Should I insulate the walls of my coop/minibarn?

[RichM]

I find thomasboyles data to be pretty convincing. Clearly, it is not necessary to insulate a chicken coop in the continental US, but if you were a chicken, would you like your coop to be a few degrees warmer in winter? I'm pretty sure I would like that. Ventilation is a big factor in energy transfer, but maybe not as much as common sense would predict. Ventilation plus thin walls appears quite different than ventilation plus insulated walls according to the data.

I think the only issue is with mice and rats. If you can avoid those, then it can work. As for mites, wood is full of little mite sized holes. Anywhere there's a knot is going to have cracks you can't reach. Plywood especially has little tunnels running throughout. One panel of plywood could probably harbor a billion of them, and I can't imagine how you could treat that.

 

[JackE]

I find thomasboyles data to be pretty convincing. Clearly, it is not necessary to insulate a chicken coop in the continental US, but if you were a chicken, would you like your coop to be a few degrees warmer in winter? I'm pretty sure I would like that. Ventilation is a big factor in energy transfer, but maybe not as much as common sense would predict. Ventilation plus thin walls appears quite different than ventilation plus insulated walls according to the data.

I think the only issue is with mice and rats. If you can avoid those, then it can work. As for mites, wood is full of little mite sized holes. Anywhere there's a knot is going to have cracks you can't reach. Plywood especially has little tunnels running throughout. One panel of plywood could probably harbor a billion of them, and I can't imagine how you could treat that.

Really? I have the same thing (Warmer inside the coop, than outside) with thin walls, no insulation, and wide open front wall, covered only with hardware cloth. How can that be?

 

[Birdinhand]

Really? I have the same thing (Warmer inside the coop, than outside) with thin walls, no insulation, and wide open front wall, covered only with hardware cloth. How can that be?

to be scientific about this, we'd have to track caloric intake, egg production, compare apples to apples/same breeds, same temps, probably same back yard and identical design and positioning to wind and sun, but that would really take a lot of work so I think this is the kind of thing where if you don't see the point, then don't do it. if you do, then great... to each their own.

 

[JackE]

to be scientific about this, we'd have to track caloric intake, egg production, compare apples to apples/same breeds, same temps, probably same back yard and identical design and positioning to wind and sun, but that would really take a lot of work so I think this is the kind of thing where if you don't see the point, then don't do it. if you do, then great... to each their own.

If we are talking about insulation, in a chicken coop, then no, we don't have to do all that. All you need is two thermometers, One hanging outside your house, and one in the coop. Quick and easy, to note the differences. But, in the end, it doesn't matter at all. The bottom line will still be, insulation, in a coop, is a waste of time, money, and effort. It has the potential to cause far more problems, than any imagined benefit. People should be concerned more, with insuring proper winter ventilation. Without it, your birds will have problems. And that, is not debatable.

 

[RichM]

If we are talking about insulation, in a chicken coop, then no, we don't have to do all that. All you need is two thermometers, One hanging outside your house, and one in the coop. Quick and easy, to note the differences. But, in the end, it doesn't matter at all. The bottom line will still be, insulation, in a coop, is a waste of time, money, and effort. It has the potential to cause far more problems, than any imagined benefit. People should be concerned more, with insuring proper winter ventilation. Without it, your birds will have problems. And that, is not debatable.

Perhaps you didn't notice the earlier post with the graphs, but it looks like a decently put together experiment. You have the outside temps graphed over time, compared with the insulated coop and the uninsulated but still covered run. Temperature wise there is a clear benefit.

Being chewed on by mice while you sleep is pretty horrendous, but If you have a small operation with just a few chickens, it's probably pretty easy to detect and prevent any rodent intrusions.

I suppose it is debatable whether the comfort of chickens has any value. The ancient Spartans would probably say it just makes your chickens weak. I dunno.

 

[JackE]

Perhaps you didn't notice the earlier post with the graphs, but it looks like a decently put together experiment. You have the outside temps graphed over time, compared with the insulated coop and the uninsulated but still covered run. Temperature wise there is a clear benefit.

Being chewed on by mice while you sleep is pretty horrendous, but If you have a small operation with just a few chickens, it's probably pretty easy to detect and prevent any rodent intrusions.

I suppose it is debatable whether the comfort of chickens has any value. The ancient Spartans would probably say it just makes your chickens weak. I dunno.

Perhaps, you did not read my earlier post. I have the SAME results (With the same outside winter temps), in my un-insulated, OPEN-AIR coop. The temps in my coop, in the winter, are 10-15 degrees HIGHER, than the outside temps. I just don't have a bunch of fancy printed out graphs to display here.

 

[Birdinhand]

Perhaps, you did not read my earlier post. I have the SAME results (With the same outside winter temps), in my un-insulated, OPEN-AIR coop. The temps in my coop, in the winter, are 10-15 degrees HIGHER, than the outside temps. I just don't have a bunch of fancy printed out graphs to display here.

I don't see how you know if you have the same results. are your chickens producing as many eggs on the same amount of feed. no need for fancy printed out graphs if you have the stats to support your argument, so far what i'm hearing is that you have come to your own conclusion, which is perfect fine in my book. do what works for you.

 

[JackE]

I don't see how you know if you have the same results. are your chickens producing as many eggs on the same amount of feed. no need for fancy printed out graphs if you have the stats to support your argument, so far what i'm hearing is that you have come to your own conclusion, which is perfect fine in my book. do what works for you.

We are talking about the temps, inside a coop WITH insulation, and another coop WITHOUT insulation. Thomasboyle's post, showed some graphs, and he talked about his coop being warmer inside, than the outside temp. He believe's that is because his coop is insulated. I posted, that my coop (Uninsulated and open-air) had the same thing going on, with the same winter temps. No where, does he talk of eggs produced, or feed consumed. That's not even in the conversation. We are talking about the supposed benefits, of insulation in a coop. Of which, there is none.

 

[Birdinhand]

We are talking about the temps, inside a coop WITH insulation, and another coop WITHOUT insulation. Thomasboyle's post, showed some graphs, and he talked about his coop being warmer inside, than the outside temp. He believe's that is because his coop is insulated. I posted, that my coop (Uninsulated and open-air) had the same thing going on, with the same winter temps. No where, does he talk of eggs produced, or feed consumed. That's not even in the conversation. We are talking about the supposed benefits, of insulation in a coop. Of which, there is none.

the benefited claims tend to be better egg production, less feed, better health. if you don't track inputs and outputs then there is no way to conclude one way or the other about what venefits there may be. some of us feel that it helps others don't and pretty much none of us have enough information for conclusion at this point.

 

[JackE]

the benefited claims tend to be better egg production, less feed, better health. if you don't track inputs and outputs then there is no way to conclude one way or the other about what venefits there may be. some of us feel that it helps others don't and pretty much none of us have enough information for conclusion at this point.

If I have the same temps, in my uninsulated coop, as somebody else, with an insulated coop, what differences do you expect to see? We have the SAME temperatures in the coops, with the same outside temps. But for some reason, if one coop has insulation, they are going to have better productivity out of their chickens? That doesn't make any sense at all.