New England Coops, what is best R rating for insulation?

[thegoldengirls]

I'm in NY, and we've dropped to -20 deg since I've had my 9 girls. I don't have insulation in my coop. It is made of 1" rough cut lumber boards w/battens to cover the cracks. It also has vents in the soffits on both sides. It closes up snug, but not tight. You definitely don't want a coop so tight that the humidity doesn't escape. Dampness in a cold coop with cause frostbite and loss of toes and combs. Good ventillation is the key in both winter and summer.
I have a heat lamp that I can turn on if I feel they need it. My intention with the lamp is not to 'heat' the coop, but just to take the nip out of the air.
On the nights that I turn the lamp on, I have never found them 'huddled' under it. They just stay on their perches with their backs to it and look quite comfortable.
Oh, and the perches are also something else I considered when we were constructing the coop. Knowing we have cold winters, we made the perches from recycled 1" x 4" boards. This gives them lots of room to spread their toes and actually cover them completely with their bodies and keep them warm.

Keep in mind, I have RIR's and Golden Comets which are fairly hardy birds, so this works well for them.
I totally agree that smaller or less hardy birds may need more help during the cold months.

Hope I helped a little.

Good luck with your birds!

 

[CityChook]

I used R13 fiberglass in the walls and ceiling. No regrets. I'd purchase the highest R factor that you can. It's not any more expensive.

Remember that after you insulate, regardless of what you use, you'll have to seal in the walls (I used plywood) so the chickens don't peck/eat the insulation. They're dingie that way.

Make sure that you put in sufficient ventilation at the top of your coop, far away from where the chickens sleep so that cold air is not blowing on them in the wintertime. Really, proper ventilation is probably more important than the insulation. I know it will seem counterproductive to put holes in the coop when the goal is to keep it warm, but trust me, it DOES work. We've gone 2 years with -25F temps for extended periods and zero frostbite problems.

Patandchickens has a great page on ventilation. I highly recommend checking it out.