Race against time: Building an insulated coop before the arctic air arrives.

[Rangergord]

Ok finally had to download an app to resize a photo should be standard equipment on an iPad I would think but nooo...

 

[Rangergord]

Still no pictures.
The climate in your area during winter is similar to mine. You don't need insulation.
You need a very well ventilated, DRY coop with draft protected roost space. You will need a heated "closed" water source like a bucket with horizontal poultry nipples and a thermostatically controlled heater inside.
Chickens are well equipped to keep themselves warm.
This is part of my flock hanging out in the coop on a morning following a night that dipped down to -23F. They were fine.
View attachment 2863198

I beg your pardon but you could not be more wrong. NY is like southern Ontario, a million miles away in Z5 and 6. You have a humid climate. Open air coops are possible. If I were to build an uninsulated coop frost and ice would coat the walls inside. It’s not that we have not tried to do it that way before. Insulation is simply not optional here.

 

[DobieLover]

I beg your pardon but you could not be more wrong. NY is like southern Ontario, a million miles away in Z5 and 6. You have a humid climate. Open air coops are possible. If I were to build an uninsulated coop frost and ice would coat the walls inside. It’s not that we have not tried to do it that way before. Insulation is simply not optional here.

A million miles? That seems far.
I'm in zone 5. I do not live in a humid climate. Especially during winter. Open air coops would be highly impractical here.

Regardless, there are chicken keepers in Alaska that keep birds in uninsulated coops. Frost and ice coat the walls because moisture was present to condense on the cold surfaces.

 

[Rangergord]

It may as well be a million miles because that’s how out of touch your opinion is. We don’t insulate coops here because we have lots of spare time and money. We do it because no matter how much we want to keep our chickens through the winter in an uninsulated coop, it simply is too unpleasant an environment. In Northern Canada we are far colder for longer than the part of coastal Alaska where most people live. The Peace River region is one of the most northerly agricultural regions and is the largest. We produce a lot of grain. So it’s good for poultry if you have an insulated coop which most people do. Anyway I am done with one size fits all opinions.

 

[Rangergord]

Here is the 4 x8 tractor where my three small hens live. They have already gone to bed as the sun is going down. Maybe they will stay here another 2 to 4 weeks while I finish the walls and put in doors and a window. Yes that white stuff is snow. Had 8 inches of wet stuff last week. When it gets cold it will all be powder dry snow. All the moisture will fall out of the sky and the air will be dry. I use a hygrometer to monitor humidity because my subjective opinion is not a good judge of the environment I am immersed in. I use a thermometer for the same reason. My sense of warm or cold is not reliable enough.

 

[Rangergord]

As far as insulation goes it will start with the floor. Going to use deep litter and see how well it works. As long as it does not absorb too much moisture it should work. I am building the coop so a plywood floor can be added or replaced if needed.
Next the strawloft will be under the metal roof, on top of the ceiling/upper floor. There will be a vapour barrier in the ceiling so moisture does not migrate into the straw from inside the coop. A full length ceiling vent will move moist air out through the soffit behind the straw. The vent will be adjustable and there will be door and window venting as well.

The walls are 4 inches so not as much insulation as a heated home but I am not heating the coop. The insulation is to keep the inside wall surface warmer than the outside wall surface and to keep the warmer, moister air from touching the icy outer walls and freezing before it can escape through the vent.

That’s how it’s supposed to work but I will monitor the relative humidity wth a hygrometer and make adjustments when needed.

 

[saysfaa]

Interesting. Please give updates periodically.

 

[Rangergord]

Still working on the woodshed Coop every weekend. Got the window and one of the walls framed last week. Then it snowed again and was too cold, wet and miserable to do much for several days. Finally the north winds stopped and SW winds brought in warmer air.

This weekend my wife and I framed the other three walls. Next the ceiling/ floor of the strawloft will be put down. It sure takes longer than you think it will. Once the outside walls are covered and the door installed it will finally be insulation time. Meanwhile the hens are still doing as well as can be expected in the tractor. Will they ever be able to move into the winter coop? Or will they die from exposure or be eaten by foxes or the sled dog team at one of the neighbors places? Stay tuned and find out!

 

[Rangergord]

Rough opening for door, and wall framing. The bottom half of each wall is to be covered by plywood and the upper half with recycled cedar siding and paneling.

 

[Rangergord]

Front wall covering. Plywood and coop wrap just the thing for excluding water and wind from your northern insulated coop! It breathes and will allow moisture to escape from the insulated cavity if it moves through the interior wall vapour barrrier. Used red Tuck Tape to seal corners and cover staple holes. Should buy me enough time to put the cedar siding on when weather allows.