What's worse: Cold or Condensation?

[calliope]

Randy: Yes, you have helped! I really appreciate your input. I did try to do some searches last night before posting my question, but I was at a loss as to how to word it. Now, "coop heat" is something I'll have a look for!

I've already learned so much from all the posts here, and it's such a great thing to be able to learn from everyone else's experiences, instead of searching for articles on the Internet that end up being about big commercial operations that really don't help much when you're a small farmer.

Hope you are all having a good Thanksgiving holiday!

 

[BerdooFarm]

Could some of the humidity be caused by waterers/ food in the coop? If so, could you put their water & food outside the coop?

 

[calliope]

I wish I could have the water outside (I did in the summer), but now our daytime temperatures will very rarely will rise above freezing until spring. So it freezes solid very quickly.

I guess I could take their water out at night, but they have a 100-watt brooder light on at night to keep it from freezing in there, and I have noticed that sometimes some of them are up and around when I go in late at night to check on them, and I've seen them eating and drinking then. Would it be okay for them not to have water all night?

Thanks

 

[BerdooFarm]

Honestly. I don't know. My chickens are in a mild climate and dark at night, and only watered outside.... So it's a very, very different situation.

Intuitively- One would think- They are drinking at night therefore they need to drink at night,

Hmmm... wonder about maybe a smaller water container at night? But, what a pain to be shuffling containers around twice a day... Is that even practical?

That is... if you think the waterer is even contributing to the humidity...?

Sorry, I even brought it up I guess.. just trying to help, I guess.:|

 

[calliope]

Don't be sorry -- I'm glad for all the different input, because it gets my brain in gear. You're right about what a pain it would be to move the water around. I've got about 40 chickens, so I've got an 8-gal. galvanized water feeder, but I only fill it half full, let them drink it all over the course of a few days, then take it apart, clean it, and refill it. Tonight after reading your post, I went out there and emptied it, dried it all out with a cloth, then I had to put it back in there because I have one of those under-the-waterer heater things that look like a big inverted aluminum pie plate, and I didn't want them to get it all dirty. So now they are pathetically tapping on their empty water feeder and I feel bad! However, I am just going to try it tonight and see if it makes any difference. I also just had the brilliant thought of getting a small dehumidifier, because I have an extension cord that I run in there from the house, and maybe if I could find a small and cheap one, I could try that. It was so much easier when I first got them this spring because their home was a big chain link dog run with two of those igloo dog houses filled with hay. They did really great in there, but of course, it gets too cold here for that in the winter, and that's why we built them a very nice house.

Thanks again for all the input

 

[silkiechicken]

My waters freeze at night so I have the black rubber bowel type. In the morning I dump out the ice chunk, pour in hot water, and they drink in the morning. So mine don't get to drink at night.

 

[gotthefever]

old thread but in case....


One poster had the light on at night I think it was Calliope, but thread from 7 years ago, I am sure she sorted it out, but let chickens sleep, no light is a good thing.... keeping chickens as party, up all night animals? That's why the eating and drinking. Other wise they are better than children! Sleep at dark, and don't move til morning.

I keep food and water in the coop. I had it outside, but they still hang out in there, it's cold so I don't want to force them out.

I would like to keep water outside, but girls seem thirsty in the am, coop opens at 8am, my schedule . 2 days was frozen when I arrived with the warm water from the house, they really drank up. I think they get down at dawn, eating and drinking. I will leave the "water heater tin" on when below freezing or (god forbid argh. start farm work earlier, lol)