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

[Beekissed]

Just went up to the coop to see how things felt up there....beautiful night with lots of stars visible, very frosty and lovely! Supposedly 23* out, which seems about right as it's 22 in the coop at roost height. Placed a little more CO on the rooster's few darkened tips and also felt of the plastic and wires right above his head, where his comb touches if he stands up...no condensation there at all, which is good.

Felt of a few hen's feathers...nice and dry, they all seem quite comfy. We'll see if opening up more ventilation below the roosts and right beside the roosts helps dissipate the additional humidity in the coop caused by all the rains. Doesn't have any damp/chill feeling in there tonight, can't really smell much humidity, so it feels right.

 

[grnidone]

This one looks good, but no idea on the quality. I like that it has three stations: one for inside the coop, one outside the coop and a third for when one of the others cr*ps out.

Ambient Weather WS-10 Wireless Indoor/Outdoor 8-Channel Thermo-Hygrometer with Three Remote Sensors https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FX8ZGOO/

 

[mobius]

Daily Report

5pm No birds in coop

Outside: 28F RH 74
Coop: 30F RH 80

6 pm Birds in coop, opened window 4 inches to see if that would help lower humidity

Outside 28F RH 74
Coop 32F RH 81

9 pm

Outside 27F RH 78
Coop 34F RH 79 (did not drop a lot by opening window but is reduced while temp up 2 degrees)

At least coop is above freezing at this point.

Morning

8 am

Outside 27F RH 78
Coop 36F RH 82

Well. This is very different! As temps get to about freezing, the humidity goes up above where we would like to see it.
I am a bit stumped here.

Others have noted that frostbite is more likely at near freezing temperatures, probably because of the above noted RH!

Of course, fingers crossed that the above freezing temps in coop will have mitigated the humidity level so there isn't damage. I will now go to look at chickens!

Please feel free to post your interpretations/suggestions! I did not expect this exactly but it is good I am seeing it now (SMH).

ETA: 9:30 am

Outside: 31F RH 96% (!) Dewpoint 30
Coop: 35F RH 82%

Chickens up, out, active, do not appear worse for wear!

 

[WesleyBeal]

I wouldn't be surprised to learn from someone in meteorology that RH is always really high right at 32 degrees. All the water that was trapped as ice is now changing to liquid, making it available to change again to gas.

My degree is in English, so my conclusions are automatically not great, but seems to me that I'd suspect the worst temperature for RH to be 32.1 degrees. That would result in the slowest melt possible, keeping some liquid water available for the maximum amount of time.

Like I said though, my degree is in English.

 

[mobius]

I wouldn't be surprised to learn from someone in meteorology that RH is always really high right at 32 degrees. All the water that was trapped as ice is now changing to liquid, making it available to change again to gas.

My degree is in English, so my conclusions are automatically not great, but seems to me that I'd suspect the worst temperature for RH to be 32.1 degrees. That would result in the slowest melt possible, keeping some liquid water available for the maximum amount of time.

Like I said though, my degree is in English.

So then if correct, Wesley, the danger zone would be (as mentioned by others I think) more like right now at 32 degrees with high humidity?

Except of course it is daytime and chickens are up and about and frolicking. And why would they not get frostbite during the day with these weather numbers? Etc. etc. So the concern would be for overnight in coop temps holding steady at about freezing and high humidity...speculating here, but this information is why I am gathering the data!

Point being, that with humidity at, say, 90-96% and temps right at freezing, there may be very little way to significantly reduce humidity in coop at this particular point. Just musing about this turn of events.

Please agree, disagree, or add to discussion. I am not the weather or chicken expert here, just the data-gatherer.

 

[WesleyBeal]

So then if correct, Wesley, the danger zone would be (as mentioned by others I think) more like right now at 32 degrees with high humidity?

Except of course it is daytime and chickens are up and about and frolicking. And why would they not get frostbite during the day with these weather numbers? Etc. etc. So the concern would be for overnight in coop temps holding steady at about freezing and high humidity...speculating here, but this information is why I am gathering the data!

Point being, that with humidity at, say, 90-96% and temps right at freezing, there may be very little way to significantly reduce humidity in coop at this particular point. Just musing about this turn of events.

Please agree, disagree, or add to discussion. I am not the weather or chicken expert here, just the data-gatherer.

Regarding daytime versus nighttime, the danger at night I think is greatly enhanced because the chickens are not active and able to seek out protection from the cold.

I think the highest risk of frostbite being in warmer, near freezing temperatures versus extreme cold is probably true, but tricky.

The risk of frostbite for chickens should be very similar to what it is for us, and extreme cold does increase the risk of frostbite for us. However the cause of frostbite does come into play: being wet would cause the chickens to be frostbit sooner, as would extreme cold, as would windchill if exposed to wind.

Frostbite doesn't depend on being wet - a person or a chicken could be 100% parched dry and get frostbite. But being wet can contribute to frostbite: being wet can lead to frostbite happening quicker, and at warmer temperatures, than it would otherwise.

So if the chickens are otherwise warm enough to avoid frostbite, and if the chickens are otherwise sheltered from the wind to avoid frostbite, then with an increase in humidity they get frostbite when they otherwise would not, we can say I think that it is the increase in RH that caused the frostbite to occur.

My roosters got frostbit the other night when it was 25 below zero. I don't though know right now what the RH has been. Just saying that RH is likely not the only factor with regards to frostbite.

As for whether it is true that RH will be highest at temps around 32, we need someone else to chime in that knows whether this is true or not.

 

[mobius]

And duly noted as posted by others, and appreciated by me ! this would be the time for some hands-on checking of chickens, removing or tossing poop, smelling coop, adding more bedding. Putting castor oil or other ointment on combs. Tossing scratch and letting chickens turn things over as well. Maybe max ventilation, but I appreciate there are additional steps that can be taken to increase dryness. It might not drop humidity to 70%, but it will undoubtedly help conditions!

Trying to read carefully all the good posts, it seems that effort is to now keep humidity (RH) in coop lower compared to outside RH, especially if coop is warmer than outside. To what amount, at say freezing point outside, i am not sure...there has to be an algorithm somewhere, I just don't know what it is yet.

 

[lazy gardener]

I think a bit of the puzzle is being forgotten. Frost bite is not merely related to RH. The fact is, that even on a very dry day, even a very dry calm day, it's possible to get a severe case of frost bite. Simply go outside on a very cold day, say below 0*F, and see how long your finger tips and nose last without protection.

 

[mobius]

I think a bit of the puzzle is being forgotten. Frost bite is not merely related to RH. The fact is, that even on a very dry day, even a very dry calm day, it's possible to get a severe case of frost bite. Simply go outside on a very cold day, say below 0*F, and see how long your finger tips and nose last without protection.

We definitely need all of the puzzle pieces, @lazy gardener ! thanks! More to ponder.

 

[Mrs. K]

I am no expert, but following this and thinking about the following points:

• I think the day time temperature/humidity is not a big deal because chickens are more active, moving around. The weather may be cold, but the bird is warmer do to movement, although when it is severely cold, mine are not nearly as active as in nicer weather. However, still more active than when roosted up.
• Daytime movement also puts more space between birds. At night ming are roosting pretty close together I assume for warmth, but this would also concentrate humidity in that region.
• Exposure to cold can cause frost bite, I agree, however, it is almost always due to exposure to the elements, most coops would be enough protection? This is why weather people talk about wind chill, when exposed to the wind, it is much colder and harder on your skin. If you are out in it, and step behind a building, it is always surprising how much more comfortable being out of the wind is.
• The parts of the chickens that seem liable to frostbit are the wattle and mostly the comb. This area has no feathers, I have seen these areas looking damp. I am assuming that with the cold, these contract to restrict blood flow to that region, which would make them more susceptible to frostbite. This time of year, they tend to be a bit more pale and wrinkly anyway.
• I have never seen it on the feet at all, but in biology, I did learn about birds feet and their blood and temperature. Wild birds walk on ice and snow all the time, and so do my chickens. With little or no effect that I can see. Many on here have proposed flat roosts, I have at different times provided both types of roosts to my birds, to have them seem to prefer a rounder perch, I have compromise, and mine roost on old fence posts.

Very interesting topic.

Mrs K