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

[Simplistic Dreams]

Like the subject says.
My Dad and I are building a coop fit for anywhere between 6 to 10 birds. Its cozy in a way that they should be able to warm it themselves, but has enough room that they should be able to ove a bit.
However, watching the snow build up this winter (We've gotten maybe a foot and a half in the last 3 hours), I'm starting to doubt the heat holding qualities of my coop. The coop is made of recycled wood that we've gotten for free from various locations.

 

[annie3001]

if you can......insulate!

 

[Keene's coop]

i asked the same and was told yes if you do not plan on using a heat light. my granparents live up by lake superior (wisconsin) and their coop is not insulated, but they have a red (bulb) heat lamp that's on 24/7. so for me, i'm going to insulate my coop instead of using light. i also was told here that insulation helps keep the coop cooler in the hot summer, which i didn't know that.

 

[Galaxiedriver]

My ceiling is insulated but the walls are not. I use a 250 watt heat lamp aimed at the water canister. When temp is below 15 F outside the water freezes but I am up early enough so that I take care of the water. I will insulate the walls soon. But, you still must have ventilation so temp control is still an issue. Our coop is 12 x 8 with 20 hens and 2 roosters. No frostbite problems this winter.

 

[gsim]

Quote:

Generally speaking, insulation is not a real necessity in the lower 48 states it seems from what I have read on here. Ventilation is of supreme importance, and having no drafts at floor or roost level is another cold weather must if possible. Dry air is far, far more important than warm air. Damp cold air leads to frostbite and freezing toes, etc. Use 2x4 roost laid flat for roost pole to keep chooks from freezing toes if concerned. I use 2x2 in Tennessee and have had temps down to 8 above this year with no troubles. You should choose cold-hardy breeds and that will help a lot. No windows on N side will help too. If doing a nest box bumpout and it is in N side, It could be insulated somewhat. Insulation must be covered over as chooks will peck and eat it.

I am in Tennessee and have an 8 x 16 coop with two gable vents, two continuous soffit vents full length, front and back walls, and a turbine vent in top center of roof. They total 6 sq ft permanent , 24-7. ventilation and all are above the 8 ft height. That is 1 sq ft ventilation for each 4 chooks. Since roosts are at 4 ft ht, my chooks never are exposed to a draft and yet the fumes, ammonia and methane gas are all exhausted out the vents round-the-clock. That and a properly built and installed poop board scraped daily

are all that is needed to keep the air clean and DRY in my coop. The poop boards will help the litter last a lot longer too between changing/cleaning. My windows are opened in wintertime only in the AM during chores. In summertime, they are open 24-7 and aid the vents in cooling the coop.

Feel free to PM me or email me about stuff like this anytime.

Gerry

 

[Simplistic Dreams]

We have good ventilation, we have small screens at the top of the coop made from some industrial strength steel wire mesh that I got at a garage sale for $5. No stupid raccoon's gunna get in my coop.

 

[Manok-Tao]

I'm in NC and insulated my ceiling as it eliminates condensation in the winter, Insulated the back (north) wall and a third of the end walls (west/east), my roosts are running east to west along the length of the north wall. my coop is also raised 2' off the ground and will be insulating it shortly then sheathing it with plywood to keep the vermin out.

 

[teach1rusl]

If you can, I would definitely opt to insulate. It's more expensive up front of course, but it's nice not worrying so much when the temperatures plummet and the snow builds up. Of course I still use a heat lamp...lol...because I don't want my coop below freezing. But thanks to windows taking advantage of what little solar rays filter through our ever grey cloudy skies, the coop tends to stay about 10 degrees (or more) warmer than the outside temp thanks to insulation...and it holds it through most of the night.

 

[B'villechicken]

Hi and welcome to BYC. Simple...insulate!! Warmer in winter & cooler in summer. The same reasons you would insulate your house. Good luck.

 

[Chieftain]

If you can do it while you are building, insulate the coop and protect the walls. It gives you the advantage of keeping more heat in the coop in the winter, which with proper ventilation will ensure you never have a miserable mess to clean up once the thaw hits, it will also help keep some heat from infiltrating the coop in the summer, as well as making the coop a lot quieter. We really are raising chooks in the back yard, and there were several good reasons to go with insulation on my coop. So far it is working out better than I hoped, and the real test here will come this summer when it starts getting up into the 90's again.

I used a solid 1 1/2" thick styrofoam insulation that is mold resistant and completely inedible to just about everything. It's easy to install and comparable in price to fiberglass batts.

More chickens die from too much heat, than from the cold. According to Storey's guide, an adult chicken generates about 130 BTUs of body heat an hour, so multiply that times the number in your flock, and you can see there is plenty of heat to keep in the coop already. If your insulation job seals up the drafts but maintains the proper ventilation, it will help your coop management significantly.

Another consideration is once you install your inside walls, say plywood, take the time to caulk the gaps with a paintable caulk, then prime and paint the inside. It doesn't add that much to your costs, and it will significantly reduce the number of places that roost mites can hide. A good paint job makes it easier to clean the place too. You can hose down painted walls if they need it...

Cheers, and press on!