Can chickens stand the cold weather?

[Izzymoon]

can you give him a warm bath? Mine actually recovered after a day inside with the brooder light on them. Frostbite is reversable but it has to be done slowly

 

[rancher hicks]

Ms. Chicken - I wish there was something I could say to make things better but I can't. I don't know what can be done about frost bite it's happened to all my roosters except one. He doesn't roost with the girls but sleeps on the floor in front of the door. He doesn't roost because I kept them in a coop with out a roost for so long that he just never made the transition.



This is the inside of my large hoop coop. As you can see I've stapled fleece over the front. It breaths so as not to hold humidity. Of course you can choose the pattern but this is camo colors and was on clearance.




Here's the chickens who live in the hoop coop and as you can see the rooster has not frost bite. Last year I had the whole thing covered but the humidity was too high. This year the back door is covered only by the cover tarp that hangs down over it.





This is the inside of the half hoop coop. As you can see here I hung some fleece over the top of the run to hold the heat nearest the chickens. I do wish it was longer in front. Perhaps I changed it next year. I don't like to make to many changes at a time.

You can see the cardboard stapled to the back and over that is feed bags. The entire coop has a blue tarp and then a green tarp that hangs to the ground.






This is another half hoop where I put my growing out chicks. They were fully feathered when moved here and winter had not started yet. I covered the back with feed bags, but the front with fleece. They seem fine. I also loaded it with wood shavings and you can see how they've spilled out in front. Which is fine as it keeps there feet warmer.

While there were blue tarps on top they didn't last the summer and leaked so I covered it with plastic. I intend to move it in the spring or summer.

What I like about the hoop coops is there is not heavy lifting to do. I can't lift and do everything by myself. Well most everything.

 

[MsChickenMomma]

can you give him a warm bath? Mine actually recovered after a day inside with the brooder light on them. Frostbite is reversable but it has to be done slowly

Giving him a warm bath isn't really an option. I have a dog who likes to chase chickens, and whenever I bring a chicken in the house foor care, cleanup, etc, he goes nutts. Also my barn doesn't have electricity so a brooder light isnt an option either

I have a picture that I took today, it's not a very good one, but it's the best I could get.


As you can kind of see, the back of his comb is yellow, and it's very soft and kind of squishy to the touch. The two tips in front of the yellow spot are black, and already feel like they are close to falling off. It's not bad frostbite, and the only spot i'm concerned about it the yellow. It's supposed to start getting warmer on Tuesday. The high was 22 degrees today, and it's supposed to be up to 42 on Tuesday. He got the frostbite because it had dropped down to -8 degrees for four days last week. It doesn't normally get that cold in Michigan, so it was quite a shock to my chickens. Thankfully it's going to gradually get warmer now.

 

[Cknldy]

Are you sure the yellow is frostbite? Make sure it's not a wound with pus. I'd rinse/ wash it indoors, check for anything poking into the comb like a thorn, etc and make sure it isn't a puncture wound. Triple antibiotic ointment has petroleum jelly in it so after washing I'd put some on it just in case. Have someone entertain your dog in another room or part of the house to distract him while tending your roo. Do make sure all the water drips are dry b4 pitting him back out.

 

[MsChickenMomma]

Alright I'll try that tomorrow. Thank you! It looks almost like pus, but I don't know how he would get an infection, because I spend so much time with him and all he does is run around the front of my barn and sit in the coop with the other chickens. The skin is kind of peeling in some spots around the yellow area, and the skin underneath looks pink and moist, instead of red. So it could be an infection. But I do know that the other two tips of his comb are deffinitly frostbite.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

MsChickenMomma: I don't think you did anything wrong with ventilation. When it's cold for an extended period of time this is what happens. I have a feeling you are well versed on ventilation, moisture, etc. It just so happens that COLD is the culprit, as with most of us that have done our homework and done the right things and are now contending with frostbite.

Same thing going on with my two roosters in some shape or form. My New hampshire is really hit with it. He's got some scabbing which I've read to just leave in place and let it naturally slough as this will act as a barrier to prevent more deeper frostbite to new tender skin you would expose. The whitish areas are usually cells granulating (growing) new tissue underneath. So what looks like total nasty tissue will probably just be a scab which will reveal a new red part of his comb come fairer weather and with time to heal. I would watch for any pus pockets. I've had only one...but drained it and cleaned it...little topical antibiotic ointment or aquaphor oinment to soothe it for him. Good advice from Cknldy. (x2)

I've got a weird deal with a toe on my favorite roo...if anybody is interested in sneaking a peek or offering up opinion or direction for care. It's just goofy. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...e-prone-to-frost-bite-photos/20#post_10356469

 

[MsChickenMomma]

BogTown Chick: Thank you. That makes me feel alot better. The whitish yellow spot is kind of peeling, and it looks like moist pink skin beneath, so it could be new skin. I'll keep a close eye on him. Thanks for the helpful tips and advise

 

[rancher hicks]

It's very hard to keep things dry in the coop. The moisture comes from chickens exhaling it into the air. I'm not exactly sure what can be done about it , other than finding the right balance between them exhaling moisture and ventilation. What that balance is I don't know.

I do know I may switch to peacomb or rosecomb breeds.

Both my black Orps got frost bit the first year and while they seem not worse for it other than appearance they're certainly no good for show. My Dels too but not so bad.

 

[mrsjohnston]

It's -47f..... Still believe chickens don't need a heat lamp or insulation? Hahaha

 

[Yukonchick]

Poor guy. Ya my poor guy got frostbite bad on his comb. Now he looks like this and he wasn't even outside.
I've got a little heater in there now for everyone. Its about minus 8 celsius now.