humidity

[Rettarain2]

Hi.
I am in MI. Last year it got mighty cold and my ladies got frostbite on their crowns...okay so here's the question. They perch on rafters where air comes in under eves(for vetilation) Their coop ..a 10x16 room has straw 2 bails thick on ground. Ive made lower roosts but they like the 2" rafters. Any suggestions on keeping humidity low...it currently goes to 70%...and get the ladies to use lower perches?

 

[chicmom]

Hello, how many chickens are you keeping in there? I'm wondering if you could put something up on the rafters to block them so the girls can't get up. Then they would use the lower roosts. I know you do need some vents to let out the humidity, so maybe you could just put something up there that isn't solid, like blocking it off by nailing some chicken wire up there to block the roost.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

How much spaces is at the eaves for ventilation - you really want at least 1 square foot per bird for good ventilation. Humidity in the coop comes from different sources - one of the big ones is bird waste. What are your housekeeping routines for your coop? Another source of humidity is the moisture expelled in the breath of your birds - not much you can do about that one to prevent it, but plenty you can do to vent it out. Do you keep water inside the coop or only outside the coop? If inside, do you notice much spillage? Spillage into bedding can result into that moisture being held in the bedding and contributing to the humidity of the coop.

 

[Rettarain2]

How much spaces is at the eaves for ventilation - you really want at least 1 square foot per bird for good ventilation.  Humidity in the coop comes from different sources - one of the big ones is bird waste.  What are your housekeeping routines for your coop?  Another source of humidity is the moisture expelled in the breath of your birds - not much you can do about that one to prevent it, but plenty you can do to vent it out.  Do you keep water inside the coop or only outside the coop?  If inside, do you notice much spillage?  Spillage into bedding can result into that moisture being held in the bedding and contributing to the humidity of the coop. 

 

[Rettarain2]

I have 5 ladies...the eves are open across on either side 10' and a large triangle opening on one side 12'area.
I clean coop regularly..removing old straw..adding fresh...water is inside..heated base for deiceing...the ladies would not go outside once if snowed so water hangs inside. Yes It does spill from time to time..Gotta do something about that...suggestions? Thanks for help !!!!

 

[iwiw60]

I have 5 ladies...the eves are open across on either side 10' and a large triangle opening on one side 12'area.
I clean coop regularly..removing old straw..adding fresh...water is inside..heated base for deiceing...the ladies would not go outside once if snowed so water hangs inside. Yes It does spill from time to time..Gotta do something about that...suggestions? Thanks for help !!!!

As for them flying up into the rafters to roost, you can staple up chicken wire over that entire area so they can't get that high...I'm assuming you have roost bar(s) otherwise for them.

As for a different water system, click on my link down below on 'switching your girls over to water nipples' .. that just might be the ticket for you...sure was for me!

 

[aart]

Hi.
I am in MI. Last year it got mighty cold and my ladies got frostbite on their crowns...okay so here's the question. They perch on rafters where air comes in under eves(for vetilation) Their coop ..a 10x16 room has straw 2 bails thick on ground. Ive made lower roosts but they like the 2" rafters. Any suggestions on keeping humidity low...it currently goes to 70%...and get the ladies to use lower perches?

With proper ventilation, you can't make the humidity inside the coop less than what it is outside the coop. I had some frostbite last year too, nothing that left scars or caused infection but they had some blackened tissue, some just grayish tissue...the roos got it the worst, mostly on their wattles, and a few of the hens had some spots too. The frostbite happened not when it was -10F and 22% humidity but when the temp climbed to 27-30F the humidity rose to 50-60%.

Creating a wire 'ceiling', as already suggested, would keep them off the rafters.

I built my coop inside a large, tall shed with open eaves......but there is a mesh ceiling and I put a large piece of cardboard on top of the ceiling to block drafts that come thru the eaves from blowing onto the roost area.

 

[Rettarain2]

No link on nipples. The girls are over a year old..Can they learn new trucks..lol...like will they harm themselves trying to reach rafters and hit a ceiling???