To insulate or not?

[Shadow73]

I live in West Virginia, and I am wondering if I need to insulate my coop. It is a metal building made out of corrugated tin.

 

[ChicKat]

Wow, welcome to the forum.

My view is that you should definitely insulate....keep it cooler in summers and warmer in winters.... Regardless of your local climate, as long as you have plenty of Ventilation you are going to be fine.

It will be great if you get good specifics from the BYC community---

You may also want to type in the words ventilation or insulation on the search bar at the very top of the page, and see what some of the past discussions have been on the subjects.

good luck with your coop.

 

[ll]

We insulated our metal shed.
I read that condensation could collect heavily on a metal enclosure = not good.
Photos on my page of the construction/insulation process. Good luck!

 

[chfite]

My belief is that chickens need protection from the heat, that is shade; and protection from drafts in winter. Insulation provides neither of these. Chickens have nice down comforters with them all the time.

If there is condensation inside the coop, then ventilation is sorely lacking and can tend to foster frostbite in the chickens as well as the growth of mold and mildew in the coop.

The posters in Alaska don't insulate, maybe there is something to this.

Note: It never goes below zero here.

Chris

 

[Barred Rock Caf]

My belief is that chickens need protection from the heat, that is shade; and protection from drafts in winter. Insulation provides neither of these. Chickens have nice down comforters with them all the time.

If there is condensation inside the coop, then ventilation is sorely lacking and can tend to foster frostbite in the chickens as well as the growth of mold and mildew in the coop.

The posters in Alaska don't insulate, maybe there is something to this.

Note: It never goes below zero here.

Chris

Well said. It DOES get below zero here in North Central Wisconsin, but I don't feel that my chickens warrant me protecting them from EVERY possible scenario that may cause them discomfort or harm. Practicality limits that. The relative humidity as it relates to dew point is far more critical in my mind, than trying to maintain above zero temps inside of a coop with birds that are feathered, well-fed, and watered regularly. The only "unnatural" thing that i will do is force water to remain a liquid in those sub-freezing temps through a heater. That's just my opinion.