frost bite on combs ?

[hennybee]

Is it normal for a flock of hens to exhibit some degree of frost bite on their combs during winter months or should this be a very rare occurrence? I've had these five hens for almost two years, so this is the second winter that I've had them (in North East PA). Last winter two of my hens had fairly significant frost bite on their combs, not bloody or anything like that, just significant enough that the points of their combs turned color and dropped off. I did use bag balm on those and the other hens' combs to try reduce the incidence and severity. Now this winter I'm seeing the same thing on two or three of them, but not severe, only the very tips of some of the points on their combs look affected. Yet, this is causing me to question what I might be doing wrong or might be missing in my preparations for winter, and if this is a really common condition that can simply be expected as long as it doesn't become severe, meaning their combs don't become bloodied or highly susceptible to infection. I am putting a thin coat of bag balm on their combs now again in order to treat/prevent further issues.

The coop is as sealed as I can figure it to be, and there is a small vent near the top of the coop from the exhaust fan that I run in the summer. The run is wrapped in clear tarps with some openings around the top. The run has a soft/tarp roof that doesn't quite expand the length of the run, so there is about a foot of opening on top. I went around the coop before the cold hit our area to seal any possible draft points with calking. I really don't know what else i can do to end the frost bitten comb dilemma. So, do most people experience this with their chickens each winter or should this not be happening? We did have some quite cold nights recently, nearly zero degrees. So, is this issue not completely solvable in those temps and I shouldn't worry about it, or is there something I should think about doing to stop this from happening totally? I hate to see them lose pieces of their combs, which must include some amount of pain, if I can do something to prevent it.

 

[thecatumbrella]

If your chickens have large combs, then some frostbite might be inevitable. But the biggest culprit is usually poor ventilation.

I recommend checking out this article. See if you can get more warm air/moisture vented out the top, above their heads.

Also, feel free to post some photos of your coop, especially the eves. You'll typically get some good ideas to modify things to make winter more comfortable for your flock.

It is a tough balance between keeping them warm and keeping the frostbite away!