can i light my run as well as my coop?

[chickengirl1193]

well in your case you have a very large coop with lots of ventilation, my coop is on the smaller side so they are more likely to spill water knocking into it and besides i can't get a small enough heated waterer for their coop anyway.
this morning I let them out and they didn't run to thewater so i think they were fine

 

[chickengirl1193]

I meant not

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Everyone talks about how water in the coop will increase the humidity. But does it always increase it? An open waterer, dripping, leaking or large surface area might.

I have 7 chickens in a 10 x 8 ventilated coop with a backup waterer (5 gallon water bucket with two water cups). They don't spill any on the floor and the level in the bucket seems to do down very slowly.

I guess I can get a humidity monitor and find out

In your case, probably not. Especially if your bucket has a lid. You're right about surface area. I have coops with drinker cups and some with horizontal nipples. The surface area is too little to have much impact as long as they don't leak. I haven't set them up for circulating and heat as the source is outside 55 gallon drums. So I have to shut them down for the winter when it stays below freezing.

I used a hygrometer to check humidity in a coop and realized it was much higher than ambient air. It wasn't from water but from respiration and feces. I immediately cut bigger windows. Checking it is a good idea.

 

[chickengirl1193]

When i get my incubator hydrometer i can use it to check my coop Knock on wood, i have had no trouble with frost bite or anything yet. Usually during the day i open ALL the ventilation and windows to let the coop air out during the day and then at night i close it up mostly to keep the girls warm during the night and its been working great so far.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I don't think I've ever had frostbite on hens, even those with huge combs in the worst winters. Roosters have been a different story.