Starting a coop build, it is my first build and first chickens so feedback is very welcome

[saysfaa]

I will go set it out there to see how it reads inside. You're right, we can at least compare it to the weather station's humidity. I didn't think of that.

What is the salt slush test?

I think it was meant for indoor only. I don't see anything on either side of the package about indoor/out door. We got it for indoors.

 

[saysfaa]

I think it stabilized.
Weather service says about 19.7F and about 61.2% relative humidity

Inside the coop is 35F and 34% humidity.

That makes sense... warm air holds less moisture - that is why we have to run a humidifier or set a pan of water on the wood stove to keep the house from being too dry for comfort.

 

[aart]

What is the salt slush test?

It's in here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...incubator-thermometers-and-hygrometers.73634/

 

[saysfaa]

I will do the slush test because it sounds like a good thing to know how to do.

I don't think the brand new hygrometer is off by 50-75% though. It has been responsive with reasonable/expected readings in the house last night and this morning.

It didn't read correctly outside the coop because it needs an accurate temperature to get an accurate relative humidity. It did read at least close to correctly inside the coop.

Anyway, I put 1 level tablespoon of salt in a small bowl, added 1 1/2 level teaspoons of water, stirred thoroughly, poured off the standing water. Then put it in a ziplock freezer bag with the device setting on the rim of the bowl and sealed the bag. It is in the room furthest from the kitchen and bathroom behind closed doors (to get the most stable temperature possible).

In 8-12 hours, we will see. It should read 75% or a bit more - I got as close as I could to pouring water off without pouring salt off but erred on the side of not pouring the salt off.

 

[saysfaa]

Results

 

[saysfaa]

More results

At 8 hours - the 70% at 66F.
At 12 hours - the 71% at 68F.
(The room is on the west side of the house, the afternoon temperature is a bit warmer)
At 12 hours 15 minutes- the 72% at 72F.
(No longer in the closed bedroom; the main room is warmer than that bedroom)
At 12 hours 30 minutes- the 73% at 72F.
I moved the bag to the warmest place in the house - the stove was still warmish from cooking dinner earlier.
At 12 hours 45 minutes- the 69% at 73F.
I happened to be watching it as the temperature changed from 72 to 73; the relative humidity changed at exactly the same time.

 

[saysfaa]

Conclusion
Relative humidity depends on temperature if the amount of moisture is constant.

The salt slush test needs to specify what temperature the test is to be run. Probably it is meant to run at incubator temperature since that is what the directions were designed to test.

My hygrometer works... within its stated operating range.

 

[saysfaa]

Outside and inside

 

[saysfaa]

Update after a year of use.

I've brushed dust out a few times since the worst of winter passed. Now I am thoroughly cleaning.

A soft-bristle hand brush on a breezy day works well for the dust.

18 wheelbarrow loads of bedding are in a compost pile. I left one or two loads so the coop floor isn't bare. Now it is put-up-or-shut-up time as far as how much painting to do and whether to recoat the floor with Blackjack. I'm happy with the performance of the blackjack under the bedding and in the garden section where it gets a LOT more wear. It handled wet boots (in cold and warm weather), gritty sand and feed underfoot, spots of poop...

It would be nice to fill in some defects in the floor sheathing and cover up the paint splotched across it. Vs, chickens breathing the fumes, getting dust mixed in it, ... I'm not doing a full coating at least.

I'm going to try vinegar or hot vinegar on the poop residue on the walls and beams. The strips of the boards and battens that became exposed because the wood wasn't fully dry when I painted it will get painted. It may be easier to paint the whole thing. I'd like to put another coat on the ceiling too.

The frame holding the metal lath mesh on the windows was never intended to be more than a stop-gap version. It was made of very poor quality wood and isn't painted on the outside. That needs to be redone.

There is one board that warped out and popped a batten off at the top. I think that board was cut a bit too long.

 

[saysfaa]

I forgot to update.

Several weeks ago, we fixed the crack where the board warped and popped the batten off. First we tried taking the batten off to see how to straighten the board. We thought we could put screws in it and gradually tighten the screws over several days or weeks. After a good look at it, we left it warped, put the batten back on, and added a piece of quarter round molding from the scrap bin. That covered the crack very effectively. It isn't noticeable, even if you know it is there, since it being painted.

The paint on the windows did not last well. I think the putty didn't cure long enough before I painted them. I repainted them. I didn't spend as much time getting the shims in this year. I put enough shims in to hold it securely then put duct tape over the cracks.

The ridge vent is closed off this year. That turned out to be much, much, much easier than I thought it would be. We reshingled the house this year. There was a liner to some kind of membrane used on it. I cut it into strips a little wider than the gap. It is stiff enough to stay up with just the support of the edges of the gap and the rafters.

I checked for drafts when we had a strong east wind. I redid a few of the eave blocks. There is a bit of gap along the bottom of the entry door. Otherwise, the coop is pretty tight except the open side.

I don't know how to fix the gap along the door, yet. The boards and battens still overlap the floor - the gap is vertical, like the door warped outward at the bottom. I could add weatherstripping, maybe. I don't want to warp it further out, though. Maybe a door sock of some sort.