Does anyone have suggestions how to keep the inside of the coop from getting wet from fog? I had a thread earlier about a draft issue and discovered this new problem today. On a normal day we are up above the valley fog and the ground is damp from dew but the coop inside is bone dry. Today I went in (no birds yet) and the place is soaked. I hate to make shutters as we rarely have this problem and cant see closing it up every night just in case. Hubby suggested shade cloth screens that stay up all the time. (He also thinks this will help with the wind issue and it is still ventilated AND will keep out the horrendous sun in summer.) Any comments? This faces west this faces east
Quote:What is causing the moisture is condensation. Condensation is created by moist air hitting a cool surface. I suspect you will need to do shutters if the moisture actually is causing a problem in the coop. deb "in very Dry San Diego"
perchie.girl : What is causing the moisture is condensation. Condensation is created by moist air hitting a cool surface. Yeah, that's fog... I don't think there's much you can do as it's carried in the fresh ventilation air. Once there are birds in there they will provide some heat to keep it drier. On the days that it happens, reducing the ventilation a little will keep more of it out while keeping the coop a little warmer to dry it more.
Are you sure it didn't just rain during the night? You don't have any overhang on your roof, and those windows are large and low. Rain will easily blow in and soak your bedding.
No no rain...super dense fog so that I couldnt see the horses 30 yards away standing there waiting for breakfast. Im sure glad this is all happening before the babies get here! They shoudl arrive the end of next week and stay in the house for 2 weeks.
Unfortunately you're not going to get it much if any drier than outdoors. You may find yourself using sand rather than pine shavings on the floor for this reason.
I don't really have a lot of experience with your kind of fog. But I wonder, do you think windowscreen would stop enough of it to be worthwhile? You'd have to knock the dust off pretty frequently but I wonder whether windowscreen would intercept enough moisture to keep the coop dry? Really no idea, see other thread for my comments on shutters etc, Pat
Im in the fog too, pretty rare for my area usually, but it rarely lasts past January Ive found, its getting old, thats for sure! My coop (8x8) is covered in tarps except for vents because we didnt finish in time for winter, and its pretty dry inside...I have 14 hens in there with access to the outside run where they stand around in the rain...so I figure they know what theyre doing.
We have soggy fog days, too. I've put my weather sensor both inside the coop and outside, and find the humidity is the same on those foggy days. I don't worry about it. The only "dry" air is inside our house, due to the heat pump.
I live in fog. It rolls over the coops and everything is soaked. For my metal shed coop, I run a 100 watt bulb or two in there during the DAY to dry it out some (and at night too if it gets down to freezing). For my other coops, I just leave them alone until freezing temps hit, and then I use a 100 watt bulb in them to avoid frostbite. Make sure you hang lamps at least two ways not including the clamp in case of flying chickens, and keep the light bulb away from burnable surfaces.
