Is insulating a must?

[my first peepers]

Hi all! I live in VT and am already planning for winter in the coop. This is my first flock...
My coop is 4x4 and about 6'4" sloping to 5' 6" tall. It has nice big windows on north and south sides, a human door and a chicken door that goes out to the run. I have 4 birds. The floor is already insulated and I plan to use the Deep Litter Method. I will put plastic over the windows once the cold weather starts and plan to insulate the ceiling to cut down on condensation. I will also weather strip around the door. What do others in cold climates do for warmth? Is insulating the walls necessary? I hope to only use the heat lamp on the super cold nights. Any input is appreciated!

 

[tygab]

I think it depends - many people on this board in colder weather areas seem to insulate. But the few coops I've inspected in real life (neighbors, others) from my area up to near the Canadian border aren't, and the birds (standard layers) seem ok. One of our neighbors does run a heat lamp in really cold times, but that his birds just all nestle together and it stays warmer than he'd think in there.

It may depend on your siting and materials - does the coop get a lot of direct wind? Is it hot in summer? Are the walls thick? etc.
Also, what breeds of chickens? Are they known to be cold hardy?

I think we are going to do a partial insulation around the roosting area, and we'll monitor how it goes in the winter.

 

[my first peepers]

Thank you.
I have 4 EEs. I placed the coop in a spot where it is sheltered but will get the first morning sun and also late afternoon sun. The walls are shiplap pine boards. Also it is raised up on cinder (sp?)blocks. I also think I will put hay bales around the run to prevent snow drifting...

 

[Chicken_Lover4567]

I live in Texas, and we insulated our coop not because of super cold weather, but super HOT weather. If we had chickens in there, we would have a problem with where to put all the fried chicken!

It has a tin roof, so my dad thought insulation was a MUST.

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

Insulation is always nice...it's easier to do it now rather then later. AND it keeps the hen house nice and cool in the summer and warm in the winter. I would recommend doing it

Were happy we did...it's at least 15 degrees cooler in there compared to the outdoor temps in the summer. We did the walls ceiling and floor.

 

[ravenfeathers]

i'm also in VT and i think insulation is maybe not a must must, but highly recommended. i decided that it was a must for my coop, personally. better from my POV to insulate now and not have to do it later. the coop will be warm in winter, cool in summer and hopefully i'll never have to resort to other measures to either heat or cool the space.