Coop Insulation

Hi everyone! First time posting. I'm just finishing up my chicken coop, it's basically a 12'x12' wooden shack. I made it big enough for a larger flock down the road, but at first we're just going to start off with 10 hens that my mother in law is giving us. The winters can be unpredictable here in Southern Oregon, so I want to make sure they don't freeze to death if we get in the sub-zeros.

I'm currently lining the walls and ceilings with cardboard, and my plan is to do another layer of cardboard over that, with about 3-4" space between, that I'll stuff with straw for insulation. Ill also do a deep bedding system, building up layers of straw on the floor till it's maybe 1' - 1.5' thick. Has anyone done anything like this? We're off grid, with minimal solar, so supplemental heating would be difficult. Any other ideas for keeping chickens warm in winter would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

in my understanding blocking wind/drafts but having a bit of airflow so moisture doesn’t build up is generally sufficient for chickens. my birds regularly go through single-digit °F in the winter here with no insulation or added heat, with no problems. i suspect there are northerners here that will report similar things with lower temps!

My chickens went through a really cold, windy winter with no insulation in upstate NY and had no problems.  And it's just six birds in a really big coop, a shack similar to yours but not as nice, so it's not like their body heat is heating a small space.  The previous owner had over thirty chickens in it.  It went down to just below zero last winter, maybe -3 F.  I also did the deep litter method, but with so few birds in such a large space the poop, poopy litter was frozen solid and I just threw wood or hemp shavings over the frozen poop once per week.  The bedding wasn't breaking down during the winter and giving off heat.  

Unless you plan on getting fancy chickens like frizzles, silkies, or some tropical breeds; you don't need to worry about insulation or supplemental heat.  Also avoid chicken breeds with big combs because those can get frost bite.  I read that Copper Marans are cold sensitive, so I would just research what breed you are getting.  

I don't put anything electric in or near the coop because I am afraid of fire.  I just gave them a dish of warm water a few times a day, and a dish of warm fermented feed a few times a day as well as scraps.  I mixed in coconut, sesame or olive oil into their food on really cold days so they would have some extra calories-sometimes a tiny bit of molasses or honey mixed in as a treat but no cracked corn, that seems like useless stuff and there is already corn in their mashed grain feed.  I farm sat for someone once in Massachusetts during a snowy winter and that's what they instructed me to do.  
I think my chickens are Lavender Orpingtons or Austrolorps, my neighbor gave them to me and he's an old man and forgets what they are.  But especially if you get breeds developed in northern places like Icelandic or Svart Hona you will not have to worry about insulating or heating the coop even in really cold places.  It's more about moisture build up in crowded coops or drafts that can cause problems during winter- or so I've read, I'm still new to keeping chickens.  

I want to get German Deathlayers and they are also reasonably cold hardy from what I have read.  I'd like to get a few Deathlayers, Icelandics and Svart Hona and let them mix and create my own race of chicken, but I got free chickens that are in their laying prime, and I don't need anymore eggs.    

I was thinking of insulating the coop, but only because I adopted a Bouvier des Flanders dog and groom all this fluffy fur off of him.  It seems like this fluff would make excellent insulation and I don't have another purpose for it.  

Well that's good news. I had a feeling it wasn't such a big deal, but I'd read advise about electric coop heaters and such and was a little worried. We've had chickens in warmer climates before so this will be a little new. I think the breeds my mother in law is giving me are whiting true greens, novogens, and cinnamon queens. Hadn't heard of any of those breeds before. Later I'd like to get some buff orpingtons and some other heavier breeds.

But yes, the ventilation I hadn't really accounted for. I think I need to tear out a few boards around the top and put in some wire mesh or chicken wire, or something stronger. Lots of foxes and weasels around here. I've read you need significant ventilation for winter, something like 10 sq ft of vent for 10 birds. That seems like a lot though.

I have been using my Great Pyrenees’ fur for insulation in my coop, but it is a fraction of your’s in size. I figure it may help
with predator repellence, and is fire resistant. Wool may be another option, and I have seen unspun wool usable for insulation for free or cheap on CL in the Rogue-applegate area.

I bet that could be a niche market: dog wool insulation. My dog is short haired (Presa Canario) so alas that's not an option. I've seen those whole fleeces for sale around here too, but straw is cheaper. I'm trying to go as nearly free as possible, as you can see by the patchwork construction of my coop. Only thing we had to buy was nails.