Snow, subzero and humidity help

[WthrLady]

I'm not very concerned with the relative humidity when it is THIS cold. It is actually dry.

Ours are slathered up as well, i have a heat sock under to lonely roo.

 

[WthrLady]

What are you using to measure temp and humidity in your coop?

 

[aart]

Beautiful coop art and egg basket!

Humidity can't be lower in coop than it is outside, I try to measure both.
Hygrometer is easily tested:
Hygrometers can be tested by putting 1/2 cup salt and 1/4 cup water in a dish or jar and mixing it to a slurry.
Put the salt slurry jar and the hygrometer next to each other in a large sealed plastic bag.
After 8-12 hours the hygrometer should read 75%... note any differences and you're set.

 

[WthrLady]

Great googly moogly it was brutal last night!

how'd you fair to my west? alliance got soooooo cold..stooooopid cold!

we're ok.

Rooster got kicked out this morning to make one walk around the run, then decided it was just time to go back to bed! lol

The girls came out, drank, scratched around the run, hopped up on their outside 2x4 in the sun, and settled all snug under the giant lavender orpington!

 

[ducks4you]

I've been able to reuse a house that I made for turkeys several years ago, for my pared down flock of 6 EE hens. It's got a wooden pallet as the base, so it's ~3 1/2' x 4' and 4' high. There is a trimmed, old rubber 1/4" thick rubber mat as the floor which insulates. (The excess sits in front center on top of a cement cinder block and creates a ramp.) I fixed the leaky roof and I added a door on hinges, which opens to the east. The building sits about 5 ft. south of a garage sized building which blocks all due north winds. It is all wood, no windows, with a 10" high curved access "door" bottom middle of the door, which hooks on the top and bottom RH side. I left staggered gaps on top, so the air has to go under, then over, and it doesn't create a draft, just air exchange. The coop is enclosed in a 12' square dog fencing.
I have a heavy board to put in front of their door, when necessary. I used it to train some of my 6 hens who were roosting at night on the roof. I fixed their bad habit and now all the hens roost at night on the 8 inch high roost I made with two horizontals made from old, wooden wheelbarrow handles and supported by 2 x 8's. Not high, but high enough. (I sanded them before using.)
I clean every other day, but it remains dry and smells great. I use pine shavings covering Equine Fresh dried pine pellets under the roost, to pull humidity. They REALLY work. I use them for my horse's stalls, too. I also have two nesting boxes with straw, but they are fighting to use their own home made nest in the corner. No matter. Sometimes they use the nests.
I still need to cover two cracks with a couple of 1/4" plywood pieces this weekend.
I have a large canvas tarp ready to cover the coop first real snow. I have seen what happens to this house in a snowstorm.
Canvas is what large chicken operations use. It allows for airflow but it blocks the snow from coming in without holding in humidity.
MY only problem is that until I fix those cracks I sometimes get frozen eggs!
My girls are fluffy, active and LOUD.
I also have a light on a timer and I keep their water outside, in a heated dog water bowl.
I get 3-5 eggs/day from them.

 

[Newchickey]

What are you using to measure temp and humidity in your coop?

An Acurite Temp and Humidity unit Tells me what it is inside and then where ever I put the remote sensor. Which is in the coop, level with their roost.

I got 9 eggs today. I am getting between 7-9 eggs a day. 15 pullets that have only been laying 6 weeks max. Thats pretty good for this time of year and cold isnt it?

Wthrlady, are you near Alliance?

 

[WthrLady]

Ok. Some of the remote systems I see people using only do remote temperature. they don't realize that the remote probe only does the temp in the coop, and the humidity is measured at the receiving end, which is usually in a house. Lol.

 

[aart]

Ok. Some of the remote systems I see people using only do remote temperature. they don't realize that the remote probe only does the temp in the coop, and the humidity is measured at the receiving end, which is usually in a house. Lol.

Mine measures the humidity only at the remote stations and not at the receiving end.
But both are off a bit.

 

[WthrLady]

I was just making sure the OP didn't have the wrong kind of sensor.