Keep insulation or no?

[Colberon]

I have purchased this small building to turn into a chicken coop for my seven hens. The building was originally an ice fishing shack and as you can see the inside is insulated, my question is; should I keep the insulation and cover so the chickens don’t peck at it or should I remove? We will be using LP smart solutions siding on the outside, it is currently a very thin partial board. We have had issues with mites and I worry about closing the insulation into the walls that I won’t be able to treat effectively. Please help me decide the best way to turn this building into a sweet/safe home for my girls.

 

[Colberon]

Thank you everyone for the responses, we have removed all the insulation from the walls and added LP Siding to the outside but did leave the insulation on the ceiling. We have came up with a plan for ventilation that I will take pictures of and share in the next couple of days.

 

[Happy hen lover]

Mine peck at it till it's gone especially cause ITS SHINY!@#$_&--_$@@@& Little turds! Cover it up or take it out. They've stayed warm without it.

 

[mowin]

I think the chickens will destroy that insulation. They love to peck and mine have removed all the insulation from my central AC lines.

 

[raingarden]

Nice find. But, yeah, they will ruin it. Insulation would probably be handy in Maine though. You already have the 2x2 framing to attach something to. I like the idea of landscape fabric. You could also cover the walls (or at least the lower four feet of the walls) with paneling. Cheap wall paneling is about $30 for a 4'x8' sheet.

 

[Colberon]

Below is pictures of our progress, the first picture is the front and a “barn” style door will be made, the second picture is the end that will go up against our run, this is where we are going to get our ventilation from. Our run is 5’x15’ and in the winter we use sheets of hard clear plastic to enclose the run and will leave approximately 18 inches at the top all the way around for air flow, but there will be no draft/wind blowing in because the hard plastic will block it at the bottom. The current opening won’t be as lard, we plan to as did a pice up higher and leave a 3’x3’ opening which is nine square feet, we have seven chickens. The last picture is where we took off the entire outside, including the insulation, right down to the studs and added LP building solutions siding. I have some tongue and groove I’m going yo use for the peaks on each ends and will stain that, the doors and trim all in an oak color. The third picture is showing the insulation gone from the walls (left on the ceiling) and the wall the roosting bar will be on. The fourth picture is the color I have purchased to paint the coop.

 

[Captain13]

mowin is correct. Chickens will destroy the insulation. They will actually eat if in some cases. A friend had an insulated outbuilding converted to a coop and the chickens were eating the insulation.

 

[Happy hen lover]

Below is pictures of our progress, the first picture is the front and a “barn” style door will be made, the second picture is the end that will go up against our run, this is where we are going to get our ventilation from. Our run is 5’x15’ and in the winter we use sheets of hard clear plastic to enclose the run and will leave approximately 18 inches at the top all the way around for air flow, but there will be no draft/wind blowing in because the hard plastic will block it at the bottom. The current opening won’t be as lard, we plan to as did a pice up higher and leave a 3’x3’ opening which is nine square feet, we have seven chickens. The last picture is where we took off the entire outside, including the insulation, right down to the studs and added LP building solutions siding. I have some tongue and groove I’m going yo use for the peaks on each ends and will stain that, the doors and trim all in an oak color. The third picture is showing the insulation gone from the walls (left on the ceiling) and the wall the roosting bar will be on. The fourth picture is the color I have purchased to paint the coop.

Great progress! It looks perfect and much safer than before. Better than any pre-fab I've seen. So will run be covered? I can't remember?

 

[Colberon]

Colberon, The Amish sell plastic? I would love to get some, as I would much rather buy from them than Amazon or the like.
I too plan to use clear plastic around the run.
I assume you have ducks in the coop with your chickens. Is that right?

They do here in Maine, it come in 4’x8’ sheets, this will be the third year with the same sheets, it’s pretty much indestructible!!

 

[Colberon]

They do here in Maine, it come in 4’x8’ sheets, this will be the third year with the same sheets, it’s pretty much indestructible!!

This is a picture with the hard sheets of plastic, with the new coop and leaving the large opening into the run we will put sheets of plastic to the ground and have ventilation up top, which will stops drafts and snow, or I hope so anyway! The coop on the left will be no longer and will be replaced with the new 6x8 coop, we’ll keep the one on right but no accessibility unless needed for a sick hen or if someone needs a time out!