Moisture in Coop - Considering Pellets

[Appalachickens]

@Appalachickens In a word YES but...

You need also to worry about predators. Attach hardware cloth (1/2" x 1/2" 19 gauge) to the inside of your openings (all of them!!) immediately.

It is hard to say but the roost position MAY place them in a draft location. Test with strips of newspaper held in front of the roosts where they chickens are. If they flap you could have a problem but I doubt it. The temperatures you cite are like the tropics to chickens. You could drop the roosts a bit to counter that.

You also do not want rain to intrude and wet the inside of the coop. Easy solution is to prop outside top hinged flaps open so that rain is diverted to the ground.

No worries, the hatch has a hardware cloth covering sandwiched into a double frame, so it’s secure.

I’ve also got HC over the vents along the side, and the entire run, including the roof is HC sandwiched between boards screwed together, with an extra layer of welded wire fencing along the bottom half and a 2’ HC apron. Nothing is getting in that coop!

Fortunately, I’ve had no problems with water. I keep the waterers and feeder out in the run. I live in a temperate rain forest so I was really careful about making sure rain couldn’t get in. The roof is plywood coated in an elastomeric roof sealant, then an adhesive roof underlayment and then metal panels. And the roof extends about four feet past the open end of the coop. The chickens have been in the coop since June and it stays bone dry.

I’ll try the draft test tomorrow. If there isn’t one at roost level, sounds like it’s fine to leave the hatch all the way up?

 

[Ted Brown]

The HC did not show in your original pics, good on you.

Yes, nothing better than fresh air for your flock! I do recommend reading Prince Woods' book linked above. Easy read and tons of good common sense!

 

[Appalachickens]

The HC did not show in your original pics, good on you.

Yes, nothing better than fresh air for your flock! I do recommend reading Prince Woods' book linked above. Easy read and tons of good common sense!

I looked through that book back when I was planning my coop. Ultimately I decided on a much simpler build given my limited carpentry skills, but I did go with the open air idea. Lots of folks around here have what amounts to shallow 3-sided coops, or even just dog runs with tarps over the back.

 

[Ted Brown]

Given your pictures above your carpentry skills are not much limited.

I chose the method outlined in Woods' book. MUCH simpler than current stud wall and horizontal plate technique practised today and by most BYC builders.

 

[RoostyRoo]

@RoostyRoo With respect you are worrying about the wrong things.

I am up in Canada, average temperature in the winter is -15C/5F short periods of -30C/-15F and lower. My coop is hardware cloth on the entire front about 8' by 4' in size, never closed. My 25-35 hens live happily in those temperatures.

Your picture shows a severe lack of ventilation; rule of thumb on BYC is 1 square foot PER BIRD. This lack is absolutely causing your moisture issues.

Chickens need roost locations that are out of any drafts that will ruffle feathers. After that the more ventilation you have the healthier your flock will be. It looks like your roosts are to the right in your picture;if there are no openings on that wall you likely have a perfect setup to remove at least one of the two windows and replace it will hardware cloth only. Don't fret just do it.

I also think I see red from a heating lamp. GET RID OF IT!! Absolutely not needed and a FIRE RISK to boot.

Here is a link to @jthornton post that has a link to the Prince Woods' book. You will find therein his description of the Woods coop that is most commonly built by folks on BYC (Woods KD Knock Down). The whole book contains references to other "fresh air" style coops plus a whole bunch of useful practical advice on chicken rearing. An easy read.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/43-chickens-and-a-dream.1334206/#post-21797631

@RoostyRoo With respect you are worrying about the wrong things.

I am up in Canada, average temperature in the winter is -15C/5F short periods of -30C/-15F and lower. My coop is hardware cloth on the entire front about 8' by 4' in size, never closed. My 25-35 hens live happily in those temperatures.

Your picture shows a severe lack of ventilation; rule of thumb on BYC is 1 square foot PER BIRD. This lack is absolutely causing your moisture issues.

Chickens need roost locations that are out of any drafts that will ruffle feathers. After that the more ventilation you have the healthier your flock will be. It looks like your roosts are to the right in your picture;if there are no openings on that wall you likely have a perfect setup to remove at least one of the two windows and replace it will hardware cloth only. Don't fret just do it.

I also think I see red from a heating lamp. GET RID OF IT!! Absolutely not needed and a FIRE RISK to boot.

Here is a link to @jthornton post that has a link to the Prince Woods' book. You will find therein his description of the Woods coop that is most commonly built by folks on BYC (Woods KD Knock Down). The whole book contains references to other "fresh air" style coops plus a whole bunch of useful practical advice on chicken rearing. An easy read.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/43-chickens-and-a-dream.1334206/#post-21797631

Thanks for the advice. The coop is larger than shown in the picture (that was just a quick pic I was able to get). We have several roosting spots, nesting boxes, and one window covered in hardware cloth on the opposite wall from all the roosting spots. We also have a double door system for the human entrance - we have one door covered in hardware cloth we can close and leave the second wooden door open to allow ventilation.

I am very hesitant to open the door and window and allow ventilation though because we often have winds of 20 mph and sometimes up to 91 mph. That combined with the low temperature has me worried.

Thoughts?

 

[RoostyRoo]

Your first post above says you have straw bedding, your last mentions hay? Which is it?

It does not surprise me that mice are infesting your coop if it is hay. Why, because hay is feed and along with chicken feed you have set up a perfect smorgasbord for them.

You mention being allergic to pine.

"For people, problems can come from pine dust in bedding or from outdoor pine pollen that gets stirred up when working in or near the coop.

• For chickens, very dusty softwood shavings (pine, especially if aromatic) can irritate the respiratory tract and may contribute to illness.

Reduce or remove pine bedding​

If the allergy seems linked to pine shavings, the most effective control is usually to phase them out.

• Many keepers switch to low-dust alternatives such as hemp bedding, chopped straw, aspen shavings, shredded cardboard, sand, or chopped corn cobs to avoid pine-specific reactions.
• When change is not possible immediately, using kiln-dried, low-dust, non-aromatic pine and handling bags outdoors with a mask can lessen dust exposure in the coop.

Improve air quality in the coop​

Good ventilation and hygiene are key for controlling airborne allergens and irritants.

• Provide plenty of draft-free ventilation high in the coop to let dust and ammonia escape while keeping birds out of direct drafts at roost height.
• Clean or rake bedding often and avoid letting it get damp or moldy, as moisture plus organic litter increases dust, mold spores, and odor that can compound allergy issues."

Your current approach is wrong on multiple counts and is compounding into multiple problems.

You should:

1. Empty your coop of all current bedding.
2. Replace at least one window with hardware cloth immediately.
3. Choose one of the bedding options above (many folks use shredded paper/cardboard and love it, search herein). If you choose pine shavings WEAR A MASK!!!
4. Read Prince Woods book (link above, download it) as soon as possible.
5. Get a feeder that prevents mice from eating the feed or setup traps enclosed in small boxes with poison to prevent birds from eating it.

With these steps you can eliminate all of the problems you have described and probably improve your health at the same time.

Your first post above says you have straw bedding, your last mentions hay? Which is it?

It does not surprise me that mice are infesting your coop if it is hay. Why, because hay is feed and along with chicken feed you have set up a perfect smorgasbord for them.

You mention being allergic to pine.

"For people, problems can come from pine dust in bedding or from outdoor pine pollen that gets stirred up when working in or near the coop.

• For chickens, very dusty softwood shavings (pine, especially if aromatic) can irritate the respiratory tract and may contribute to illness.

Reduce or remove pine bedding​

If the allergy seems linked to pine shavings, the most effective control is usually to phase them out.

• Many keepers switch to low-dust alternatives such as hemp bedding, chopped straw, aspen shavings, shredded cardboard, sand, or chopped corn cobs to avoid pine-specific reactions.
• When change is not possible immediately, using kiln-dried, low-dust, non-aromatic pine and handling bags outdoors with a mask can lessen dust exposure in the coop.

Improve air quality in the coop​

Good ventilation and hygiene are key for controlling airborne allergens and irritants.

• Provide plenty of draft-free ventilation high in the coop to let dust and ammonia escape while keeping birds out of direct drafts at roost height.
• Clean or rake bedding often and avoid letting it get damp or moldy, as moisture plus organic litter increases dust, mold spores, and odor that can compound allergy issues."

Your current approach is wrong on multiple counts and is compounding into multiple problems.

You should:

1. Empty your coop of all current bedding.
2. Replace at least one window with hardware cloth immediately.
3. Choose one of the bedding options above (many folks use shredded paper/cardboard and love it, search herein). If you choose pine shavings WEAR A MASK!!!
4. Read Prince Woods book (link above, download it) as soon as possible.
5. Get a feeder that prevents mice from eating the feed or setup traps enclosed in small boxes with poison to prevent birds from eating it.

With these steps you can eliminate all of the problems you have described and probably improve your health at the same time.

Sorry for the confusion, I accidentally wrote hay, but we use straw. We use only straw as our bedding material.

Won’t paper/cardboard be far less effective at absorbing moisture and keeping the coop dry?

Do you have any recommendations for mouse proof feeders?

Thanks!

 

[Ted Brown]

Thanks for the advice. The coop is larger than shown in the picture (that was just a quick pic I was able to get). We have several roosting spots, nesting boxes, and one window covered in hardware cloth on the opposite wall from all the roosting spots. We also have a double door system for the human entrance - we have one door covered in hardware cloth we can close and leave the second wooden door open to allow ventilation.

I am very hesitant to open the door and window and allow ventilation though because we often have winds of 20 mph and sometimes up to 91 mph. That combined with the low temperature has me worried.

Thoughts?

You do not show your location and have not said what temperatures you have to deal with? You do mention snow so below freezing; how often, for what duration?

I frequently have winds through the winter that get to 25-30mph. However, the design of my coop creates an "air cushion" in the back section that prevents air movement caused by incoming winds. We never get winds as high as 91mph (a Category 1 Hurricane speed!!) so cannot comment.

What you have to determine is if the air movement will cause drafts strong enough to ruffle feathers over the birds while in their roosting locations. If not you are OK, if yes you may have issues.

Could you build a small fence structure to block the winds you do get?

You mention a window "covered with HC". Is there glass in that window that blocks the wind from entering?

Your moisture issues are caused by lack of ventilation. High moisture levels in a coop will cause frostbite, respiratory illnesses and ultimately will kill your birds. YOU DO NOT HAVE A CHOICE WITH THIS!

 

[Three Stents]

Do you have any recommendations for mouse proof feeders?

Thanks!

treadle feeders

 

[Ted Brown]

...

Won’t paper/cardboard be far less effective at absorbing moisture and keeping the coop dry?

Do you have any recommendations for mouse proof feeders?

Thanks!

I do not use shredded paper as bedding so cannot comment. However, many folks do.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...or-coop-litter-as-good-as-wood-chips.1503415/

As stated above they are generically called treadle feeders.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/all-things-treadle-feeder.1677221/