Pro - Does anyone else's nest boxes get soaked in rain?

[emmalou]

I have just cleaned our chicken coop for the first arrivals. I had an ant problem on the floor so decided to take off the insulation too and behind the pecked silver insulation were stacks of ants. I have now got rid of them but also have no insulation now either. Should I reinsulate the coop or maybe just the nest section? I did notice that when we moved in to this house the coop had insulation just on one side of the coop, which suggests they just draughtproofed the nesting section. The coop is off the floor and wooden.

[sjp]

you don't need insulation really and as you've found ants love the stuff.

[emmalou]

We have quite harsh Winters here in the French Alps. Temps easily get down to -10 perhaps more some nights. I understand chickens aren't great with drafts hence the question.

[gavclojak]

Read redsunsets post about her hens in the outer hebredian islands that live in her trees all year round, come rain hale snow and occasional burst of sun:)

 

Maybe it's different when the roost in a coop I'm not sure, I have a cube and it's just soooooo easy

[Guest]

When my girls were housed in an old wooden play house we had daytime temperature of minus 10. I put a s"Ooops, word censored!" of vinyl flooring on the floor underneath the straw (to make cleaning easier) I lined the walls with cardboard to just above head height still leaving ventilation higher up.

I replaced the cardboard (or just examined it) during the weekly big clean.

[emmalou]

Didn't they peck away at the cardboard? The old insulation was silver and we can see where they have pecked away at it. Can't do them much good? It is so easy to think that because we are cold they must be too but this isn't the case.

[gavclojak]

Can't do them much good? It is so easy to think that because we are cold they must be too but this isn't the case.[/quote}

 

 

Don't worry, they are wrapped in a feather duvet....they find summer harder to deal with, something we don't have to worry about too much in the UK