Any suggestions on how to solve our frostbite problem?

[JackE]

No, never put in a lower vent. That WILL cause a draft. Venting needs to be in the roof or eaves of the coop. Roost bars need to be much lower than the vents. A draft is breeze blowing or disturbing the air around the roost bar. Good venting is air moving above the birds, not on or near them, and whisking away the moisture after it rises. Birds should roost in quiet air. Ventilation is air moving up and out the roof, or from eave to eave, not disturbing the air around the birds.

Never say never. For the most part, I agree with your thoughts on ventilation. But, depending on the coop's design, you CAN have low, at chicken level, ventilation. The whole front of my coop is open, from 6"s off the floor, to the roof. THAT is ventilation. No frost buildup or problems with frostbite in this coop.
I think the O.P of this thread, believes, they have plenty of ventilation, but they really don't. That's why it's frosty inside the coop, and the birds are getting frostbit.

 

[chicknmania]

NICE coop!

 

[mithious]

I have been doing all kinds of things to work out problems with frostbite this winter. We are having 100 to 104% humidity, so opening up more ventialion, added to my problems and one day, I flash froze my coop from the outside humidity coming in.

I did add a heat lamp, when our temps got to -20 and below and a DIY water heater. I clean the frozen poop off the poop board every am, and check the weather and humidity daily. If the outside humidity is high, I close up a little more of the windy side vents and am going to add a small computer fan to the up side of the eve venting.

I use dry bigger pine shavings and that also seems to be helping keep the frostbite down...I had more frostbite when we had no heat, more cross ventilation than when I adjust for outside humidity. It has been challenging. to say the least, but adjusting for the humidity has helped.

One thing I realized, is that if the outside humidity is high, no amount of ventilation is going to make the inside of the coop lower than the outside. I was fighting a losing battle with adding more ventilation during high humidity days and had more frostbite too.

Their roosts are well below the venting under the eves, and no drafts...so the checking the weather and adjusting the ventilation accordingly has worked well.

When I say I added heat, I did NOT really heat the coop...just a small area they can stand in, to get a bit of relief from the extremes. Yes, I do use a heat lamp, BUT...have wired it all together so it doesn't fall apart and used chain and locking clips to attach it about 3 feet or more below the ceiling of the coop. I also used an appliance extension cord too and those plastic coated, heavy duty staples, to attach the cords and made a wooden box to cover the outlet and cords. I still worry about fire. and only use it when temps drop below -20. Also, my heat lamp has an on/off switch right on the cord, so makes it easier to turn off, instead of taking everything apart and unplugging it. This is the first time I have added heat in my life time of raising chickens. I was totally against it, until this winter and the drastic changes we are having here, weather wise.

I also bring their water fount in at night to help keep the excess humidity down from the water fount.

Air exchange is vitally important, but when you live in an area that has high outside humidity, in my experience, adding more ventilation just adds more moisture from outside to inside...it's tough, but I am getting better at adjusting the venting and getting less frostbite, or no frostbite, by doing so and watching the weather.

There really is a difference between wet cold and dry cold! IMHO

 

[mithious]

I'm getting better...no frost on the windows, heat lamp is off as it is 16F here right now.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Darling coop Mithious.

Good ole Minnesota is -27 this AM and some horrible wind chill of -35 to -40. Schools are closed again in the state. Craziness. I have heat on in the coop! And the birds are sitting under the lamp. They don't do that unless it's these sorts of temps. One more night of this stuff and then we have a "normal" temp for Wednesday.

 

[mithious]

Darling coop Mithious.

Good ole Minnesota is -27 this AM and some horrible wind chill of -35 to -40. Schools are closed again in the state. Craziness. I have heat on in the coop! And the birds are sitting under the lamp. They don't do that unless it's these sorts of temps. One more night of this stuff and then we have a "normal" temp for Wednesday.

Thank you

It's my grow out coop and run. I have a layer set up twice the size and a breeding pen with four "stalls" and runs attached, just waiting on those Heritage birds to arrive. I am sooo excited to head down this new road/dream! All I have left to do is add the isolation/hospital to one of the empty stalls in the stables and run the fencing along the woods. I will still have to be out with them all when they are free ranged and the plan is to start with the production chickens to see how it goes. Those Heritage birds are just too precious and expensive to experiment on. Both the breeds coming are from BYC Breeders. Those beautiful Reese Plymouth Barred Rocks and some Dominiques.

The production birds will be going into the layer coop, once the Heritage birds are old enough to go in the grow out setup.

Yeah I hear ya. I remember those MN winters well. We have been having those temps here too...a couple days after you all get them. Those darn Alberta Clippers!!! Mine do the same thing when it gets that cold...they all huddle under the lamp or stand on the DIY water heater, when the fount is not on it.

It's supposed to hit us, than like you all, hit a more normal for us temp after also. I can't wait for spring!!!

Soon..it's just around the corner.

 

[Janet Pesaturo]

Air exchange is vitally important, but when you live in an area that has high outside humidity, in my experience, adding more ventilation just adds more moisture from outside to inside...it's tough, but I am getting better at adjusting the venting and getting less frostbite, or no frostbite, by doing so and watching the weather.

There really is a difference between wet cold and dry cold! IMHO

Agree that moisture is a factor, and that you can't reduce coop humidity by improving ventilation if the outside humidity is just as high. And, even if humidity is low, they can still get frostbite if it's cold enough. I have a hen with a large single comb, and she has a touch of frostbite on the very tips. It is very dry here when it's cold, my coop is well ventilated (vents and pop doors open), and there is never frost on the windows. But, it has been unusually cold here.

My rose and pea comb birds have never had frostbite. Get breeds with small, thick combs, and frostbite will be far, far less likely. I just posted about this here:
http://ouroneacrefarm.com/prevent-frostbite-chicken-combs/

 

[Sydney Acres]

Quote:
Well, that's true, never say never. You coop is absolutely beautiful. It is one of the old fashioned style coops that is rarely seen today. It was designed to keep birds warm and prevent frostbite before farmers had electricity as a backup. I've seen some around here on the old farms (unfortunately most are falling down now). The open side is facing the same direction as the wind blows, so the wind doesn't blow into the coop, but instead blows around the coop and creates a slight negative pressure right outside the screen, pulling the humid coop air out with it. The elevated (two story) area has windows at the top that can be opened as needed, and in some designs that is the only ceiling venting. It's really a fabulous design, one that I copied for my turkeys but with two full walls open and perches in an area out of the wind. I found the design in a book published in the 1920s.

But most people aren't looking for how to build a coop from scratch. Most already have their birds in some type of box or building, and need to know how to modify what they have to make it better. And very few people are going to provide ALL the necessary details about their setup for a reader to know whether or not the "exception to the rule" will be safe in that situation. So generic fixes are often best when an advisor isn't on site to evaluate the full picture. I totally agree, there are ways to do ground level venting, and most of my coops have it. But most storage sheds that are repurposed as chicken coops, or most of the little pre-made chicken coops, would be difficult to modify to provide ground level venting, heat retention, and draft prevention all at the same time without major structural changes. But under-eave venting is fairly easy and will work in most of the sheds and coops out there.

Thank you for posting a picture of your coop. It's nice to see a modern version of an old design. I find it sad that so many of the older farming techniques are no longer being used, and that knowledge is being lost.

 

[Beekissed]

It's as simple as a sawsall and some floor vents to install ventilation that can be controlled at the floor level. A person doesn't even have to get that fancy...just cut a hole and tack a piece of feed sack as a flap on top of it to prevent direct wind into the hole. There are many ways to do a quick remake of an existing structure and provide more air intake at the floor level. I had plenty of ventilation under the eaves of my last old, existing coop but it wasn't until I opened up major ventilation at the floor level that I was able to do away with frost bit combs. Just sawed a hole and made it happen.

 

[3riverschick]

The design of the coop also differs. For instance, a coop with a peaked roof ( upside down V) needs a cupola on the roof. Can be accomplished a couple of ways: ridge vent, cupola or cupola running the full length of the coop. A shed roof ( one angle, no peak needs a vent along the top edge of the highest wall. I have three coops here. The one which has never had a problem is designed like an old livery barn. It has a peaked roof which is interrupted by a cupola which runs the entire length of the ridge line. The long narrow windows on the sides of the cupola are fitted with firmly affixed hardware cloth. Then sliding pieces of Plexiglas are fitted over the hardwarecloth. They can be slid back and forth to increase or decrease the ventilation in the coop. Because they are on both sides of the cupola, with the coop oriented in the proper direction, the Plexiglas facing the prevailing wind can be closed if needed. Great in storm weather. I have never had a case of frostbite in this coop that I can remember. Time will tell in this 2nd polar vortex. They came thru the 1st one just fine.

Difference between an Alberta Clipper ( artic chill) and a polar vortex. Alberta Clipper
reaches down to about midsection of the US. Polar vortex reaches all the way to the Gulf.
Best,
Karen in frigid western PA