Ventilation Maybe? Drafts Probably? Help after a build ...

[aart]

@aart

So I picked up a nifty little sensor to track my temp and humidity - I hung it about 18 inches from the ceiling, midway, (so just shy of probably 5.5 feet there ceiling to floor). And inside temps held pretty much 2-3 degrees a higher than "outside" temps, but the humidity was high! It started around 70% by morning it was above 90%!

This was with only 1 window open and almost no wind last night. Tonight it's supposed to be close to 25 degrees with significant wind.

I did fashion a heat lamp in the Coop that I can remotely turn on/off, haven't tested it yet. I've also yet to make any additional "vent holes."

Thoughts?

I think I'd be way more concerned with increasing ventilation than rigging up heat.

What was the temp?
What was the humidity outside?

 

[afviolettes]

@aart

Looks like I maybe freaked out for nothing ...

Currently 93% humidity and 42F outside ... The sensor is showing 43.5F and 91.4% humidity (and falling). This is with one of the windows open only, no heat on.

Average temp last night was 38.7F, with as low as 33F and humidity average was 76.5%.

I compared to some data via weather underground ... at 0400 weather underground reported 32.5 and 85%, whilst the inside the coop sensor reported 33.5 and 85.2%.

So maybe not as bad as I originally thought! Been sick lately and forgot this thing has a history ... and of course compare to outside!

I'm considering testing out the heat maybe tonight, suppose to get decently cold for around here in the mid 20's ... doesn't seem like my coop "insulates" as much as I thought it would when i built it ... then again, I'm taking ambient air temperature and not the temperature around the chickens when they are all side-by-side on their roost.

Apologies for the freak out, dang cold!

 

[aart]

Yeah, you can't get the humidity inside lower than the outside.

You do not need heat......unless maybe if it gets down to like minus 20F.
They need to become acclimated to the colder temps, they'll be fine....really.

 

[centrarchid]

A rule of thumb you might consider following is that as ambient humidity, the more ventilation you want.

 

[afviolettes]

@aart

Yea ... i figured that ... hanging the lamp at least made the misses happy ...

 

[bobbi-j]

You really don't need heat. Chickens can handle cooler weather far better than too much warmth. Think about it this way. You have all your winter gear on. Coat, hat, boots, gloves, scarf, etc. Go outside for a couple of hours. Feels pretty good, right? Now go back in the house. Leave your winter gear on. Leave it on for a couple of hours. Does it still feel good? No? At least you get to take your coat off. Your chickens can't. They are equipped with nice down coats that trap their body heat and keep them warm. They can do this much more easily if the coop is cooler and dry instead of warm and moist.

 

[aart]

@aart

Yea ... i figured that ... hanging the lamp at least made the misses happy ...

Well, maybe hang it but don't turn it on?
She won't be happy if it burns down the coop and all the birds with it.
Seriously, heat lamps are dangerous...and really cause more problems than they solve.

Maybe have her try bobbie-j's test below, that might convince her.

You really don't need heat. Chickens can handle cooler weather far better than too much warmth. Think about it this way. You have all your winter gear on. Coat, hat, boots, gloves, scarf, etc. Go outside for a couple of hours. Feels pretty good, right? Now go back in the house. Leave your winter gear on. Leave it on for a couple of hours. Does it still feel good? No? At least you get to take your coat off. Your chickens can't. They are equipped with nice down coats that trap their body heat and keep them warm. They can do this much more easily if the coop is cooler and dry instead of warm and moist.