed extra food all day long. THe days are shorter and have less time to get food and then need to have a FULL crop going to bed at night to digest and use as heat -- birds always seem to have room for corn which is very high energy and some fat ( 8%)

GOod luck-- hope you find a answer you are comfortable with.

 

[Arielle]

I had another thought-- look at the woods style coop. It is an old design , about 1908 before electricity. Look at the design and see how you can use the ideas in your own structure. THere are several design types that are similar. THe most important aspect is keeping the birds out of the weather, and no wind or rain on them.

THis might help you for your next design-- I have built mine out of scraps and a few purchased pcs of wood and roofing.

 

[megamama]

I don't have electricity to my coop, and am thinking of getting one of those microwaveable discs (the kind that are wrapped in fleece for cats), heating it on very cold nights and putting it in a cookie tin in the coop. The disc isn't cheap, but it stays warm for hours and would last for years. Has anyone done something like that?

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

I don't have electricity to my coop, and am thinking of getting one of those microwaveable discs (the kind that are wrapped in fleece for cats), heating it on very cold nights and putting it in a cookie tin in the coop. The disc isn't cheap, but it stays warm for hours and would last for years. Has anyone done something like that?

They really won't put out enough heat to make a real difference, nor to be cost efficient

Unless they are quite massive, the "stays warm for hours" is sales hype rather than reality, since it would defy the laws of physics

 

[Six Chickies]

Would siding insulation work? Like if you cut the appropriate size of it and nailed it to the inside of the wall and installed a sheet of plywood over it so the chickens don't peck at it?