How to prevent frostbite?

[Dandelioness]

Thanks for the Vaseline tip! I haven't had a night cold enough to try it, but the past two it got down to -4 F, with a pretty nasty windchill of -15 or something. So I applied Vaseline to the comb & wattles of that rooster who had a touch of frostbite a few weeks ago. His tips are still black, they never fell off or changed back to red, but there is NO spreading of the frostbite on his comb after two pretty nasty nights!! We do not use heat lamps.

I also went through and applied sweet PDZ to the bedding and added more dry bedding to my deep litter, and opened up another vent in the roost room of my coop to maximize the fresh air and provide dry bedding. Everyone else looks good, too. I even had 2 chickens who were roosting in a tree outside cluck at me and follow me in when I brought the food and water this morning. Neither of them have any signs of frostbite, so I think there's something to the dry/well-ventilated theory that some have.

I even got my first egg in about a month!!! I've been adding cayenne to the feed & water to stimulate laying, now that most are done molting. Just a really exciting morning for me!

 

[Rani]

It would be interesting to see what kind of coop, and how many chickens were in it. For all of them to be frozen to death on the roosts. I read on this forum a couple of years ago, where somebody's coop was frozen up inside so bad, they could not get the door open. Seems, they had left their birds in the care of a neighbor, and the neighbor thought they were doing the chickens a favor by shutting all the ventilation off. They thought it was too cold.
I would bet something along the same lines happened to your friend's chickens. Too many birds, in too small a space, too little (If any) ventilation, combined with some very cold temps, adding up to a death chamber. There is plenty of documentation out there about chickens living with no problems in below zero temps. I read about how people up in Canada, were keeping chickens in open-air coops in -40 temps. These birds have average body temps of 106 degrees. That, combined with one of nature's best insulation, their feathers, it's going to take some kind of extreme freeze to turn them into a popsicle.

I have to agree that humidity has got to have something to do with it.

 

[Rani]

I don't know the dimensions of the coop, but it was something like 8-10 hens. She said they all had their heads tucked under their wings like normal and literally froze in place. She lost her peacock the same night (he was not in the coop) in the barn.

Like I said I don't really disagree with either side. If you have the right set up I can see not using a heat lamp, but if someone feels the need for it I wouldn't tell them not to.

Fire freaks me out. But I put in a lamp. I've only turned it on once so far this winter. Only when the coop gets lower than 10 F. And the lamp, attachment and chord will be inspected each time. (I also don't get much sleep). I don't want to loose them to fire or freezing. There has to be a carefully managed, happy medium.

 

[EagleEyes]

Rani,
I know as little about chickens as anyone here, but from what I have read, heat is much worse than cold, so I do not worry about the cold for my girls. I do make sure that they have a perch and no draft, and when I go out in the morning, they are out in the run no matter how cold, so I'm sure that they will be fine. I do let then out in the yard all the time later in the day. and sit down and give them some scratch. They are my buddies.

 

[BayBay Peepers]

Yes heat can be a problem too. The reason we opted for the light is the frostbite. The guys and gals with bigger combs really get hit hard. I also decided to put tarps up in my run this Winter. All my water buckets are outside so this way when they go out for at least a drink the wind is being blocked. We were a little behind because of crazy work hours lately, but we finally got them up this past weekend. There's suppose to be a round of freezing rain tonight (yippy!) so it shall be the first test.

 

[mtchickengal]

I agree, those big combs are a problem. I did coat all of them with bag balm last Friday. It got to -15 (-9 in the coop). they did get a little frostbite anyway. I did post some pics of them on my profile. I'd write more, but I'm on my lunch break.

 

[BayBay Peepers]

So far bag balm seems to be working some magic here. We have some that got hit pretty badly, but they look like they get at least some relief when I put it on.

 

[suebgbr]

Does anyone know what bag balm is called in England? Could someone please post a picture of it so I can see if I recognise it?

 

[MeepBeep]

Does anyone know what bag balm is called in England? Could someone please post a picture of it so I can see if I recognise it?

It would be called Bag Balm everywhere as that is the product name...

It's a mix of petroleum jelly, a topical antiseptic and lanolin it's made for use on cow utters...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bag_Balm

Amazon.co.uk sells it...

Just an FYI, contrary to often repeated urban legend, petroleum jelly does very little if anything to prevent frostbit... It will help keep injuries clean and protected though...

 

[romea]

...

Just an FYI, contrary to often repeated urban legend, petroleum jelly does very little if anything to prevent frostbit... It will help keep injuries clean and protected though...

very interesting. the ingredients also suggest some water content which, i assume, would actually have the opposite effect...
what do you suggest?