Poultry house insulation skills – AgriNews

2021-11-12 10:25:09 By : Mr. West Deer

A well-insulated poultry house or chicken house is necessary to keep the litter and internal conditions dry and make your poultry feel comfortable. (Employee File)

The time of year has come to prepare your small or backyard poultry house or chicken coop for the winter. It is especially important to consider proper insulation of your poultry house to ensure that your poultry is protected from the cold winter temperatures. There are many other items to consider. However, if the poultry house is well insulated, this will greatly help ensure that the birds are protected during the winter.

The information provided below comes from an article written by Dr. Jacquie Jacob, Poultry Promotion Project Manager, Department of Animal and Food Science, University of Kentucky. This information was written for the electronic extension of the website for small and backyard poultry.

Insulating material is any material that can reduce the transfer of heat from one area to another. Insulating the poultry house can minimize the transfer of heat from the inside to the outside and from the outside to the inside, helping you maintain heat in winter. Therefore, the use of thermal insulation materials will provide your chickens with more comfortable conditions. Despite the benefits of insulation, keep in mind that it also increases the material cost of the building.

The need for insulation in backyard poultry houses depends largely on the climate. Chickens can withstand fairly low temperatures as long as they are dry and there is no wind/draft. Except in the most extreme cold weather, a well-structured poultry house may not need insulation.

The most common type of insulation is soft materials, such as batting and blanket materials. However, these substances are attractive to rodents and insects as nesting materials or food sources. If you use cotton batting or blanket materials, make sure that the insulating material is tightly wrapped in a hard outer material. As an alternative, you can use rigid insulating materials. Rigid insulating materials are made from wood by-products, cellulose or foamed plastic materials (such as polystyrene).

Whether the insulation is soft or hard, it must be effective, which is represented by its R value. The R value is a measure of the ability of a material to conduct heat, as shown by the difference between the inner surface temperature and the outer surface temperature. The R value of a good insulating material is greater than 10.

The insulation effect will be affected by the climate. In cold weather, if the temperature of these surfaces is lower than the dew point of the internal air, moisture will condense on the inner surface of the outer wall or ceiling of the poultry house. Certain types of insulating materials lose their effectiveness if they become wet. Therefore, adding a layer of plastic film vapor barrier to the insulation material (on the side of the material facing the poultry house) helps prevent moisture from reaching the inner surface of the outer wall or ceiling.

You can install insulation on the walls and ceilings or under the roof of the poultry house. Insulation materials installed on the ceiling or under the roof can also insulate buildings well. However, when possible, such as when constructing new structures, it is best to place thermal insulation directly under the roof to reduce nesting points for rodents and insects.

Your poultry should not be exposed to or in contact with insulation or vapor barriers. You should cover any insulating or vapor barrier material with an inner sheath. The inner sheath should be durable and made of materials that are easy to fix, paint, clean and disinfect. Options for internal sheathing include wood, plywood, metal and plastic panels.

In short, once your poultry house is well insulated, the impact of freezing temperatures on your poultry will be reduced. A well-insulated poultry house or chicken house is necessary to keep the litter and internal conditions dry and make your poultry feel comfortable.

Dr. Ken Koelkebeck is a poultry extension expert in the Department of Animal Science at the University of Illinois.

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Copyright © 2021 agrinews-pubs.com. all rights reserved. Published by Shaw Media in LaSalle, Illinois, USA.