I'm currently raising 30 hens (4 month old Barred Rocks) in my new coop (12x16), but am having an issue balancing my ventalation/humidity with desired temps. My coop ranges from 40 at night to mid 60s during the day (central washington). Outside temps are about 20 degrees lower than the coop. During the day I open three installed windows for airflow and then close them again after dark to keep the coop warm. The problem I am facing is that by morning the coop is humid enough to have moisture on the walls and smells lightly of ammonia.
My question is should I leave a window open at night (letting the coop temp drop to freezing levels) or continue as is. I just placed an order for diatomactious earth to add to my pine litter and expect this problem to be solved permanently once the ground is warm enough for me to finish the large run that didnt get done as expected, thus allowing them out of the coop during the day, but for now the birds are inside the coop 24/7 and I have far too many predators to let them roam the pasture during the day. They are not full grown and a few have just started laying so my goal was to keep the coop no lower than 40 degrees.
Keep it above 40 with some night time humidity, or vent it at night and allow it to drop to freezing?
My question is should I leave a window open at night (letting the coop temp drop to freezing levels) or continue as is. I just placed an order for diatomactious earth to add to my pine litter and expect this problem to be solved permanently once the ground is warm enough for me to finish the large run that didnt get done as expected, thus allowing them out of the coop during the day, but for now the birds are inside the coop 24/7 and I have far too many predators to let them roam the pasture during the day. They are not full grown and a few have just started laying so my goal was to keep the coop no lower than 40 degrees.
Keep it above 40 with some night time humidity, or vent it at night and allow it to drop to freezing?