Frosty Windows

[Gammond]

Humidity is at 73% - I think this explains things a little!

 

[Molpet]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...post-your-results-here.1145484/#post-17855733

 

[aart]

We get so much blowing snow in my area that my coop would have snow inside it if I had the "recommended" ventilation square footage or the coop would need to be in a building.

Maybe, but all ventilation should be protected from blowing rain/snow.

 

[Gammond]

good news - no frost this morning.. none of the chickens left the bus today because there is a skiff of snow... and I'm still not getting any condensation

 

[KLBCOS]

We kept chickens in a bus for two winters. I bought furnace filters that were the same size as the windows. I opened about 6 windows and used metal screws to screw the furnace filters to attach the filters on the inside the windows. This gave us better airflow without drafts or snow coming in. We didn't have any problems with frostbite even when there was some fogging of the windows. We had about 80 chickens inside and the did well in the cold as well.

 

[Molpet]

We kept chickens in a bus for two winters. I bought furnace filters that were the same size as the windows. I opened about 6 windows and used metal screws to screw the furnace filters to attach the filters on the inside the windows. This gave us better airflow without drafts or snow coming in. We didn't have any problems with frostbite even when there was some fogging of the windows. We had about 80 chickens inside and the did well in the cold as well.

Metal filters?

 

[Beer can]

We kept chickens in a bus for two winters. I bought furnace filters that were the same size as the windows. I opened about 6 windows and used metal screws to screw the furnace filters to attach the filters on the inside the windows. This gave us better airflow without drafts or snow coming in. We didn't have any problems with frostbite even when there was some fogging of the windows. We had about 80 chickens inside and the did well in the cold as well.

That's , I don't worry about drafts (the more ventilation the better IMHO) but keeping out the rain and snow would be good.

 

[Beer can]

It was -10 last night. We have a school bus chicken coop; I have the windows opened about 1/4 the way... I noticed frost on the windows this morning - it's a sunny morning. Is this normal? Should I be worried?

-10 C not F

The outside humidity can sometimes be not good also. The metal of a bus will make condensation especially when there is snow on the roof, little bit warmer inside chickens expelling moisture breathing and the natural humidity. With the metal roof if the humidity is too high you'll actually have it 'rain' moisture at times. I think that's a awesome idea KLBCOS posted above using furnace filters in bus windows, they're pretty free flow air ventilation unless they get clogged with tons of dirt and dust and would keep snow and rain out.
The more the ventilation the better IMHO, I keep my coops open, don't even shut the pop door unless we get down to -28 C or less windchill. Since I've quite worrying about how cold it is, and we sometimes have a couple months of -17 C and started worrying more about humidity and ventilation I see a lot less frostbite. I have a flock of jersey giants and a flock of naked necks, had a small flock of naked necks last winter in a make shift 'hoop coop' with one completely open side, tarp roof, was a battle shoveling the snow out sometimes. The rooster as my avatar was in that coop, he had some minor frostbite to his comb and wattles , pic was in the spring when the weather was warming up, didn't take long at all and he healed right up and it wasn't noticeable at all, disappeared. The hens had no frostbite.

 

[Gammond]

With the metal roof if the humidity is too high you'll actually have it 'rain' moisture at times.

Our bus has insulation in the roof and has never dripped water.. so all is good there.

 

[apryl29]

We kept chickens in a bus for two winters. I bought furnace filters that were the same size as the windows. I opened about 6 windows and used metal screws to screw the furnace filters to attach the filters on the inside the windows. This gave us better airflow without drafts or snow coming in. We didn't have any problems with frostbite even when there was some fogging of the windows. We had about 80 chickens inside and the did well in the cold as well.

This is brilliant and I'm stealing it. I have outside vent covers over holes I cut, but stupid snow keeps blowing up the vents so then it start snowing in the coop! No problem at all with rain. Just the snow. I ended up putting plastic over that particular vent which I hated doing but the snow in the coop seemed to be a worse problem b/c it was adding more moisture than it was preventing. Thank you!