New and Needs Help

[Chickenfiend]

I Live in Ohio and are winters aren't to cold. We do have alot of wind chill though. Anyway i was wondering if anyone has any ideas for my coop and should i use insulation? I will be getting the chicks September 2nd and they will be Australorps which are winter hardy.

Thanks,
Sean

 

[patandchickens]

Insulation is never an actively bad idea (assuming a properly built coop in the first place, i.e. enough ventilation) - so it is not like you could go *wrong* insulating. Do you *need* to? Probably not, depending on the number of chickens and size of coop. But if you have the extra time and materials it can make life more pleasant (allows you to keep more ventilation open in winter, which is a Very Good Thing for air quality and chicken health)

If you are in a windy location, make sure you have vents high up on all 4 sides of the coop so you can close off whichever one(s) happen to be upwind in a storm, and/or make them 'hooded' by the roof eaves or separately constructed hoods.

Have fun,

Pat

 

[AngelzFyre]

My coop isn't insulated, our winters aren't so bad here either but I do have plastic that I staple to 3 sides of the coop that are open in the winter when it starts staying cold. The top vent windows are covered with hardware cloth and they stay open, as does the one uncovered side toward the barn and they all stayed very comfy. Water only froze on top a few times and was easily remedied. My new coop is a bit more in the open and I will cover the 3 sides like the other and put a roll up tarp on the 4th side for when it gets too drafty, just in case. I've mounted a spare shower rod on that side and I'm going to try to put the tarp up like a curtain to open in the sunshine and close at night when it's windy/cold.

Good luck with your new chicks when they get here, and......

 

[Chickenfiend]

Hey thanks for the advice and you made me feel welcome lol.

 

[skyfires]

Welcome To BYC!!!! Yes, if you have extra insulation, by all means use it!!! Better to be safe than sorry. But remember, chickens are tough. Just watch the cold drafts. Glad to have you aboard,,, we hope you enjoy!!! P.S. Please feel free to post your chicks when you get them!!! We love new babies on here,,,

 

[Chickenfiend]

I will