Winterizing coop, Coastal South Texas

[Khaleesi_of_the_coop]

Good Morning everyone. I keep reading posts regarding winterizing coops up in the northern areas. I understand that ventilation and draft free areas are the most important aspects but I am struggling with how to do that in my barn. my coop is an 10'x12' horse stall that has been retro fitted with "chicken things". The whole barn is 30'x 24'. Normally for us, heat resistance is the concern but due to the fact that the gulf of mexico is 5 miles away, we get bitterly cold and damp at times. I'm attaching pics and plan to temporarily enclose the wall where I drew the pink line on the stall wall and put plastic up on the front of the stall. I am mostly concerned with the ability to keep the coop dry with our nearly constant high humidity. Any ideas are welcome.

 

[aart]

we get bitterly cold

Define "bitterly cold" in Degrees Fahrenheit?
As long as they are out of the wind they will be fine.
Can't really make inside of a building less humid that it is outside.

 

[PirateGirl]

I was going to ask the same question about "bitterly cold," because although I have not been to South Texas in winter, I suspect your idea of cold may be different than my own. This morning I woke up and it was -5*F, which I feel is bitter cold once the wind kicks up, but if it creeps up to 20*F it's just another winter day.

 

[PirateGirl]

Also, generally, the colder it gets the less moisture the air can hold/less humidity there is. Take a step outside on a January evening and you will see more stars than usual. When it gets too cold it cannot snow. Antarctica has surprisingly little precipitation

 

[aart]

but if it creeps up to 20*F it's just another winter day.

....or T-shirt weather in January/February.

 

[Folly's place]

Sorry but I'm laughing here, and can finally sort of respond. When we lived on Okinawa, it got 'bitterly cold' in winter, sometimes down to 60F. Maybe it actually arrived at 55F and I've forgotten...
Please do tell us folks in the frozen north what's cold in southern coastal Texas!
Mary

 

[Khaleesi_of_the_coop]

Bitterly cold for us is admittedly quite a bit warmer although we will dip down into the 30s frequently enough to be concerning. We generally do keep a relative humidity of 70-80% . That, combined with the wind which is generally 15-20 knots. Even now, my barn feels damp. I just want to make sure I’m doing what’s best for them. Heating is not a consideration as I have limited electric access in the barn after hurricane Harvey

 

[aart]

Bitterly cold for us is admittedly quite a bit warmer although we will dip down into the 30s frequently enough to be concerning. We generally do keep a relative humidity of 70-80% . That, combined with the wind which is generally 15-20 knots. Even now, my barn feels damp. I just want to make sure I’m doing what’s best for them. Heating is not a consideration as I have limited electric access in the barn after hurricane Harvey

Good, as it would be ridiculous.
You don't even need power to keep water thawed if it doesn't get below freezing.

Stand in the roost area when the wind really howling, does the wind reach the roost area? If so, then maybe some wind blocking near the roost is in order.
But good airflow is good, so don't button up the barn.

 

[PirateGirl]

Since you know you are dealing with damp, I think your biggest thing will be to keep plenty of dry bedding in there. I will periodically turn my bedding so it doesn't get matted down and hold moisture. I'm not sure of your water system, but there can be ways to modify that to minimize spills and things which will help too. Regular cleaning below roosts will eliminate moisture from droppings too.

 

[Folly's place]

I agree that blocking actual wind would be good.
I'm more concerned about your lack of predator protection for them. Chicken wire just won't do, and it's best to have a totally hardware cloth enclosed coop for them for roosting at night.
Mary