Help Frostbite Is Starting

[Kovalciks Chickens]

I have an old chicken coop that is very drafty that I use for my show birds. This year i got Japanese Bantams. They have large combs and wattles and i believe frost bite is starting.

I put up bales of straw to try to stop the drafts but im not sure how much it helped. Is there anything else i can do to help them survive frost bite this winter?

 

[Barry]

I think the answer has to be a heat lamp if you are having problems already. It is going to get a lot colder!

 

[kathyinmo]

I have read to coat the waddles and combs with vaseline, to prevent frost bite.

 

[artsyrobin]

i've read where you can just use a normal 60 watt lightbulb in the coop to keep the edge off for them

 

[crtrlovr]

can you wrap the outside of the coop with "house wrap" or heavy plastic, available at home building places, or get hay bales and stack them against the walls either inside or outside the house to block the worst of the drafts?

 

[greathorse]

How cold has it been there. I did not know that they were that sensitive to frost bite. Are you sure they didnt get in a tussle and you have a comb that is healing from being nipped?

I think your straw insulation would really help a lot and them make sure the coop is well venilated above their heads. I know that 100 watt bulb in a small coop can go a long ways.

Perhaps reach out to an experienced Jap breeder in your climate to see how they protect and how susceptible they really are.

 

[shelleyd2008]

Frostbite already?? You might want to consider making a smaller pen inside the coop to put the japs in. Or wrap the coop with some kind of plastic, and use a light.

 

[theFox]

Get some house wrap put that around the coop, stack straw bales around the coop on the outside, stitch the bales together to make a tight wall, between the very high R value of the straw bales and the draft reduction of the house wrap you'll have a decent place for the bird, then get a red heat lamp and reflector that you can run on a timer to come on between 11 PM and two hours after sunrise.

Make certain you still have sufficient ventilation.

Frostbite can be an major issue for birds with large head gear, more so if the coop or the birds get damp.

Good luck.

 

[LynneP]

Yep, and some huddle boxes with pieces of 4x4 on the floor for emergency situations when the temps plunge suddenly.

I know that vaseline and bag balm are both used for combs, and I've been wondering if anyone has tried that silicon cream that scuba divers use? I remember how effective it was for us in North Atlantic diving, years ago...

 

[Kovalciks Chickens]

Quote:
it is in the 40s r so in the day and sometimes at night it drops to 20s F. he did not get in a tussle because he is all by himself with a hen and i have 4 baby japs that look like it may be developing already.