Frost bitten Wattles and Combs... How to prevent?

[CKfarm22]

Hey y’all, with winter unfortunately right infront of us, i’m wondering how to prevent frostbitten wattles and combs...

 

[Eggcessive]

It sometimes happens, no matter what you do in very cold and freezing temps. Wattles get frozen because of drinking from waterers where the wattle get wet and then they are met with below freezing temps. Combs do better in coops where it is dry, and there is not a lot of humidity. This means that keeping bedding stirred and dry, and providing good overhead air circulation to remove excess humidity. In northern climates where cold is usual in Dec-Feb, there are tons of frostbite threads here. Nothing on the combs helps to prevent it, including vaseline, and may actually cause more frostbite. It can be helpful to get smaller combed birds in the first place, but if you see frostbite, the combs may become rounded off. That is okay. Frostbite in toes and feet is what is really bad. Try to have roosts that are wide, such as 2x4 with the wide side up so that chickens can sit on their feet. Prevent water spills and wet bedding. Provide more overhead ventilation from one end of coop to the other, while also keeping the windows covered with 1/2 inch hardware cloth wire for predator prevention. Most people do not need heat lamps to prevent frostbite. Make sure they have some room overhead for air to circulate. Very tiny cramped coops would be more prone to frostbie.

 

[CKfarm22]

It sometimes happens, no matter what you do in very cold and freezing temps. Wattles get frozen because of drinking from waterers where the wattle get wet and then they are met with below freezing temps. Combs do better in coops where it is dry, and there is not a lot of humidity. This means that keeping bedding stirred and dry, and providing good overhead air circulation to remove excess humidity. In northern climates where cold is usual in Dec-Feb, there are tons of frostbite threads here. Nothing on the combs helps to prevent it, including vaseline, and may actually cause more frostbite. It can be helpful to get smaller combed birds in the first place, but if you see frostbite, the combs may become rounded off. That is okay. Frostbite in toes and feet is what is really bad. Try to have roosts that are wide, such as 2x4 with the wide side up so that chickens can sit on their feet. Prevent water spills and wet bedding. Provide more overhead ventilation from one end of coop to the other, while also keeping the windows covered with 1/2 inch hardware cloth wire for predator prevention. Most people do not need heat lamps to prevent frostbite. Make sure they have some room overhead for air to circulate. Very tiny cramped coops would be more prone to frostbie.

We’re planning on building a 6’x5’x6’ coop. In the plans we have 4 24”x12” windows, one on the front, one on each side and one on the back. We also have roof eaves in the plans, along with a 14”x4” vent on the front, 2 14”x 4” on the back and a 14”x 4” on each wall.