New to chickens

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davecross336

davecross336

In the Brooder
Jun 17, 2016
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My wife and I recently picked up a second hand coop for a couple that no longer hand chickens and wants to see their coop get put to good use. We had to break down the coop for transport and have yet to being the reassembling process. The area we've designated for the coop is 18' X 24' and the coop will be taking us a 6' X 12' area. I know we'll be fencing in the unused area. My biggest concern is should i insulate the walls and ceiling as I live in northern Vermont and our winters do have times where the temps can plummet to -20 to -30.
 
Welcome to BYC
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Depending on what breeds you choose to keep, insulation may not be necessary. Meaning most breeds are hardy enough to handle quite low temperatures. What is very, very, very important in the coop is adequate ventilation. There is a great article on that here:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/...-go-out-there-and-cut-more-holes-in-your-coop

And here is an article on general winter chicken keeping with some more links:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/winter-chicken-keeping

Enjoy your new hobby and the flock and keep us posted!
 
Hello there and welcome to BYC!
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So glad you could join our community! Definitely follow the links that Sumi provided. Ventilation is SO important to chicken health in the winter. There are members up in Alaska that don't even insulate their coops. So be careful, you don't want to close them up completely, you need air moving to prevent frost bite from all the moisture and to keep their lungs healthy from all the poop smells.

Stop by your state thread too for more help from your chicken neighbors in Vermont....https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/39326/vermont

Enjoy all your poultry adventures! Make yourself at home here too.

And welcome to our flock!
 
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davecross336 I am so happy you joined our roost here at BYC! As for insulation as sumi said most chickens do not need insulation. This problem runs with chicken owners when they put a heating lamp in which does not hugely benefit the chickens and is a extreme fire hazard. Insulation is just a luxury that does not benefit the chickens as much as most think. If you wanted to make sure they were warm you may want to put extra bedding or maybe put a couple ratty blankets and make sure your coop has a sturdy and strong rood to permit certain snow and high winds entering the chickens sleeping area. That link sumi left will help you with coop construction and the insuation issue and TwoCrows kindly left you a state thread where people from your state can meet up. It was nice meeting you and I welcome you to our roost!
Justin
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Nice to meet you Dave, welcome to Backyard chickens. You have received some great advice and links. Some smaller tips are to use 2 x 4 for roosting bars - put the wide side up. Chickens like to lay their head down on their feet to keep them warm. Also you can tack towels around the roost to keep it a bit warmer.
 

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