Hello! I've been a member of this site for a month or two and have been lurking and digesting information. I have been trying to find posts where members discuss humidistat and thermostat settings for their active ventilation. Does anyone have any general recommendations?
Here's the specific problem. I live in east-Central Minnesota (relatively cold winters) and have a 4'x6' elevated and insulated coop that I recently built. I have 6 chickens and become concerned that when the winter happens, there may not be sufficient ventilation. Currently with the chicken door and windows open, the absolute amount of ventilation is about 5 square feet (not bad) but with the windows and doors closed, I'll get a little over 3.4 square feet. I am strangely opposed to heating the coop in winter (and know heating certainly won't reduce humidity) so I plan to increase active ventilation as a way to more effectively manage the internal microenvironment of the coop.
About a month ago, I realized that indoor marijuana growers (no, I am not one but am a very dedicated gardener) have been long dealing with this issue where they need to aggressively manage humidity and temperature within their growing space. This has evolved to intelligent use of inline duct fans with fan settings adjusted to vary with internal changes in temperature and humidity. So...I splurged and bought a 6" inline fan from Gorilla (made in USA) with a smart temperature and humidity sensor that is adjustable from my phone. I have seen some BYC site members mention that they use a humidistat and/or thermostat to improve ventilation but I cannot see anyone discussing the specific temp/humidity settings to trigger the fan. Does anyone know what the goal range of these values should be within a coop?
For those who like details, the 6" inline fan is mounted on the ceiling of the coop with the exhaust vent on the south-facing gable. Permanent (still open in winter) passive vents are a ridge vent, two 4" x 16" vents just under the west-facing eaves, and an additional 6" circular vent also on the south-facing gable (I have attached a rough diagram). The north-facing side is without any inlet/outlet due to the strong wind. Aside from south-facing automatic door and windows, intake and exhaust are in the upper 1/3 of the coop and the coop is otherwise pretty well sealed so no concern for drafts at the level of the roosts.
Any additional ideas and I would much appreciate it. I know members prefer pictures but I'm rarely outside during the daytime. I will attach them when time permits. My intro message does have some early photos before I placed the circular vents and finalized the interior.
And yes, I am aware that I am obsessively "micromanaging." I describe this as living an "examined life."
Many thanks!
Opso
Here's the specific problem. I live in east-Central Minnesota (relatively cold winters) and have a 4'x6' elevated and insulated coop that I recently built. I have 6 chickens and become concerned that when the winter happens, there may not be sufficient ventilation. Currently with the chicken door and windows open, the absolute amount of ventilation is about 5 square feet (not bad) but with the windows and doors closed, I'll get a little over 3.4 square feet. I am strangely opposed to heating the coop in winter (and know heating certainly won't reduce humidity) so I plan to increase active ventilation as a way to more effectively manage the internal microenvironment of the coop.
About a month ago, I realized that indoor marijuana growers (no, I am not one but am a very dedicated gardener) have been long dealing with this issue where they need to aggressively manage humidity and temperature within their growing space. This has evolved to intelligent use of inline duct fans with fan settings adjusted to vary with internal changes in temperature and humidity. So...I splurged and bought a 6" inline fan from Gorilla (made in USA) with a smart temperature and humidity sensor that is adjustable from my phone. I have seen some BYC site members mention that they use a humidistat and/or thermostat to improve ventilation but I cannot see anyone discussing the specific temp/humidity settings to trigger the fan. Does anyone know what the goal range of these values should be within a coop?
For those who like details, the 6" inline fan is mounted on the ceiling of the coop with the exhaust vent on the south-facing gable. Permanent (still open in winter) passive vents are a ridge vent, two 4" x 16" vents just under the west-facing eaves, and an additional 6" circular vent also on the south-facing gable (I have attached a rough diagram). The north-facing side is without any inlet/outlet due to the strong wind. Aside from south-facing automatic door and windows, intake and exhaust are in the upper 1/3 of the coop and the coop is otherwise pretty well sealed so no concern for drafts at the level of the roosts.
Any additional ideas and I would much appreciate it. I know members prefer pictures but I'm rarely outside during the daytime. I will attach them when time permits. My intro message does have some early photos before I placed the circular vents and finalized the interior.
And yes, I am aware that I am obsessively "micromanaging." I describe this as living an "examined life."
Many thanks!
Opso
