Double-Walled Coop?

[Chivalry]

I've read that if we live in a cold climate, a chicken coop should be double-walled. We're borderline. We don't get snow, but during the winter months, we will get frost on the ground perhaps half of the time. Should the coop I build be double-walled for insulation or are single walls sufficient? Is air insulation sufficient or should I use styrofoam or more sturdy insulation?

Thanks,
Chuck

[harvester]

where do you live and what is the coldest winter temp you get and do you have a wind problem?

i live in montana we typically get about 3 weeks of -40 in our winters as the worst temperatures. and wind is a problem.
Ive never had an isulated coop of any kind but we do use plywood walls rather than plank walls to cut down on the wind whistling in on the birds.
normally chickens dont suffer from the cold too much, they will loose toes and combs from frostbite sometimes but they seem to recover from it easily enough.
I would be afraid that insullating your coop would cause a perfect utopian haven for rodents to live in and therefore they would destroy your insullation anyway.

[jonvee]

The coldest we get is in the 20's and that is not commen. I don't have an insulated coop, I just put a nice thick layer of straw or shavings on the floor and in the nesting boxes. Because we show sheep we empty the trailer of shavings in the fall, put that in the coop and then empty the coop in the spring. All nicely mixed with kitchen scraps and chicken manure. Ready for the compost or garden as mulch.

[Chivalry]

Well, I don't have historical data for the exact place I live. It's southern California, but not like San Diego or Santa Monica. It gets cold, but not Montana cold. We've lived here since December, and probably about half of the mornings show frost on the ground. We're not far from wine country (about 15 miles away), but our elevation is a bit higher.

It sounds like I shouldn't worry about having double-walled.

Thanks,
Chuck

[harvester]

nope you dont have anything do worry about, with temps like that you could do with nothing more than a pen and a doghouse..lol wish we were that warm!

[harvester]

The coldest we get is in the 20's and that is not commen. I don't have an insulated coop, I just put a nice thick layer of straw or shavings on the floor and in the nesting boxes. Because we show sheep we empty the trailer of shavings in the fall, put that in the coop and then empty the coop in the spring. All nicely mixed with kitchen scraps and chicken manure. Ready for the compost or garden as mulch.

now thats my type of recycling!! way to go jonvee! excellent!

[jonvee]

thanks harvester I hate to waste it...

DD thinks I'm nuts cause when we show we have to bring our own bedding for a one or two day show. Kills me to throw out the bedding so I have her rake it up and put it in the trailer. By the end of the show season the lambs can almost nibble on the top of the trailer. (it's a hog and lamb Alum-Line so it's about 4' off the ground.

she may not like it but the garden does :P

Chiv...I think I know abouts where you live (i'm in So Cal also) and you should be ok. If we get frost it's just a few nights not extended peiods of time like some of our BWH friends.

Good luck

[Anon001]

I will agree with Harvester. You needn't worry about anything... We sometimes go for an entire month not getting over 20 to 25 and many times are around zero with the ground frozen for at least 2 to 3 months and so hard that you can't dig in it even with a pick.... But, I have never heated the chicken house nor insulated it. I know that I read about some chickens having combs and toes froze, but I have never had a problem. I am wondering if some of that also has to do with the breed and the fact that my birds get up on roosts?... anyway, you have absolutely nothing to worry about. Not only that, a chicken can raise and lower her body temp.... or so I've always been told.

The other thing, if you get a chicken house too warm, I would think you could easily cause respiratory problems.

[Chivalry]

Thanks very much for all of the helpful information. I won't double-wall the coop. I really appreciate the advice.

Thanks,
Chuck

[Anon001]

Chuck, I think sometimes people look at "farm" type animals as pets and don't realize that they are usually hardier than many of the pets we have and keep indoors and have to protect from extremes. But, chickens can be hardy (depending on breed and other factors) and most "farm" type animals do fine in most areas of this country without a lot of special needs.....
Good luck... have fun.
Paul

[ldsparamedic]

Chivalry,
My ladies didn't have problems with the occasional frosty night. Where I did run into problems was the coop was drafty and they all came down with Roup, which is like chicken pneumonia. I had to treat them with LA200, which is an antibiotic for a week and couldn't use the eggs for a month due to antibiotic carryover.

Keep them draft free and you shouldn't have any problems. We simply stapled plastic over our coop in the winter to keep the draft out.

[MooseToo]

for what it's worth - chickens will destroy styrofoam unless it's well-covered - they'll also eat it (with no apparent ill-effect) -

[Chivalry]

A suggestion I had read, which also raised the issue in the first place, was to insulate the double-walls with styrofoam, but since I won't be insulating at all, the point become moot. :)

[fancyfowl]

We toss pieces of styrofoam into the pens so they have something to do. They use it up.

A neat trick is to double wall the hot side of the coop leaving the bottom 4 inches open; with a good roof vent this will create a chimney to move air up from the floor and exhaust thru the roof vent, good air exchange and no draft on the birds.