Am I gonna really have to vaseline their combs??

[kimmybow]

'Cuz I will, but if I don't need to, that will be fine by me! We are supposed to go down into single digits here (Mass) tonite, and I'm worried about the girls. They have not gotten bit yet, but it's been very mild out here so far. What do all you folks do??

 

[Illia]

In females you shouldn't worry unless they are Mediterranean type breeds or have bigger combs than the breed normally should have. And that's only for single combed birds.

 

[kimmybow]

Well, I have one that has a very big comb, but her comb looks nice and healthy, so maybe she's okay.

Keep 'em coming!

 

[RedRoosterFarm]

Can you put a heat lamp in the pen to take the edge off? It helps here so I dont have to do the combs.

 

[SassyKat6181]

A few of my Barred Rocks got some frostbite on the tips of their combs last winter. Their coop is actually a 12 x 12 stall in my barn (plenty of ventilation and without draft) The tips fell off and healed fine. I didn't vaseline anyone tonight, and we are down to 13 with a real feel of -10 right now in Western MA

 

[Back on the Farm]

Quote:
I was kinda wondering the same thing. My girls free range and were out all day today-they didn't seem to notice the cold. I think it only got up to the mid 20's. We are in the teens tonight and I'm a bit worried about the girls. I've never put heat on them, their coop is not insulated, I've closed the hatch, but there are small gaps around the doors and vent... I use deep litter, but they could use a new layer of chips. I don't think they get much condensation in the coop as I have never seen any on the windows. I do have cold hardy breeds and have read from others who live much farther north than I do, that their chickens are fine. I guess I'm worried because this is the first winter and cold snap with my girls and I don't know how they will fair. Funny thing is that I'm not all that worried about my ducks & they are in the coop with the girls. I'm more afraid of putting a heat lamp in the coop with them & starting a fire with all that dust. I did check on them throughout the day and they seemed fine with the cold. Their combs remained bright red and I didn't notice any issues. I'm sure they will be fine, but I worry anyway.

 

[pontoosuc]

I'm in western MA and would not vaseline combs.

 

[alaskafarmgirl]

Hi, I live in Alaska. A tree, base more than 12" at the trunk, cracked at the trunk during a wind storm in November -- there were -30 degree winds after that. The tree crashed through the coop roof, and we have a gaping hole and branches in the coop. Our weather has been extreme this year; zero to negative numbers for several weeks. I have a 75 watt red flood lamp in the roost area, which is insulated with plastic only. I take fresh water out 2 times daily, plus have water on a heated platform. I feed scratch and high carb one to two times daily, and they seem fine, but their coop is a disaster, and we can't fix it until spring time. I'm so worried about my girls! They are holding up well, even Crippy, the one with the broken hips, I carry her down from the roost to feed, but she makes it down on her own a lot of the time. When I check in the evening, her back is covered with frost from the moisture in the breath of the other chickens landing on her back (she roosts lower because of her handicap). I know they are miserable. What can I do? They are finding pockets to dust, but the coop is frozen solid, for the most part, from floor to ceiling. They have a dirt floor, and a sandbox in the corner. Any advice??? This is so painful to watch and endure! I'm afraid to put 250 watt heat lamp in for fear electricity will go out and then they won't stand a chance. Anyone else have these issues right now??? Thanks.

 

[featherz]

I don't use heat lamps (it's 1F here) and I gave up on vaseline on the combs. I have large combed leghorns - they did get a bit of frostbite last year, but it just fell off with no harm done. The vaseline made a HUGE mess and I had brown nasty dirty leghorns for months (it gets everywhere when they preen and dustbathe). So I'm not using it this year. I'll check today, but we got to single digits a few weeks back and no frostbite.

 

[CapricornFarm]

Quote:
Could you pull the branches out and put a tarp over the roof?