Any suggestions on how to solve our frostbite problem?

[TwoCrows]

Quote: Using lower venting did not work for me. My first coop was a smaller raised coop with venting in the top eaves. That first year I had some small issues with frost bite, but not every bird was having a problem. I left every vent open and even cut more holes in attempt to create more air movement. I believe that the space of the coop was just too small for all the breathing and pooping going on and the air was just not moving fast enough to be whisked away from the birds and combs.

So I decided to try putting in a lower vent in hopes to help suck the air from near the floor up and out the roof. I made sure this venting was not blowing on the birds. All this did was make it 10 times worse. I was getting much more frost bite issues with every bird now.

We eventually built a another much larger coop with an angled roof. Venting at the eaves of the roof at both sides of the lower and upper end of the eaves. This solved ALL the frost bite problems. The air is drawn into the lower side of one eave and is sucked out the upper eave on the other side. The birds roost low to the floor in relatively quiet air spaces and the moisture from the pooping and breathing is lifted up into this positive air movement. I have not had a single problem with frost bite since, even in the most brutal of cold.

I think it all depends on the design of your coop. If you have a coop with an angled roof from one side to the other, this helps with creating a positive movement of air. If your roof is flat or peak shaped, lower venting might help to better create this needed positive air movement.

 

[Triple Willow]

Chickens do not have "sweat glands". The moisture collecting on the comb and wattles that is the big contributor in frostbite is from too much humidity which causes condensation (water) to settle on the bird's exposed skin. It's obvious that we don't have the exact answer yet but it seems logical to me that possibly a moderate (not heavy, not light) coat of some sort of NON-FREEZING oil or salve would prevent the condensation from settling on the exposed skin and causing the frostbite. I did not use any but I believe if I were going to I would use a product made just to be a water barrier such as the A&D Ointment (if it does not freeze) that is used on babies to prevent diaper rash.

 

[wantedman66]

Could be the dimensions of your coop, number of birds you have...where your ventilation is....

Lucky.

I don't know my coop is 10x13x8 open at the eves I have windows but they are kept shut in winter, have a small vent slot on back wall and large one in front that can open and close which stays closed most of the time in winter.I have several perches at window level so they can look out and 12 nest boxes.Oh yeah and 30 chickens,the only thing I could think of is maybe because the air circulation is so much higher than there roosting area that there's no drafts on them????

 

[wantedman66]

Using lower venting did not work for me. My first coop was a smaller raised coop with venting in the top eaves. That first year I had some small issues with frost bite, but not every bird was having a problem. I left every vent open and even cut more holes in attempt to create more air movement. I believe that the space of the coop was just too small for all the breathing and pooping going on and the air was just not moving fast enough to be whisked away from the birds and combs.

So I decided to try putting in a lower vent in hopes to help suck the air from near the floor up and out the roof. I made sure this venting was not blowing on the birds. All this did was make it 10 times worse. I was getting much more frost bite issues with every bird now.

We eventually built a another much larger coop with an angled roof. Venting at the eaves of the roof at both sides of the lower and upper end of the eaves. This solved ALL the frost bite problems. The air is drawn into the lower side of one eave and is sucked out the upper eave on the other side. The birds roost low to the floor in relatively quiet air spaces and the moisture from the pooping and breathing is lifted up into this positive air movement. I have not had a single problem with frost bite since, even in the most brutal of cold.

I think it all depends on the design of your coop. If you have a coop with an angled roof from one side to the other, this helps with creating a positive movement of air. If your roof is flat or peak shaped,  lower venting might help to better create this needed positive air movement. 

I think that is it, the size and style coop plus opened eaves on both sides.

 

[southernbelle54]

I don't know if this will help you or not but you can try this. this is what we have in our coop here in Montana when we have below zero weather in the winter which stats around October we put straw in the nesting boxes, a little on the floor just to keep their little toes warm a heat lamp in the corner on a timer, and every morning when I go out to feed them I take out the poopies and discard any wet straw and replace it with dry we haven't had on case of frost bite yet and we have 16 hens 2 roosters 3 ducks all in the coop and believe me if you try to separate the ducks from the chickens they just fly right back over to them so we just gave up.
oh and we have a water heater for their water to which helps when its freezing outside.
my husbands boss does this with his chickens and he also put plastic on the roof until he put shingles on it and it made a world of difference but he made sure the was no cracks for mice to get in and they have two windows that are thinly covered with plastic for ventilation and he has no problem with frost bit its worth a try

 

[kayruth777]

Hi there I am sorry to hear about the frost bite problem and just wanted to make a suggestion, I'm not a veteran chicken rancher but will pass along ideas anyway. I just have a metal dog pen about 8 x 7 with tarps draped over the entire structure even the door has a separate tarp covering it and there is a bit of a space between the door and the side of the pen that air can flow through ; so what I did during the really cold days we had that got down to 30 below with the wind chill factor was to turn on a heat lamp for them. I really just used it at nite so they could keep warm and then did not allow them to go outside when it was really cold. I saw another lady who had a coup with one in there and it was 50 degrees in her chicken house so I thought I would try it in my make shift chicken house and it worked no one got frost bite, so far so good. I just used extension cords and the heating lamp I bought at the feed store when I first got my chicks. God bless and I pray you get this solved. I was kind of wondering if it is exceptionally cold where you live or if there is some kind of a draft problem where the chicken coup is located, I know our back yard has a canyon leading up to it and when ever the wind blows it seems to really blow through there and even lost one of my sheds because of it. Well good luck to you and I hope to have helped in some way God bless.

 

[leilani10]

That vent and draft instruction was very helpful as this is just my second winter. I've used vaseline on their combs and wattles as a previous suggestion on my favorite web site now. The homemade water deicer works like a dream. That too can be found on Backyard Chickens. And the most helpful of all was to learn no heat is the best way to go as long as you follow simple vent and draft instructions.

 

[Triple Willow]

That vent and draft instruction was very helpful as this is just my second winter. I've used vaseline on their combs and wattles as a previous suggestion on my favorite web site now. The homemade water deicer works like a dream. That too can be found on Backyard Chickens. And the most helpful of all was to learn no heat is the best way to go as long as you follow simple vent and draft instructions.

Where can intructions to the home made water deicer be found?

 

[Granny Hatchet]

are you talking about the pie tin heater? the chicken chick has it on her website. you have to Google her.its basically a 40 watt light bulb in a cookie tin. just made my first one and it works great but, the are not going to be making any more light bulbs.

 

[Triple Willow]

are you talking about the pie tin heater? the chicken chick has it on her website. you have to Google her.its basically a 40 watt light bulb in a cookie tin. just made my first one and it works great but, the are not going to be making any more light bulbs.

I bought up some light bulbs just for brooding chicks a while back but I think I should have got more of them!