How does roof type affect humidity in the coop?

[gtaus]

Frozen poop will not break down so it won't smell, but when it thaws it can be wet if clumped together. Instead of turning it in the bedding you might be better off trying to remove most of that iceberg from the coop. The thaw is when it could cause problems.

The "poo iceberg" is actually only a couple inches tall at this point. But the other day I tried to chip some of the frozen poo and it was hard like concrete. I have a battery operated garden cultivator that I might try using to break up the frozen poo, which at the same time would turn it into the wood chip bedding. If that does not work, I would probably then just throw some more wood chips on top of it. I can still add another 6 inches of wood chips in the coop over the course of the winter. If I have to, I'll dig out the frozen poo and throw it out into the leaves in the chicken run.

My goal was to clean out the wood chips and winter poo in the coop this coming spring and using that material as compost/mulch for the gardens. I have lots of wood chips piled up and ready to add to my deep dry deep litter bedding. I started off with about 6 inches of deep litter wood chips before winter, and my coop will hold 12 inches of deep litter. Next year I think I will start off the winter with maybe only 2 or 3 inches of wood chips and just add a bit more chips every few weeks to cover the frozen poo.

 

[gtaus]

I personally would like more ventilation and I like simplicity. If I were building your new one only six feet wide I'd use a single sloped roof, about as simple as you can get. And with enough overhang to leave the top of both the short and high wall open, covered with hardware cloth for predator protection, to get all kinds of ventilation. Just keep the roosts low so a cross wind does not hit them. But many people would not find that attractive enough.

I considered some designs like that, but I was really influenced by the Carolina Coop designs I watched on YouTube and built my coop around the dry deep litter needs. Also, I wanted to build something that looked like a small barn in the backyard. My neighbors watched me build the coop on the boat trailer frame and many complimented me on how well it turned out.

It could be that the neighbors were just being nice to an old man, but even Dear Wife told me that the coop turned out much better than she thought it would. And Dear Wife can be brutally honest when she wants...

 

[aart]

The thaw is when it could cause problems.

OhYeah....the thaws here are rough, especially under my north facing roof plane covered with a foot of snow-then I get condensation on the underside of the standard roof(1x sheathing and asphalt shingles).

a single sloped roof, about as simple as you can get.

....and with open soffits high and low, probably the best passive air flow scenario.

That's an interesting variation on a gambrel roof.

Saw it when some one here was replacing a rotten gambrel roof...couldn't ever find the post again so drew it up in cadd.

As I mentioned, my roof does not have eave vents, but does have some small vents towards the top of the ridge.

Do you mean the two small vents up high on the 'gable ends'? Yes, those can help when ridge vents get covered with snow.

 

[gtaus]

Do you mean the two small vents up high on the 'gable ends'? Yes, those can help when ridge vents get covered with snow.

Yes, I put two small vents up high on the gable ends instead of going with a ridge vent design. I was told by the guys at my local lumber yards that the ridge vents would be covered and blocked by snow on an unheated outdoor coop. Evidently, you need some warm air rising through the ridge vents to keep the snow from piling up on it.

 

[Hidrainja4]

First let me tell you I am qualified to bloviate on this subject because my husband worked construction for 19 years. So that makes me qualified. I do love architecture. Anyway, The reason you have lower humidity might be because your coop is on a trailer and not sitting on the ground. Keep the gambrel roof idea. I like it and if you have two you will have symmetry. You have a lovely coop.

 

[gtaus]

First let me tell you I am qualified to bloviate on this subject because my husband worked construction for 19 years. So that makes me qualified. I do love architecture. Anyway, The reason you have lower humidity might be because your coop is on a trailer and not sitting on the ground. Keep the gambrel roof idea. I like it and if you have two you will have symmetry. You have a lovely coop.

I had not considered that having my elevated coop on a boat trailer might also affect the humidity inside.

Good idea to make another gambrel shed, on the ground, that matches the mobile chicken coop. Had not considered the benefits of that symmetry and the asthetics it would provide. If I do make another gambrel shed, I'll be sure to have the top as a loft for extra storage (bagged leaves for the winter, for example).

 

[jreardon1918]

That's an interesting variation on a gambrel roof. As I mentioned, my roof does not have eave vents, but does have some small vents towards the top of the ridge. Also, I don't have a ridge vent. When I checked into building in a ridge vent, I was told that in an unheated chicken coop, the snow would just cover the top of the roof and block the ridge vent anyway. As I look out at my chicken coop, the top of the roof is indeed covered with about 4 inches of snow.

I have a ridge vent and gable vents. Whenever it snows i use a roof rake to clear the snow. I think that helps the ventilation.

 

[gtaus]

I have a ridge vent and gable vents. Whenever it snows i use a roof rake to clear the snow. I think that helps the ventilation.

At my age, I always look for ways to decrease the work I need to do. I decided to go with the gable vents instead of the ridge vents because I did not want to rake off the snow on the coop rooftop. Our snow season can be as long as 6 months. My coop rooftop is covered with about 4 inches of snow, but the gable vents on the front and back side of the coop are completely free and open.

I suppose a ridge vent would really be nice for cooling in hot weather, but here in northern Minnesota, that's usually not a problem for us. A combination ridge vent and gable vents would even be better.

 

[jreardon1918]

The extra work removing snow is a pain. I thought i saw you had a ridge vent. Read too quickly . As to age, so far I am still up for this chore.

 

[gtaus]

The extra work removing snow is a pain. I thought i saw you had a ridge vent. Read too quickly . As to age, so far I am still up for this chore.

There is a potential problem using snow roof rakes where I live. Sometimes, you snag a shingle and can accidently pull it off. Now you have a worse problem than before. So most houses built around where I live have roofs built to hold our expected heaviest snow years.

As for being up to the chore(s), I used to be able to chop down a tree, now I just use one of my chainsaws, and I suppose the nest phase will be calling a "tree guy" to do the job. Stages of life, I guess.

The older I get, the more power tools I buy. When I come home with a new power tool, Dear Wife asks me why I bought it. I just tell her that's I'm not in my 20's or 30's anymore and I need more help to do the job and to protect my old body. She is OK with that explanation, but I will get the same question next time I come home with a new power tool. She gets the same answer, and so it goes....