To insulate or not to insulate?

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

All I can say is my hens lay well all winter in their insulated coop. NON insulated not so well, but I AM in WI where in the dead of winter we have seen -35 or lower here on many days. Heck right now it's only 55

but seems my birds are loving it.

 

[JackE]

Quote:
It is H2O that condenses, and not CO2. You (Maryland) are also in a mild climate compared to northern Wisconsin and upper Michigan.

Houses like mine were used up through Maine and Canada years back, in climates like yours. I know that "mild climate" did not come to mind when I was digging out, on more than a couple of occasions, over 3 foot of snow from one storm or another that blasted through here. Yeah, you're right about the CO2, I should have said 'Chickens put out alot of CO2, plus humidity/moisture, which WILL freeze on your interior walls and ceilings if you don't have enough ventilation.'
Jack

 

[catsew]

Sorry to jump in here since we are debating the same issue. We don't necessarily care if ours lay during the winter, I was thinking it would be too much stress on them with trying to keep warm and also lay. Plus I think we need a light to make that happen since there's not enough daylight here in the winter.
So I am leaning towards not insulating, not laying, and a heat lamp during the worst times. Does that sound reasonable?

 

[TDM]

Quote:
Times have changed. The point of insulation is to minimize areas of rapid heat transfer. Furthermore, we now have electricity and can provide 16 hours per day of artificial daylight for laying hens. They also lay better in warmer conditions.

From http://www.vetsweb.com/poultry/husbandry/housing-management/ins-and-outs-of-poultry-house-insulation-31.html

There is no doubt that insulation is of utmost importance in maintaining a good climate in poultry houses. Regardless of whether it is summer or winter, insulation helps to reduce costs and improve bird performance. But what material, and how much of it, should be used?

Regardless of the type of poultry house, there must be some insulation. This is a requirement for open-sided houses as well as for those that are based on a controlled environment. Most of the insulation is attached to the roof as this is the area of greatest heat loss during cold weather and the area that is exposed to the sun’s rays during hot weather.

But one should remember that insulation of a poultry house should minimise the transfer of heat from inside to outside and from outside to inside, regardless of whether it is through the roof or the walls. Insulation will help you to keep the warmth inside in winter, saving on heating costs, and in summer it will keep the heat outside, reducing heat stress and ventilations costs.

 

[Titania]

We live in oklahoma and can get up to 112F in the summers. The coop we built is extremely well ventilated. We built cross drafts so we have openings opposite every opening (all covered in 1/2" hardware cloth of course). We also built a cupola to let warm air escape. But, honestly, I think insulating the coop helps with the heat as well. The coop is pretty much at always 92F despite external temps.

During the winters, we get back wind chill to below 0 temps. Obviously, the insulating helps with that. Since my chickens are used to being free-ranging, they go crazy when I shut them up in the coop during very cold days. I decided not to use heat lamps since I had read that it is healthier for the chickens to adjust to the temperatures as nature intended (we like you are not concerned with high laying output). Once when we were at -16F, I put the heat lamp in. Well, they knocked it loose while they were going crazy and it started a fire. I vowed to not use heat lamps ever again.

My advice is to build that coop well, insulate it, put in lots of ventilation, and check on your birds frequently. If it ever looks too cold, bring them into a storage shed or garage. Chances are, they will be fine in a well-built coop.

 

[JackE]

Quote:
Times have changed. The point of insulation is to minimize areas of rapid heat transfer. Furthermore, we now have electricity and can provide 16 hours per day of artificial daylight for laying hens. They also lay better in warmer conditions.

From http://www.vetsweb.com/poultry/husbandry/housing-management/ins-and-outs-of-poultry-house-insulation-31.html

There is no doubt that insulation is of utmost importance in maintaining a good climate in poultry houses. Regardless of whether it is summer or winter, insulation helps to reduce costs and improve bird performance. But what material, and how much of it, should be used?

Regardless of the type of poultry house, there must be some insulation. This is a requirement for open-sided houses as well as for those that are based on a controlled environment. Most of the insulation is attached to the roof as this is the area of greatest heat loss during cold weather and the area that is exposed to the sun’s rays during hot weather.

But one should remember that insulation of a poultry house should minimise the transfer of heat from inside to outside and from outside to inside, regardless of whether it is through the roof or the walls. Insulation will help you to keep the warmth inside in winter, saving on heating costs, and in summer it will keep the heat outside, reducing heat stress and ventilations costs.


I will concede the point on insulation up under the roof to help with summer heat. I thinking about putting some up under my coop's roof, I'm going to look into that Reflectix stuff that was talked about here. I have electicity available for my coop, But I don't want to put the chickens under artificial light in the winter. So I just use it for a water fount warmer. You have a business, so I can see where you would want to keep up egg production. I still get plenty of eggs during the winter for my family. I don't have too many extras to give out to friends though. I will stand by what I said about the reasons for the frost in you coops. You do not have enough ventilation for the number of birds you have in those coops. You should not see any frost inside.
Jack

 

[blondiebee181]

I have a mixed 5-hen flock and 2 Indian Runner ducks. I'm not worried about the ducks so much, but wasn't sure if I should insulate the hen house. I live in Boise,ID. Temps don't usually get below 10 F in winter. So far I'm getting the impression I should just make sure the drafts are blocked. There is a small ventilation window near the roof peak which I'll leave open. Suggestions?

 

[wekiva bird]

I'm not a contractor but insulation works both ways...to keep heat in and cold out. We're in the Cascade foothills so we get some brutal winter days and in the summer we can get some scorchers. We're insulating our coop. Figure, it will make the most of the heat the chickens generate and then will keep the coop cooler in the summers (with proper ventilation).

x2

 

[reinvestment]

My coop is made of RV parts and they are fiberglas, and double walled. I keep a 100 WATT bulb in their coop above the water to keep the water from freezing and when it gets below freezing, it froze anyhow. They know how to peck at the ice however, and break it through. When the temp got down to 1 degree, it froze even more. Most of them didn't want to come out of the coop but 3 of the Wyandottes did and one Australorp. One Wyandotte found a roost and didn't even come in after dark. I just happened to see her before I locked them up for the night. However, one of them was locked out two nights when it was warm. I am thinking either one of them is retarded or they are just different.
They are laying eggs like you wouldn't believe, even in this weather.