The Great Winter Coop Humidity/Ventilation Experiment! Post Your Results Here!

[mobius]

But in keeping with the analogy, the chickens have that open window...or at least, they should. With fresh intake down below, like what would happen at the bottom of a bathroom door~a vent or pop door, in the case of the coop. Combine those two elements in a bathroom~ or a coop~ and that humidity becomes less of an issue overall. Especially in the winter months. Smaller passive fresh air intake, large enough vents up above the roosts to create a positive~but slow~ airflow through the coop.

x2!

 

[MollySunshine]

There's some incredible information being passed about.

In my own head it's simplistic, if I add heat, things dry out. I see it in my own home when it's humid. What do I tend to do to get rid of the humidity...turn on the heat. Mobius and Howard E explained it quite eloquently.

It's been snowing all day today. The temp. in both coops have gone down to 29F, humidity is holding at 67. I think the temp. is greatly affected because it's been relatively colder the past few days. But it's still holding a few degrees higher than the outside temp. of 24F. The girls stayed in their coops for most of the day. The boys don't care. They are outdoors in the run.

 

[lazy gardener]

Quote: X 3!

 

[mobius]

1/7/17 and 1/8/17

8:30pm

Outside: 10F -12C RH 76
Coop: 16F -9C RH 71

7:30am

Outside: 9F -13C RH 86
Coop: 19F - 7C RH 71


Possibly a warming trend and we may not dip below 0F (-18C) from here on this winter...fingers crossed. We shall see.

 

[MollySunshine]

1/7/17 and 1/8/17

8:30pm

Outside: 10F  -12C  RH 76
Coop:     16F    -9C  RH 71

7:30am

Outside: 9F   -13C   RH 86
Coop:    19F  - 7C    RH 71


Possibly a warming trend and we may not dip below 0F (-18C) from here on this winter...fingers crossed. We shall see.

 

[Mrs. K]

This is an excellent series of posts.

We are suppose to get to 40 degrees here today after 2 weeks of bitter below 0 cold!

 

[MollySunshine]

My phones going nuts this morning! Fairly certain it submitted too quickly. Hate when that happens.

It's 14Friday here this morning and I don't like it. Mobile I hear your pain. Although I don't call it a warm up hehe. But you have been experience very low Temps.

 

[mobius]

Anything over 0F (-18C) suits me just fine at this point. Chickens happy and busy, I have been feeding them bits (not lots) of suet almost daily for the last several weeks in a belated effort to help them put some fat on. They have been going through a very slow very partial molt since mid-October, and I think they are almost done. I heard the egg song two days ago and you should have seen me scrambling under the coop where the singing chicken was, looking for that egg, but not yet.

Since it got bitter cold, the molt was nearly finished, but I still see bits of keratin on a couple of them. Lots of preening still. I put dried herbs in their dust bath yesterday, and they were all over that! Anything to encourage activity. They also got some herbs and more shavings in nest boxes as a reward for the egg song!

Next: homemade flock block with rendered beef tallow...or maybe more suet from the tallow instead (the suet has more fat in it). Debating...I don't think they need more food (flock block) as much as they need some fat in measured amounts (suet block). Both of course encourage activity (hanging feeder). They are also loving the plastic water bottle with holes in it filled with some scratch. More activity. It empties quite slowly...haha...obsessive chickens.

 

[MollySunshine]

Yes, with your temps. Lately I can understand why 0 would feel balmy.

Your chickies are spoiled

they are lucky to be well taken care of. I too have been giving scratch a couple times per week lately....just in case. They appear content enough. Mine are still laying. I'm the go to person lately for eggs.

Coops this morning, temps. Were 24F. I prefer a tad higher. I had frozen water buckets this morning. The humidity was good though. 65% for both coops. At least they are dry. Dry chickies are happy chickies.

 

[lazy gardener]

Mid day at my house: 14* F outside. 40*, humidity 65% in coop. Birds shut in all day b/c we were working on their sun room.