How to prevent frostbite?

[BayBay Peepers]

Thank you I will definitely look into that.

 

[emma p]

I do not heat my coop and do not think I ever will. I have Cochins so they are hardy in winter. I just know some people that have had fires and horrible things have happened because of heating. I just would not want to take the risk.

 

[EagleEyes]

Make sure your coop is ventilated. Moist air plus cold temps equal frostbite. Coop humidity should be under 60%. I leave the pop door open and have a roof vent...a vent near the bottom and top of the coop will draw out the moist air from the chickens breathing and droppings at night. This is very important for preventing frostbite. Good luck!

so how would you expect the coop humidity to be less than the humidity outside. Here in Wisconsin, as an example right now it is 73% outside and inside my coop it is within 3% of that, and by morning the outside humidity is always higher outside, so the inside follows.
Out west, I know that they have much lower humidity than the midwest. It matters where you live.

 

[MeepBeep]

It matters where you live.

Exactly, as I keep repeating every ones setup and situation is unique, and the single blanket 'Increase ventilation and no heat' answer is simply not black and white...

Your example is a perfect example where ventilation alone will do little to prevent frostbite even in mild freezing temps, as ventilation in your instance can't lower the humidly beyond a safe threshold to help prevent frostbite... That isn't to say the ventilation isn't helping as it probably will lower it from the potentially more dangerous higher humidity levels, but it's not able to lower it to sufficient enough levels to lower the risk significantly...

 

[BunchOBiddies]

We lived in Kentucky, and had chickens freeze on the roost in the hen house. A neighbor told me to take my chickens warm water in the morning and evening and I would quit loosing any chickens. My chickens seemed to appreciate it greatly.

 

[BayBay Peepers]

Is anyone else already experiencing frostbite in their flock right now? I didn't use anything last year and my oldest rooster lost his comb tips when the temps hit -40 to - 50. This year I started putting on bag balm, but I can see the young rooster I have is about to lose his tips. I think theres a hen or two also, but I think there's a chance they'll make it out alright. We hit around 0 degrees already, but it hasn't stayed there very long so I'm kind of surprised to see this much damage this early in the season.

He is a wanderer so there's no telling what kind of traveling he does while I'm at work. One afternoon I found him across the yard in a bush practicing his crow. Thankfully that day wasn't so cold, but he's still suffering at this point.

 

[aart]

I gotta wonder about these 'chickens freezing to death on their roosts' stories if there are other extenuating circumstances involved, like disease, crowding, very high humidity, inadequate ventilation, etc. that the keepers afflicted were completely unaware of.

 

[aart]

Is anyone else already experiencing frostbite in their flock right now? I didn't use anything last year and my oldest rooster lost his comb tips when the temps hit -40 to - 50. This year I started putting on bag balm, but I can see the young rooster I have is about to lose his tips. I think theres a hen or two also, but I think there's a chance they'll make it out alright. We hit around 0 degrees already, but it hasn't stayed there very long so I'm kind of surprised to see this much damage this early in the season.

He is a wanderer so there's no telling what kind of traveling he does while I'm at work. One afternoon I found him across the yard in a bush practicing his crow. Thankfully that day wasn't so cold, but he's still suffering at this point.

That stinks BBP......to hear that the bag balm doesn't work....maybe he wore it off running thru the bushes and got a wet comb doing the same.

 

[emma p]

We lived in Kentucky, and had chickens freeze on the roost in the hen house. A neighbor told me to take my chickens warm water in the morning and evening and I would quit loosing any chickens. My chickens seemed to appreciate it greatly.

Yes. I give my chickens some scratch at night to increase their body temp.

 

[BayBay Peepers]

I think the bag balm is definitely helping even if the young rooster isn't 100%. I bet you're right aart who knows what he's brushing against in his adventures.