Frostbitten Combs and waddles

[Chickenbach]

In your climate you should do fine with one square foot of ventilation per ten square feet of coop space. I would avoid any coop heating.
I would stop with the warm oatmeal. The steam would cause moisture to accumulate on the wattles, causing increased frostbite.
It gets down to -50 F here on average and I have not had any frostbite excluding on my rooster.
In almost all cases (90% or more) birds do just fine without help. Leave frostbite alone. It will heal or self dub.

Thank you for your reply, it was very helpful. You also helped me with another concern. Heating the coop. My Mother lives in the deep south and has worried me to death that the chickens NEED heat. It is a constant battle with her. LoL I can't wait to forward this to her. Thank you again,

 

[Welshies]

Thank you for your reply, it was very helpful. You also helped me with another concern. Heating the coop. My Mother lives in the deep south and has worried me to death that the chickens NEED heat. It is a constant battle with her. LoL I can't wait to forward this to her. Thank you again,

I personally only heat my coop in -4F (-20C) or lower when I have chicks under 20 weeks old.
Otherwise my birds are always fine in -50F (-45°C) as adults without heat. Just watch for the frostbite and have lots of bedding! Good luck!

 

[theoldchick]

Thank you for your response, What kind of signs for infection would I look for?

You'll notice a greenish/yellowish discharge with a bad odor from the frostbitten area. Good luck!