Having Frostbite issues. Ventilation?

[Wickedchicken6]

Thank you @Wickedchicken6, I appreciate you taking so much time to explain & show your set up. You have got some hardy birds there!

I can be wordy when I'm tired...lol. I've been documenting for myself because my experiences haven't matched up with what I've read.

I've been fortunate. These birds are a good basis to start from. I still have a long way to go.

 

[Wickedchicken6]

Yes! Good advice.
If you heat your coop humidity won't matter.
I always keep some ventilation- it is -43°C (-45°F) here today. My adult birds have little frostbite. No heater (I tried, but it's blowing cold air), no extra coddling.

I did try heating it at first.
I don't heat my coop now, the girls provide enough heat themselves to keep it warm enough for the most part. Minus temps actual in the 40s is incredibly harsh. I have never had to deal with -50 C actual temps.
It can get that cold here with the windchill...but the birds are not in the wind.

 

[Hamiam]

I did try heating it at first.
I don't heat my coop now, the girls provide enough heat themselves to keep it warm enough for the most part. Minus temps actual in the 40s is incredibly harsh. I have never had to deal with -50 C actual temps.
It can get that cold here with the windchill...but the birds are not in the wind.

This may sound like a crazy question, but, why do you want to live in such a cold part of the world?

 

[Wickedchicken6]

So do you use almost no ventilation in winter then? Sorry if I misunderstood!

All the building on the farm are old; the barn and house are 100 years old already. All the building have been cladded with metal sheeting. Or in the case of the garage, with vinyl siding. But the hen coop is nowhere close to being airtight. It's still going to be a garage once the chickens move out.

But as far as the venting in the front, yes...I close it up when it's cold/windy. If it's cold for 2 weeks straight I'd have the venting shut. When it's that cold, there's no ammonia etc...everything's frozen solid. When it starts to warm up, I use a stall dry product or we clean the building removing the soiled bedding.

Here's a better pic. The top six inches can be vented right across. When it's not cold/windy like in this pic, it's open like this all day long.

 

[Wickedchicken6]

This may sound like a crazy question, but, why do you want to live in such a cold part of the world?

I was born and raised here...lol. We've acclimated to the weather here, just like you've acclimated to your hot weather there.

I'll take this cold over your heat any day. I can't handle the heat. Please DON'T make me go to Mexico. We can get as hot as 35 C in the summer. I'm still in a t-shirt in the yard in -15 C weather to grab something quick. It's currently -28 C right now...and I'm only wearing a sweater to go out to go home. (We're supposed to get down to -31 tonight.) That's just life here.

 

[Hamiam]

I was born and raised here...lol. We've acclimated to the weather here, just like you've acclimated to your hot weather there.

I'll take this cold over your heat any day. I can't handle the heat. Please DON'T make me go to Mexico. We can get as hot as 35 C in the summer. I'm still in a t-shirt in the yard in -15 C weather to grab something quick. It's currently -28 C right now...and I'm only wearing a sweater to go out to go home. (We're supposed to get down to -31 tonight.) That's just life here.

Ok, truthfully...I have backspaced/deleted my reply at least 3 times. The bottom line is..God knows what he's doing. I thank him for letting me be born in Southern USA. I hope to visit Canada someday. However, it will not be during the winter!

 

[Wickedchicken6]

Ok, truthfully...I have backspaced/deleted my reply at least 3 times. The bottom line is..God knows what he's doing. I thank him for letting me be born in Southern USA. I hope to visit Canada someday. However, it will not be during the winter!

Lol...we would love to have you visit.

And I certainly meant no disrespect to you or your weather. I used a poor choice of words above.

 

[Anethema]

Hey guys! Thanks for all the amazing replies. Once this cold snap passes, I am going to open that ceiling up and try more ventilation. Hopefully that will help those poor guys

As to why I live here:

1. I enjoy the winter for the most part, I just can't stand to see animals suffer, esp when they keep pooping out eggs for me. I love skidooing and playing in the snow with the dogs. I looove looking out the window from my wood heated house at a winter wonderland sparkling in the sun outside.

2. I sold my house in 'sunny' southern BC (in brackets because you don't see the sun 8 months a year, but the other 4 are super sunny. Here it is mostly sunny all the time). It was a small older place. I used that money to buy 160 acres up here. I've got chickens, horses, and my own private forest pond and hiking trails. All for $250k. In the process my wage more than doubled.

It seemed like a no-brainer to me

 

[Hamiam]

Lol...we would love to have you visit.

And I certainly meant no disrespect to you or your weather. I used a poor choice of words above.

Oh no! I didn't take offense, I was worried my comments would offend you. One started with: FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!!!! Lol
Ok, I have never had frostbite in my life. However, about 35 minutes ago, I was refilling the chickens water & doing my evening chores. My hands got wet & I kept pushing thru the pain to finish. I got into the house & started running warm water over my numb hands. Very painful! Oh yea, it was 43*F . You must have a heated place to deal with water/cleaning chores.
I may just have to take you up on a visit. But it definitely has to be out of the negative temp range.

 

[BantyChooks]

Oh no! I didn't take offense, I was worried my comments would offend you. One started with: FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!!!! Lol
Ok, I have never had frostbite in my life. However, about 35 minutes ago, I was refilling the chickens water & doing my evening chores. My hands got wet & I kept pushing thru the pain to finish. I got into the house & started running warm water over my numb hands. Very painful! Oh yea, it was 43*F . You must have a heated place to deal with water/cleaning chores.
I may just have to take you up on a visit. But it definitely has to be out of the negative temp range.

There's a really neat recent invention called 'gloves'