Trying this again. My computer keeps locking up today.
My preferred humidity is as low as I can get it. I don't like to see it above 25%. It is humid out so having to just accept that. Last November I had a leghorn hen that got frostbite on her comb. Not bad but bad enough that I really started watching the humidity in the coop and comparing to outside.
So long as they are fed well and have lots of bedding as well as water they can drink most breeds can handle our temps. The humidity is the thing to keep a watch on. If it goes 10% above the outside reading I am looking at what I need to do. It can be as simple as there was a leak and it is wet in the bedding or the droppings are not yet cleaned up for the day or the water needs moved outside. I do dump the water in the evenings so it is not sitting in there overnight. Heating the water dish can raise the levels too.
Many years ago I lived out in the sticks. We were hit with an ice storm that took out power. My area was not restored for over a week while the highs for the days were -4 to a balmy 0. I had a flock of 30 layers and about half a dozen bantams. They were housed in a metal barn with lots and lots of leaks. No one got frostbite and no one was the worse for wear. I remind myself of that often when it gets cold out.
I did force the ducks and geese to go to the barn during this storm and as it was winter there were not a lot of them. I had about a dozen between the geese and the ducks. No large animals to help heat the barn.
My preferred humidity is as low as I can get it. I don't like to see it above 25%. It is humid out so having to just accept that. Last November I had a leghorn hen that got frostbite on her comb. Not bad but bad enough that I really started watching the humidity in the coop and comparing to outside.
So long as they are fed well and have lots of bedding as well as water they can drink most breeds can handle our temps. The humidity is the thing to keep a watch on. If it goes 10% above the outside reading I am looking at what I need to do. It can be as simple as there was a leak and it is wet in the bedding or the droppings are not yet cleaned up for the day or the water needs moved outside. I do dump the water in the evenings so it is not sitting in there overnight. Heating the water dish can raise the levels too.
Many years ago I lived out in the sticks. We were hit with an ice storm that took out power. My area was not restored for over a week while the highs for the days were -4 to a balmy 0. I had a flock of 30 layers and about half a dozen bantams. They were housed in a metal barn with lots and lots of leaks. No one got frostbite and no one was the worse for wear. I remind myself of that often when it gets cold out.
I did force the ducks and geese to go to the barn during this storm and as it was winter there were not a lot of them. I had about a dozen between the geese and the ducks. No large animals to help heat the barn.
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