BYC Café

[CapricornFarm]

Got all the snow cleaned up in prep for the thaw.
Not looking forward to what it might mean for the chooks and coop tho.
Will be good to clean up all the poopsicles clinging to many surfaces,
and the pile of ice below the water nipples.
But wonder what days in the 30's and nights in the 20's might do to combs.

Should be fine with good ventilation.

 

[Sally PB]

Re: 20s and 30s and frostbite...

Should be fine with good ventilation.

I hope so. I'm going to be in the same boat. My cockerel has frostbite on the bottoms of his floppily-doppily wattles. The outer 1/8 inch is black. I'm waiting for it to harden and break off; so far it's not done that. But it doesn't look worse, either.

 

[DobieLover]

Re: 20s and 30s and frostbite...

I hope so. I'm going to be in the same boat. My cockerel has frostbite on the bottoms of his floppily-doppily wattles. The outer 1/8 inch is black. I'm waiting for it to harden and break off; so far it's not done that. But it doesn't look worse, either.

Right now that dead tissue is protecting the healthy tissue underneath from suffering the same fate.
This is why all my birds have tiny wattles and for the most part, small combs. Fabio lost his comb tips the first year when they saw a night down to -23F. Great ventilation and dry coop or not, larger combs are going to get frost bite damage in that weather. It never bothered him. Tate now has a bit of frost bitten comb that will fall off this spring.

 

[Sally PB]

Right now that dead tissue is protecting the healthy tissue underneath from suffering the same fate.

Thank you! Good to know. I was planning to let it "dry up and blow away," as my mom used to say.

 

[aart]

Thank you! Good to know. I was planning to let it "dry up and blow away," as my mom used to say.

Yep! Hands off, it can take months.
I think you've seen this, but:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/frostbite-in-sw-michigan.74597/

Should be fine with good ventilation.

Eh, not really...when the humidity outside is high too.

I have beaucoup ventilation(eave vents equal 14 22sqft) but....
Had one thaw create condensation on the under side of coop shed roof.
Roof made of 1x boards, tar paper, and asphalt shingles.
There was a foot of snow on it and it had been really cold(well below freezing) for weeks.
Temp went up into the 30's, humidity soared and ....

 

[LaFleche]

@LaFleche where do you get all your cute GIF emojis?

Here you go: https://smilies.4-user.de/

 

[LaFleche]

Yeah. I'd say that too.

But don't you get the good stuff to beam you into dreamland?

As I am allergic to analgesic and anaesthetics, I had to do the procedure without any at all, not even local anaesthetic in the flush water.

Not fun, but doable.

 

[Meg-in-MT]

Morning, Cafe. Thanks for the coffee, Sour.

We had horrible high humidity last week. 84% was the highest I saw. These girls have minor frostbite. Doubt anything will fall off.

Birds of a feather... They are always together! So funny how chickens are cliquey.

So I think I've screwed up my lockdown. Do you start the beginning of day 18 or 19? I thought I had it all figured out and was going to lockdown tonight. Then I started thinking I set eggs on the night of the second - was I supposed to start the night of the 20th or, like I originally thought, tonight?

Either way, I'm a half day early or late because I filled up the B port this morning.

 

[aart]

I set eggs on the night of the second - was I supposed to start the night of the 20th or, like I originally thought, tonight?

Then the third would be day 1.
I always mis-count!
Doesn't matter too much when you remove turner and up the humidity, depending on air cell size.....did you trace them during the incubation?

 

[LaFleche]

Morning, Cafe. Thanks for the coffee, Sour.

We had horrible high humidity last week. 84% was the highest I saw. These girls have minor frostbite. Doubt anything will fall off.
View attachment 2539398
Birds of a feather... They are always together! So funny how chickens are cliquey.

So I think I've screwed up my lockdown. Do you start the beginning of day 18 or 19? I thought I had it all figured out and was going to lockdown tonight. Then I started thinking I set eggs on the night of the second - was I supposed to start the night of the 20th or, like I originally thought, tonight?

Either way, I'm a half day early or late because I filled up the B port this morning.

Well, I know of one cute bird that surely did not get frostbitten.