Cold Temps bring frozen breath on chickens - opinion?

[Ash_lie]

How many chickens?
I went out to double check. There is no frost on the inside of my coops. My birds don't have any on them either. They are even staying outside under the coop for most of the day. I have that area closed off with plastic sheeting to keep it dry.
Are you cleaning out the poos everyday? It releases moisture inside the coop. I keep the coop pretty clean and have lots of pine shavings plus pdz to absorb any excess moisture.
I don't know though - this is my first year, so I really don't have an answer just what I have read.

yes, I keep a very clean coop. And the poop freezes pretty instantly.

 

[Ash_lie]

No matter how much ventilation you have, this is normal in below freezing temps. Chickens exhale a lot of moisture with each breath. When it hits the cold air, it freezes. Since she has her head tucked in her feathers, it freezes on the feathers when it hits the frigid air. I consider those frosty feather patches to be a positive sign that the girls are keeping their heads tucked into the down on a cold night.

THANK YOU!!!! This has been the most positive and understanding reply and makes sense. <3

 

[lazy gardener]

YVW.

 

[debid]

The indicator for insufficient ventilation is frosty walls. Frost where they breathe on themselves under a wing just says their feathers are holding their body heat in very well.

I think the riskiest time for frostbite is when we have rain changing over to ice or if folks close their vents trying to prevent drafts. A draft is air blowing on the chicken hard enough to ruffle the feathers. That causes heat loss. I'd rather say "block wind" because that's really the goal, not sealing everything up tightly, and it's less likely to trigger an overreaction in the caretaker.

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

yes, I keep a very clean coop. And the poop freezes pretty instantly.

Poopicles. A favorite new treat for my dogs.

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

The indicator for insufficient ventilation is frosty walls. Frost where they breathe on themselves under a wing just says their feathers are holding their body heat in very well.

I think the riskiest time for frostbite is when we have rain changing over to ice or if folks close their vents trying to prevent drafts. A draft is air blowing on the chicken hard enough to ruffle the feathers. That causes heat loss. I'd rather say "block wind" because that's really the goal, not sealing everything up tightly, and it's less likely to trigger an overreaction in the caretaker.

That's exactly what I did. I got nervous and closed it up one night to make sure they were dry and warm.

 

[debid]

Poopicles. A favorite new treat for my dogs.

And when the accumulated poopcicles melt, ugh.

That's exactly what I did. I got nervous and closed it up one night to make sure they were dry nd warm.

That's super common, don't beat yourself up. Think about the wild birds. What do they do? They roost where a tree or other object blocks the prevailing wind. The air still moves but they aren't being blown on directly and that makes all the difference.

 

[blackdog043]

Oh wow! And you keep these open all night? we are getting -3 to -4 right now at night.

We will be in the teens every night this week and mid to upper thirties during the day. Yes this is how I am keeping it. It might be normal what your experiencing in the negitives, but i still don't think two 5 inch holes is enough ventilation.

 

[blackdog043]

No matter how much ventilation you have, this is normal in below freezing temps.

Do you think the two 5 inch holes is enough ventilation then, for negative temps? I don't deal with temps that low.

 

[lazy gardener]

I have no idea how many birds OP has, nor the height of her coops, so can't comment regarding design. IMO, that's not enough ventilation. The smaller the coop, and the more birds in the smaller coop the more difficult it becomes to provide adequate ventilation. Especially if the coop is not a walk in style. The low ceiling in relation to floor and perches makes it very difficult to supply adequate ventilation.