Should I insulate?

[trashcan79]

Thanks all, this is very helpful!

So, I'm thinking I'll leave the venting (2 16" x 8" vents on the gables), plus a ridge vent the length of the roof line (8'). Then 2 3x2 and 1 2x2 screened windows. I can always drill/cut more venting if it's needed.

I like the idea of tacking some OSB sheets to the interior. I would think that this would mitigate potential drafts by adding a layer of material between the interior and the outside world.

 

[CindyinSD]

Thanks all, this is very helpful!

So, I'm thinking I'll leave the venting (2 16" x 8" vents on the gables), plus a ridge vent the length of the roof line (8'). Then 2 3x2 and 1 2x2 screened windows. I can always drill/cut more venting if it's needed.

I like the idea of tacking some OSB sheets to the interior. I would think that this would mitigate potential drafts by adding a layer of material between the interior and the outside world.

I wouldn’t do the extra layer of OSB if it leaves a gap between layers. It’s obviously up to you, but that just makes a hiding place for rodents imo. What’s your shed made of? Is it a kit? Pre-fab? Stick-built? If you have a choice, wood is better.

TBH I wouldn’t be much worried about mine if they were to sleep in the barn (which has a 10’ open bay to the south) all winter. I’d build them some roosts in there in case they wanted to, but the cows would probably manage to destroy the roosts, scratching on them. Chickens are TOUGH. (once they’re feathered out well)

 

[trashcan79]

What’s your shed made of? Is it a kit? Pre-fab? Stick-built? If you have a choice, wood is better.

It's a re-purposed Tuff Shed, so wood construction.

TBH I wouldn’t be much worried about mine if they were to sleep in the barn (which has a 10’ open bay to the south) all winter. I’d build them some roosts in there in case they wanted to, but the cows would probably manage to destroy the roosts, scratching on them. Chickens are TOUGH. (once they’re feathered out well)

I know (or I should know )! I just don't want to rework! It'll be so much easier to do any of this work before they're in there!

Thanks for your input!!

 

[aart]

I wouldn’t do the extra layer of OSB if it leaves a gap between layers. It’s obviously up to you, but that just makes a hiding place for rodents imo.

...and other pests.

 

[rosemarythyme]

So, I'm thinking I'll leave the venting (2 16" x 8" vents on the gables), plus a ridge vent the length of the roof line (8'). Then 2 3x2 and 1 2x2 screened windows. I can always drill/cut more venting if it's needed.

I'd proactively add more high, protected vents if there's room for it (i.e. in soffits, under the eaves) - reason being that ridge vents are essentially nullified during periods of snow.

 

[annaBsChick]

Yes, you should 100%. Not only will it help your coop stay warmer in the winter but it will also keep them cooler in the summer. Here is some tips on what to use -

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[21hens-incharge]

I see Soooooo much in that picture my birds would peck at, pull at and destroy.


It is amazing but in about 20 years keeping chickens in unheated, uninsulated coops and barns I have only ever had one mild case of frostbite on one Leghorn and no deaths from cold. The frostbitten bird happened when we had negative 16°F low temps and highs hitting barely 0° for a full week.

Proper ventilation has warm moist air rising to exit the coop via the vents. That means heated air also leaves. Insulation in a coop with good ventilation is like trying to hold heat in a room with a window open. It just won't work.

 

[CindyinSD]

I have only ever had one mild case of frostbite on one Leghorn and no deaths from cold. The frostbitten bird happened when we had negative 16°F low temps and highs hitting barely 0° for a full week.

Yup... that was last winter around here. It was awful.

 

[Birdinhand]

I got excited when I built my coop and I framed it out, then enveloped the whole thing in hardware cloth, adding roofing and siding and on the inside, of the inner coop, where they roost at night, I did insulate. Im pretty convinced it was unnecessary. seeing what some of these hens deal with when they molt right when the whether turns cold, I've read up on the fact that they can dramatically regulate their metabolism to accommodate for temperature swings as long as they don't get a draft. keeping the air circulating enough to avoid ammonia build up while not so much as to create a draft, now that's the real thing worth focus. adding light to extend their day to 12+ hours has made a world of difference for them, not just in egg production, but in general activity level. up north here, around winter solstice it's o-dark thirty much of the time. with no light they roost till 10AM and then get back on the roost at like 3:45pm and that really does not go well, they eventually get what appears to be a type of seasonal effective disorder, super lethargic and generally not so healthy. Like others have said, I'd put the money into hardware cloth to keep the vermin and focus on ventilation and lighting.

 

[aart]

Here is some tips on what to use

My birds would tear that bubble wrap UP!
Insulation and heating is a popular human response to the 'cold'....
....rarely best for what chickens actually need.
Curious if you ever seek advice or learn from other places than poultry dvm...do you work for them?