We were planning to insulate the whole thing, but it got too putzy. The only insulation is the larger back wall. (2 inch foam). When it began to get chilly, we slid a piece of insulation foam over the top (under the plastic roofing). If you are familiar with the Garden Coop, the top of the hen house and run are open, covered only in hardware cloth. The plastic roof keeps the rain and snow out.
The roof foam can be pulled out several inches or feet to allow for better ventilation. I have ours pulled out so that the hen house has about a foot of open ceiling. We raised the other side up with rocks underneath (about 3-4 inches).
I have a simple heat lamp on the raised side. Upper corner, over the egg boxes. We only turn it on if it gets below 6 F. Last time we checked, it was -12 F outside, and 15 F in the heated hen house. That being said, our hens prefer to sleep outside! When it gets into the negatives overnight, I catch them and lock them up In the heated coop with the door cracked open a bit. We had a friend who lost two chickens to the cold. They didn't make it into the coop and had no roost to keep their legs and feet warm.
Wow! That was probably waaaay more information than you needed!!
The roof foam can be pulled out several inches or feet to allow for better ventilation. I have ours pulled out so that the hen house has about a foot of open ceiling. We raised the other side up with rocks underneath (about 3-4 inches).
I have a simple heat lamp on the raised side. Upper corner, over the egg boxes. We only turn it on if it gets below 6 F. Last time we checked, it was -12 F outside, and 15 F in the heated hen house. That being said, our hens prefer to sleep outside! When it gets into the negatives overnight, I catch them and lock them up In the heated coop with the door cracked open a bit. We had a friend who lost two chickens to the cold. They didn't make it into the coop and had no roost to keep their legs and feet warm.
Wow! That was probably waaaay more information than you needed!!
