# Should I insulate the coop?



## MKandtheforce (Dec 13, 2011)

Oh man, another question so soon. Please forgive my newb-ishness.

I spent a good part of the afternoon designing my coop-- I want to start gathering materials and getting an idea of the price. However, I see some people installing insulation while others don't. I live in midcoast Maine, so it gets pretty cold up here-- getting winter temperatures <10F regularly and getting a lot of snow, I know it's not going to be fun for the chickens. Would it be worth it to add insulation to the coop design? I know chickens can survive without it, but I don't want them to suffer over the winter!

Any thoughts?


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## sammyd (Mar 11, 2007)

We used a small 8x12 yard barn as coop for a year. I dropped the ceiling to about 4 foot (right at one of the angles on the gambrel roof) insulated the walls and the new ceiling. It was great. Our waterers stayed fairly ice free. We liked it for keeping ducks over the winter.But it was a bear stooping over to clean it out. The next year I took out the ceiling and used it as a calf shelter. Went back to birds in the winter without dropping the ceiling again and we decided we would never keep ducks over the winter again....
Our current coop has the walls insulated but I need to do something about the ceiling, it doesn't stay as warm as I'd like....we decided not to bother with birds over the winter this year.


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## farmerDale (Jan 8, 2011)

My girls lay through -30 weather with a heat lamp for heat, in an uninsulated coop. They do fine. Keep the winds out, keep the coop smaller, and lower, and don't worry about insulation, the birds that don't migrate from here, survive with just their feathers, and spruce tree for roosting. 10F sounds positively balmy to me! lol

I suppose you need a hardy breed as well, and I still may insulate in the future. But my birds lay 80% or more all winter, last winter was paericularly nasty, with many mornings being -35 to -40C. They didn't miss a beat, though at those temps, you almost need to be there to catch the eggs as they are layed, as they freeze so fast!!!lol


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## sisterpine (May 9, 2004)

I insulated my first coop in Montana. It seemed to make it hold more moisture which got to be a mess. The next coop was smaller and not insulated and the birds did just fine. I used heavy breed birds with short combs.


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

You can insulate as long as you keep in mind it will still need a lot of *ventilation*

It can't be sealed tight as a house would be


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## MKandtheforce (Dec 13, 2011)

Thanks for your input, all! I think I may pass on the insulation, based on your comments. It doesn't seem like it would make too much of a difference, and I could just use a heat lamp when it gets obnoxiously cold. Delawares are also supposed to be pretty hardy, too. One more question, though, about cold temperatures: For winter, should I invest in a heated waterer, or a heated plate, or is there a better option?


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## lisa's garden (Apr 1, 2010)

You will probably want something to keep the water from freezing. I have a heat lamp over the water for now, but in the dead of winter I will pull out my heater that goes under the water container and plug that in.


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

> For winter, should I invest in a heated waterer, or a heated plate, or is there a *better option*?


Google "Cookie Tin Heater", and "Thermocube", and you can build one yourself


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## ranger4327 (Dec 11, 2008)

i would pass on the insulation myself....and i agree with what some of the others have said....Ventilation is important !!

I live a little north of you and my coops are not insulated and do just fine.... minimize wind as much as possible on cold cold nites and use a heat lamp...as FarmerDale stated, getting the eggs before they freeze is the real challenge !!

i have red star (sex links), cinnamon queen


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## tnokie (Jan 30, 2007)

I put that stryfoam with the thin shinny material on it under the roof of my coop. Unfortunatelu they could reach it from the roost and ate it all! Next question,"Where does it go?"! You would think they would poop it out and it would be everywhere,but its not. Surely they can't digest it! Wonder if they can float now!lol


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## farmerDale (Jan 8, 2011)

You never noticed silver yolks yet. lol


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## wildcat6 (Apr 5, 2011)

I save all my feed and dog food bags and just nail them up on the interior every winter and it seems to insulate good enough for the chickens. Cheifly keeping the wind from blowing straight through the coop. It is easy to put up and take down. Though, it isnt as cold here in KY as where your at.


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## wildcat6 (Apr 5, 2011)

Forgot to mention that you can raise the temperature in your coop by adding extra bedding to the floor as well.


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## VA Susan (Mar 2, 2010)

farmerDale said:


> My girls lay through -30 weather with a heat lamp for heat, in an uninsulated coop. They do fine. Keep the winds out, keep the coop smaller, and lower, and don't worry about insulation, the birds that don't migrate from here, survive with just their feathers, and spruce tree for roosting. 10F sounds positively balmy to me! lol
> 
> I suppose you need a hardy breed as well, and I still may insulate in the future. But my birds lay 80% or more all winter, last winter was paericularly nasty, with many mornings being -35 to -40C. They didn't miss a beat, though at those temps, you almost need to be there to catch the eggs as they are layed, as they freeze so fast!!!lol


Wow, what kind of hens do you have?


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## farmerDale (Jan 8, 2011)

They are brown isa sex links. This winter has been really nice, but last winter was BRUTAL.


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## Terri (May 10, 2002)

I have a medium sized (uninsulated) building that only houses 3 birds. If it falls below +5 then the rooster get frostbite on his combs and wattles, unless I run the space heater.

This is acceptable to me because I have half of the 12' by 12' building screened off as a seed-starting shed, so it is not a problem for me to run the heater for the birds. I run the heater perhaps 10 days for the birds, and perhaps 14 days for the seedlings in the spring.


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## Guest (Jan 5, 2012)

Tnokie, Tie a string on their feet and a weight on the other end and use them as duck decoys.

I insulated my new coop when I built it this summer. With the 15 chickens locked in for the night their body heat keeps it about freezing when it's zero outside. I do have an oil filled radiator heater but have not used it yet. I expect I may need it when the temp hits -40 (centigrade and farenheit are the same at -40). I solved the watering problem with chicken nipples and a birdbath heater. See the sticky for more info. 

BONUS BONUS I keep the minnows for ice fishing in the chicken coop and the temp is just right to keep them lively without freezing. They live in a foam minnow bucket and where the chickens can't get at them. The chickens would eat the foam bucket and the minnows given the chance. Yummy snack.


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## happychick (Sep 20, 2010)

My chickens have a room inside the main barn. The hen house walls are wood half way up, and then chicken wire up to the barn ceiling. I stack hay bales around the outside half way up. And added some extra good heavy plasic left over from putting up the hoop house this year to cover the chicken wire. Great improvment, makes it much nicer for the girls inside.


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