The Great Winter Coop Humidity/Ventilation Experiment! Post Your Results Here!

i was concerned about this winter, but chickens doing just fine! I ended up moving their water and food into the coop, for easier access when we get the bigger snowfalls. However after reading the temps and RH you all are having to deal with, i guess I am in the clear with our average humidity at about 22%!
 
@UtePassChickens , glad there is less worry for you! If this thread helps with that, why, it is serving its purpose!

Daily Report (and Happy Christmas Eve!)

5 pm

Outside: 27F RH 92
Coop: 29F RH 81

that is more like normal reading as opposed to yesterday.

7 pm

Outside: 27F RH 92
Coop: 31 RH 80

9 pm

Outside: 26F RH 92
Coop: 32F RH 81

10 pm

Outside: 26F RH 92
Coop: 33F RH 81

7:30 am

Outside: 24F RH 88
Coop; 32F RH 81

So this is another example where frostbite could happen easily...just tough to get that RH down inside even with chicken engine. It could indeed be considerably worse, however. All vents wide open as before...
 
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I am rather surprised at the levels of humidity. I am wondering how this compares with your local weather report. I live in SW South Dakota, and in the winter, we are no where near that humidity level. In fact I run a humidifier in the house in the winter.

Perhaps you are in a high humidity region, different parts of our state have much different humidities.

Just wondering if you have compared it to the local weather station readings?

Mrs K
 
I am rather surprised at the levels of humidity. I am wondering how this compares with your local weather report. I live in SW South Dakota, and in the winter, we are no where near that humidity level. In fact I run a humidifier in the house in the winter.

Perhaps you are in a high humidity region, different parts of our state have much different humidities.

Just wondering if you have compared it to the local weather station readings?

Mrs K

I know, right?

The outside humidity reading IS the local weather station reading. Within a mile of here. Accuweather. Inside my house it is more around 35%, which I measure with an inside weather station, so QUITE dry. I have a lot of plants inside to help, and a humidifier in my guitar case.

All the more reason in THIS neck of the woods to keep an eye on things. Piney forest, 3300 feet above sea level, low alpine-ish mountain area. Smack up against the West side of the Continental Divide, foothills, etc. Perhaps the Divide makes the difference...weather quite different on the East side. Probably the moisture from Seattle coming in over here, the weather is directly from the west most of the time (I can see it coming in). We also get quite socked in (a lot of inversion) in this valley over the winter, few sunny days, yesterday was a beautiful blue sky Christmas day but those are rare...not a lot of wind...
 
We are having a big thaw...12-18" of snow about gone now...temps above freezing for a few days, last night above 45F and 1/4" of rain...it's 54 now.
Coop humidity soared to 85% (about 75% outside) there is condensation on the wooden roof sheathing inside the coop, never seen that before.
Opened the clerestory windows. Back down to below freezing tonite and tomorrow.
Crazy weather.
 
Centrarchid: nice demonstration!

I received my temperature/humidity gauge last week and have been monitoring the humidity in both coops. Overall, I am better than I thought which is always a good thing. This morning inside the pullet coop, the humidity was 62% with a temperature of 60F. It is raining outdoors so it's safe to say it is 100% humidity outside the coop with similar temp. (it's crazy warm outside this morning) The bachelor pad this morning read 51% and 60F. Of course, the amount of birds contained in each coop is what is affecting the difference between each.
 
Couple Days Report Here:

12/24/16

5 pm Chickens IN about 30 minutes (double checking)

Outside: 27F RH 78
Coop: 33F RH 84

7:30 pm

Outside: 25F RH 74
Coop: 34F RH 82

9:30 pm

Outside: 24F RH 71
Coop: 32F RH 81

12/25/16 Merry Christmas Chickens and Chicken Keepers!

8:30 am Chickens Still In

Outside: 14F RH 64
Coop: 24F RH 77

Chickens move out for the day a little later...

4:45 pm Chickens out but going in to coop

Outside: 20F RH 75
Coop: 22F RH 77

9 pm Chickens In

Outside: 19F RH 73
Coop: 26F RH 78

12/26/16

9:30 am Chickens emerging from coop..late risers lol

Outside: 23F RH 85
Coop: 27F RH 78

Later....

5:30 pm chickens in for about an hour

Outside: 25F RH 71
Coop: 29F RH 80 (kinda strange reading i.e. humidity higher in coop when temp is higher-probbly wold have been good time to open window to full....note to self).

8 pm

Outside: 25F RH 74
Coop: 29F RH 78

(same anomaly as above)

12/27/16

8 am Chickens still in

Outside: 25F RH 92
Coop: 27F RH 81

(last reading is a bit anomalous, a bit odd...while humidity is down in coop, temp is not that much higher. Checked last night outside overnight temps, they were pretty steadily at 25-27F all night)

Suggested Rule of Thumb: When RH in coop higher than outside at 25-35F, open more ventilation. What do you all think, given numbers above?
 
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I think that's a good idea. Seems I have more trouble with frost bite issues~if I have them at all~at those temps rather than subzero temps, due to the excess moisture that is already in the air both outside and in at those temps, particularly after a snow or rain.

Here's my own kind of report, though not exactly on humidity, as I don't measure that...would be interesting if I did. It's warmer than normal here right now, so will repeat these measurements when we get some sustained cold temps in the single digits or below zero to see just how much the DL cooks at those temps.

Today is a 45* day with occasional slight breezes but not much. Here is the temp at roost height at that temp....




For the first time ever, I just thought I'd shove my hand back in the DL litter mass under the roosts and was pleasantly surprised to find it much hotter than I had supposed it would be....here are readings from two depths in the litter.... and, keep in mind, this is not too deep, as my thermometer probe won't go any deeper than 5 in.





At the most shallow spot under the roosts it was a mere 85*.

I'll add some water to the mass today and that will really heat it up in there....these readings are without any added moisture beyond the feces and humidity from the materials, the ground and the air.

Like I said, I'll take further readings when the temps are truly cold for a sustained period of time to see just how dormant that biomass heater goes in colder temps and will post them then....should be awhile, as we are having an unseasonably warm winter right now. Got up to 70 degrees yesterday!

Might be pertinent to add that this is in a hoop coop with a LOT of ventilation at all levels.....right next to this mass is an open pop door and the tarp is pulled back, open vents under the roof over the mass and 8 ft. away is the front of the coop with a half door open, small windows and roof vents open and another pop door open, not to mention various large cracks and gaps along the floor and further up the coop.



 
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