Raised coop with linoleum flooring in SE VA. Should I have insulation under their floor to prevent frostbitten feet?

[Midnight Maran Momma]

Hello all!
Living in Southeast Virginia, it rarely gets very cold here, but this is my first winter with chickens, so please excuse the fretting (and the unfinished paint job on the outside of the coop- I'm waiting for warm enough weather to finish it!)
This week, it's dropping down below freezing (in the 20s), and while I've got six birds (2 EEs, 3 BCMs & one Prairie Bluebell Egger) in a new 4' x 8' coop with an 8' x 12' run, I've learned that they like to kick the pine shavings & pellets to the side and strut along the linoleum. They just moved into their new coop last weekend, when it was warm out. I'd read (in several places) to keep them in their coop for a week (with food & water) so they get used to it. They're starting to use the roosts (four 4' 2" x 4"s), but seem to prefer huddling in a puddle under them. Should I put a foam insulation board on the underside of their coop, to help protect their feet from the cold? We have a roof vent, and two hardware cloth covered windows on the sides, with plexiglass windows in frames kilted above the cutout windows, acting as awnings to keep some of the wind and all the rain out. We have a solar door with a backup battery, and solar lights outside along their run, but no electricity to the coop, itself. I don't believe it gets cold enough here to warrant adding actual heat. The space below the coop is for their water (bucket with horizontal nipples) & dust bath (across to the opposite side), although that may change from winter to summer.
Should I be concerned about their feet or insulation, if it VERY rarely drops to 10° here?
Thanks for the input!

 

[RoyalChick]

I would not put foam. When they go outside they will doubtless eat it from underneath and it isn’t necessary in your climate.
I am in NJ and it gets colder here and they strut around on the freezing ground without a care.
At night they roost and cover their toes in nice warm feathers.

 

[Midnight Maran Momma]

I would not put foam. When they go outside they will doubtless eat it from underneath and it isn’t necessary in your climate.
I am in NJ and it gets colder here and they strut around on the freezing ground without a care.
At night they roost and cover their toes in nice warm feathers.

Thanks! I've read that they seem to enjoy eating Styrofoam, but I thought I could attach it directly under the coop, just for the winters. Their coop is already about 36" off the ground, maybe 34" with the foam board. I have no plans for boxing it in & giving mice a nice, rent-free home. The chickens shouldn't be able to reach it up there, should they?

 

[RoyalChick]

Thanks! I've read that they seem to enjoy eating Styrofoam, but I thought I could attach it directly under the coop, just for the winters. Their coop is already about 36" off the ground, maybe 34" with the foam board. I have no plans for boxing it in & giving mice a nice, rent-free home. The chickens shouldn't be able to reach it up there, should they?

Mine wouldn't have any trouble eating it at 36". I have never tested this myself, but others have said that chickens seem drawn to eating foam.
Honestly, you just don't need it in your climate so why risk it.

 

[nuthatched]

Insulation won't prevent frostbite but nice thought.

 

[paintedChix]

And if they aren't tall enough to reach it, they jump! Too funny.

You might want to put a cap over your feed & water buckets. Feed bag, HWC, cardboard, an old discarded lampshade. Anything that will keep them from roosting on your buckets, once they fully discover roosting.

As to cold, you can always add more shavings or pellets and move it back over bare spots every day while they are locked in coop. Other wise, they should be fine!

 

[DobieLover]

They don't need insulation and will never need supplemental heat so no need to worry there. They are chickens. Not humans. They can easily keep themselves warm in a well ventilated coop.

Have you since removed those huge buckets from the coop? I don't know how they jump on and off the roosts with those inside the coop. They have no real room to maneuver. I would keep those in the run provided it has a solid roof. If not, build one. Everyone will be more comfortable.

 

[Loving my girls]

I wouldn’t worry either, they have big feather duvets wrapped around them.

Also keep them (and you for that matter) well away from polystyrene, it’s bad.
I will stop now before I get on my soapbox.

 

[FrostRanger]

The 20s is absolutely nothing to chickens. I'd just add more pine shavings so they can't uncover the linoleum and call it a day

 

[Penpal]

Are those roosting boards set up so the birds sit on the narrow part? They need to sit on the wide part.