Mold Control - my discovery and method

[ZooMummzy]

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Yeah I think we are in a close runner up position! Lucky you...NOT! Lol, it's just been awful. The girls do go out but mainly hang out under the patio. I can't cover more of the run...lol I was pushing it asking for the patio

Sure, that would be great. This is the thread of my coop https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=179148&p=1 The only additions have been gutters to direct more rain away. The back side has larger vent openings than the front now because it had more space then the front due to the doors. The new window is going on the back side and vents are going under the overhang (patio) this weekend. We are going to try and replace the front vents with a larger one but we have to be careful with the brace inside. Maybe two medium ones on each side but again, need to be careful not to get a draft since the wind does kick up here next to the mountains. Next summer we are installing an electric roof vent and fan. Nothing else ground wise or foundation wise can be changed so we are mainly working on more air flow. No matter what I do though, mold is always going to be an issue in some form and I'm fine with that as long as I know how to combat it quickly, even if it means chemicals. Right now, the humidity is really low due to the damprid bags and I'm very pleased. I will definitely keep them in the coop the rest of the winter and probably in the future as well just to be on the safe side. I do not mind a little extra peace of mind.

 

[gsim]

Hello all,

I live in E Tenn and the winters are damp here, but not like where you live. Thing that jumped out at me is that you clean the "roost pan" every few days. If that is the same thing as my 'poop plank' then I have a suggestion that may help. Clean the roost [/b]pan daily [/i]when you first go outside. Poop contains lots of moisture and it evaporates and goes where? Straight up because the heat from the poop carries the moisture upwards with the smelly odor. Condenses on the upper interior parts of the coop which are cooler than the vapor from the poop.

Try it for a week and you will never go back to what you are doing now in this regard.

First thing in AM when I go out to let my inmates out I throw open two of the four windows and scrape the poop planks off. Then I fill their feed trough and let them back in. Windows stay open all day every day with our winters and closed to a crack at night. Up there, you may not be able to leave them open all day as I do, but it is really a good thing to do in order to change out that stale stinky unhealthy night air .

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

zoomumzy thanks for the info! where do you get the hangers and pouches?

 

[ZooMummzy]

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I got them at Home Depot but I'm sure they are sold just about anywhere...Lowes, Target, Kmart etc. In Home Depot they were in the mold control section near the paint. They really are little miracles.

 

[ZooMummzy]

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Good advice gsim, I will give it a try! They only seem to be really dirty every couple days but I will see how everyday goes! Thanks!

Thankfully I am able to leave my window, pop doors and human door open everyday too (except in the blowing, pouring down rain days for the human door) so that really helps keep the air flowing.

 

[chookchick]

ZooMummzy--very cute (and big!) coop. I wish mine was a bit bigger....The one thing that jumped out at me is that you could have a LOT more ventilation up by the peak of the roof. The warm moist air rises, and it has nowhere to get out right now. I would put two vents, one on each end, that fill up the entire triangle section at the peak of the roof. I would go from the peak down at least a foot, though it looks like a brace may be in the way. Rather than more vents lower down, try at least one large peak vent, and I bet this would make a huge difference. Unfortunately there is no overhang to keep out the rain, so slats or something may be necessary. I am also nervous about buildings without overhangs here in the northwest. Make sure all those top edges are trimmed and caulked well so no moisture is getting into the walls. Also make sure any siding seams or nail holes are caulked--we see a huge amount of siding failure from not having this--the wood turns into a sponge!. Good luck and keep us posted...

Those chickens are lucky to have a covered porch! Don't they even go out there when it is raining?

 

[ZooMummzy]

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Thanks!

I spent a lot of time thinking about and planning this coop, putting in all the little things I wanted. It came out exactly like I wanted and then some. Yes, the porch was the last thing put on this summer and I was very thrilled with it. My husband did a great job on the whole thing (and putting up with me through it, lol) The girls will go out there and that is where they get their treats etc when the weather is bad.

Yes, the brace is in the way and I really do not want to take up the whole peak triangle area with vents due to the blowing rain (and snow) we do get; that is why we are putting in the roof vent this summer. I feel that will help a lot year round since it gets really hot in there in the summer. We are kicking ourselves for not putting it as we were putting on the roof last summer. We talked about it, but didn't do it

We may add a bigger vent in the triangles but we will have to see and think about it some more. The vents under the porch will help a lot since that is where their roost poles are located.

Yep, my husband caulked all the siding and edges and nail holes...basically every gap is caulked! He loved that caulking gun, lol. The overhang is very slight on the front and back, but it is there. I think they call it a roof guard? It's a metal strip that channels the rain away from the building. We never have a problem with that at all and the wood is very dry, not spongy. The problem really is the hot girls lol and the moisture outside.

Thank you for all your insight

I will let you know if anything changes over the season!