The outdoor air temperature in the month of January saw frequent and considerable variations superimposed over a general increase. The coop, by virtue of its insulation and thermal mass responded only slightly to the rapid variations, but certainly followed the general warming trend. In the first half of the month, the major forces were in […]
January 2026 Experimental Results Read More »
The chart accompanying today’s post shows the temperatures measured in the biomeiler at a height of 4’ above the ground. This height marks the boundary between the existing biomeiler and the recent extension. The data were collected by a thermocouple buried in the pile at that height at the very center of the inner core,
December 2025 Experimental Results, part 2 Read More »
As the month commenced, the outdoor temperature rapidly dropped. The coop temperature initially followed suit, but then became remarkably stable. Although changes in the outdoor air temperature are clearly represented in the coop temperature, the chickens have enjoyed a range of 35-45F. Though hardly luxurious, such a temperature range is easily tolerable by the
December 2025 Experimental Results Read More »
During the last few days we have had one of the deepest cold spells in recent memory. Temperatures have been in the -20s to -30sF for almost a week and the forecast calls for it to continue for at least another week. This weather is nothing remarkable, historically. When I first moved to Fairbanks, in
The chart accompanying today’s post shows the temperatures measured in the biomeiler at a height of 4’ above the ground. This height marks the boundary between the existing biomeiler and the recent extension. The data were collected by a thermocouple buried in the pile at that height at the very center of the inner core,
November Experimental Results, part 2 Read More »
As in October, the air vent temperatures are following the general trend of the outdoor air, but with a welcome improvement. It is encouraging to find that the biomeiler continues to raise the temperature of the incoming air by approximately 50 F degrees even as the outdoor air temperatures continue to fall. The coop temperature
November Experimental Results Read More »
Today, while completing the chores, I noticed that the chicks are now all fully-feathered. There were a few who still had downy feathers on their heads even a few days ago, but, thankfully, they have ceased procrastinating. As the chicks have grown in size and their feather cover has improved, I have been reducing the
Chicks Fully Feathered Read More »
In early October, the outdoor air temperatures were low enough that it seemed prudent to reconfigure the ventilation system for the chicken coop. During the summer, the air was drawn from beneath the coop in order to cool the air as much as possible for the benefit of the birds. The ground beneath the
October Experimental Results Read More »
Ordinarily, we are disinclined to have young birds in the fall, but, this year, circumstances forced us to reconsider the matter. Our coop is divided into an 11’x11’ side and an 11’x4’ side. The larger side is where the hens and our single rooster live, cage-free. The external door opens to the smaller side of
I recently picked up a load of sawdust to use as bedding in the coop this winter. My trailer measures 4’x8’ and was filled a bit more than 4’ high. Thus, the load has a volume of close to 5 cubic yards. In past years, a similar volume of wood shavings has been sufficient for