To Insulate, or Not insulate...that is the question.

[Rich Marshall]

In lower New York here (Westchester) smallish coop for e hens, coop size 4'x5'x6'high, I will have a heat lamp that will be on a thermostate, no at 35 of at 45 do I need to insulate the walls, roof and floor?

 

[duckinnut]

Its all a matter of choice. I insulated my 8X8X6 coop wall and ceiling for two reasons,cold and heat. insulation in the bays of the ceiling really shields out the summer heat as well as the walls. Also keeps out the cold and muffles the early morning crowing by the rooster.

 

[carolsparkle]

how well does the insulation muffle the crowing ?? Our neighbors live really close. Thanks

 

[karlamaria]

of course you want to insulate. why add heat if your not going to make it so it stays in there better? and if its totally insulated real well you do not need the heat ! insulation keeps a lot of the heat out in summer months,, and the cold out in winter ! why waste money on heating it when you can save money by insulating it real well.

 

[redhen689]

It's up to you. My chickens are not in an insulated coop and have done well.

One con:
If you insulate, you'll need to cover the insulation, because the chickens will eat many types of insulation.

One pro:
One advantage of insulation, is you won't have as much trouble with their water freezing up, although, to be honest, this winter, that has not been much of a problem.

 

[ScottM]

It's personal choice, I wouldn't apply any heat until well below zero. Also depends on breed,

 

[JackE]

Unless you have some kind of exotic breed of chicken, You do not need ANY kind of added heat. Chickens are well adapted to handle cold weather. All you are doing by adding a heatlamp, is needlessly running up your electric bill, putting the birds at risk of dying in a fire, (Been more than a couple of posts here about that). Also, by adding heat, The chickens can't acclimate to the cold weather and if power is lost during a cold snap, you could end up with frozen chicken. You don't need any insulation either. Not for the cold anyway, I can see where roof insulation would help with the summer heat. (Although I don't have that either). My chickens have survived pretty well without either, and the front of my coop is wide open year round. Just put the heatlamp back in the brooder, where it's needed.
Jack

 

[AtholCoop]

My .02. I don't heat either of my coops any more. The only thing you really need to heat is the water, which can be done for considerably less cost than heating a coop to just above freezing. As for insulation, my experience with outbuildings and insulation is that you will eventually have a rodent problem if you use fiberglass, even foam can lead to mice moving in.

 

[Markallen]

I insulated mine and am glad I did. It keeps my coop about 15 degrees warmer in the winter and about the same amount cooler in the summer. In a small coop your chickens will provide enough body heat to keep them comfortable. I also keep their water in the coop, even when its well below freezing it has never frozen inside.