Natural Coop Insulation

[Mandee]

Hello Everyone!

Does anyone know of a cheap/natural insulation to use in chicken coops. I really don’t want to use regular fiberglass insulation or styrofoam, since they are toxic and non-biodegradable. Did anyone make their own using materials around the home?

Thanks!

 

[conny63malies]

corc, what about corc ? Does it have any toxins? It should be degradable.

 

[patandchickens]

I'm not sure what you mean by "toxic" -- chickens are not going to be eating properly-covered insulation, and if you have a fire producing toxic fumes than the *fumes* are not what's going to kill your chickens, the *fire* is.

If you want to avoid contributing to the use of petrochemicals for synthetic insulation, IMHO the best solution is to use secondhand scavenged material. Either leftover/used fiberglass batts, or styrofoam sheets bummed from stores who recieved them as packing for merchandise and would otherwise send them to the landfill.

The difficulty with using "natural" (organic-material) insulation is that it settles and molds. There are various things you can use, but none will work near as well as some scavenged styrofoam sheets or etc. Probably your best bet is to use relatively coarse sawdust or fine shavings, from softwoods (slightly less prone to mold, b/c of resins), and make EXTREMELY DARN SURE that your carpentry, siding, and ventilation are impeccable so as to minimize moisture getting inside the walls.

Really, rescue some styrofoam sheets from the landfill, it'll work better

Good luck,

Pat