To insulate or not to insulate, that is the question.

[ChickenChick22]

I don't know wether or not to insulate? I live in maine and it goes below zero. I know this maybe a obvious question, but I am new to chickens. The coop is only going to house 2-3 hens so it will be quite small. Another question what temperature should the coop stay in the winter? Please help
Thank You

 

[ams3651]

what breed of chicken are you getting? I have a larger coop and even when the temps inside were in the high teens - twentys they were ok. At those temps I used a heat lamp by their roost. In a small coop their body heat can keep them warm but you also have to have proper ventilation and no drafts, probably would be a good idea to put it in an area that is a little protected by maybe a building or something. There are lots of other northerners on here Im sure will chime in.

 

[ChickenChick22]

Thanks for the info

I am not quite sure of the breed yet. They will be standard size though. I may rescue some hens or older pullets. I like the Australorps or the rhode Island Reds or the New hampshire reds. I found all were pretty hardy breeds

 

[Dar]

IMO...insulate...you can always open a window to allow for ventilation, thats easier then trying (and failing I will add) to heat a coop

 

[patandchickens]

You may not *need* to insulate (although for some breeds, or if the coop is poorly managed e.g. insufficiently ventilated and too humid, you may indeed NEED it)...

...but it has no disadvantages (other than the initial input of material and work), and considerable advantages. It is easier and comfier on the chickens, makes your management considerably easier, and if you should ever decide you do want to run a heat lamp in there it will reduce your bills.

I would particularly be inclined to insulate a *small* coop, because in that situation it can be pretty difficult to ensure sufficient ventilation without having drafts on the chickens. (If you could possibly winter them inside a larger building, like a shed or other outbuilding or part of the garage, that would really work much better).

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[lurky]

Quote:
I agree

 

[Roger Harris]

yeah I would insulate your coop since your can handle ventilation much easier at a later date.

 

[SimplyForties]

If you do insulate, make sure the insulation is covered. The chickens will sure peck it! Insulation helps with the heat too, as long as you have ventilation.

 

[Davaroo]

Insulate. In your case insulate to R-17 or greater. Then ensure you have adequate ventilation.

"Huh? Insulate and then poke it full of holes??" you may ask.

Well, yes, in a fashion. The warmer it is inside, the more air will move from the outside in, due to this temperature gradient. Warm air rises and all of that... So place ventilation ports at top and bottom of the walls. Air warmed by the birds and any supplemental heat as you may add will then go out the top, with fresh air being drawn in behind it at the bottom. When we say ventilate, we dont mean drafts, we mean air transfer.

This is not so crucial in the warm season, although insulation will help keep the coop cooler, too.
Rather, when it gets cold out, we tend to shut things up tight. This is the worst thing that can be done in a chicken coop. Their droppings are mostly moisture, they respire heavily, we tend to tend to them less in winter and,... well, moisture and ammonia can get pretty bad in the winter.




So, yes, insulate. Then ventilate.

 

[CityChook]

I have 4 BOs. My coop was as cold as -5F last winter (it was -25F outside). I tried to keep it around 10F inside - it was a constant struggle. That said, I had zero problems with frostbite, so I must have done something right. I found that 10 seemed to be a comfortable temperature inside. Chickens are pretty tough if you give them the proper environment. I insulated the walls and ceiling and have 24/7 heat (ceramic heat emitter). When the coop temps dropped below 0 I added another heat lamp - only needed it for abut 2 weeks. I never even noticed a blip on my electricity bill.

Keeping the coop draft free is as important as the insulation, IMO. Before putting up the siding, we wrapped the framing with Tyvec paper (I got a remnant for free). Even when the coop was 0 inside, it didn't feel so bad as there was no moving air. Put ventilation up high so you don't have cold air blowing on your birds. I'd also put flaps on it so you can close it up in case of really cold temps or a bad storm. I also have 2 large windows, so sunlight helped to add a little heat and keep spirits up.

You will get 100 different answers regarding insulation. For me, I couldn't imagine it any other way. My chickens have a large coop, though, and it was very difficult to keep it warm with so few hens. I built it bigger so that they could stay inside when the temps were bad - turned out to be most of the winter.

Go to the blue bar above and do some searching. There is a ton of information on this forum on keeping chickens in cold climates. Good luck!