Cold winter dealing with frostbite

WhereisTina

In the Brooder
Jun 15, 2021
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Need help with the coop for our very cold winter. These are Icelandic chickens. I am having a hard time balancing ventilation and wind block. There are several open screened windows that I put feedbags on the outside of the coop but placed them away from the screens to vent. I did this to block the wind. Are they helping or hurting? There is an automatic door that is opened for daylight hours. I have deep litter for the winter and place new shavings daily to sleeping areas. Water is replaced twice a day because it freezes. I turn the fan on for an hour or so in the morning to help with ventilation. I had one heat lamp and just added another yesterday. They do not have a covered run and have been staying in the coop (they can go out if they choose). The droppings are frozen in the morning along with their water. I am starting to see signs of frostbite on their combs. I took this video to help you see what I am dealing with, ok can't upload video here are some pictures. Would love some DIY suggestions that do not require a winning lottery ticket.
 

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Check out this thread from recently. https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/how-do-i-winterize-this-coop.1506141/ We discuss the difference between thermodynamic air flow and drafts when trying to ventilate a coop in winter.

It appears you could be struggling with the opposing concepts of air flow vs drafts. The first prevents water vapor from condensing on combs and causing frostbite. The second acts as a wind chill effect and makes humidity more likely to condense on combs and cause frostbite.
 
For the water - I have been putting a ceramic dog bowl inside a heated dog water bowl. This allows me to easily remove the bowl if the water gets dirty, without fiddling with the cord. The water freezes if temps are in single digits for several hours over night, but it's easy to replace with another bowl, and I just have to do that once in the morning. Of course, that might not work if you're in a colder climate than I am.

My hens spend most of their day in their covered, wind-protected run, which is also where their food and water are located. If there's a way you can build them some outside protection, they might be more willing to leave the coop. Cattle panels and tarps or plastic sheeting come to mind as cheap options, depending on your situation.
 
For videos, you need to host the video on another site (i.e. youtube, vimeo) and then link it.

How cold is it getting at lowest points?

What kind of waterer are you using? I see what appears to be a gravity waterer... have you ever tried a nipple waterer before? A closed watering system would reduce the amount of water evaporation inside the coop/

It's great that you have a lot of open windows (and the feed bags don't completely cover/block the ventilation) however in cold conditions having vents up higher would more effectively let out moisture with less risk of draft. It's unrealistic to expect you to go out in freezing temps to make adjustments, but when weather is better I'd look into opening up the space between the rafters (aqua - and you may need to add fascia boards to the roof to help keep out drafts/rain) and then maybe also making top hinged covers for the current windows so you can partially lower them during bad weather to provide extra protection against drafts.
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