Is frostbite avoidable without electric heating? Should I add heat to my coop?

[StinkyAcres]

Brisk wind outside 48F in the coop. The temp is falling

The original poster made this thread to ask for help. It is not a blog.

 

[ChickenShepherd_6116]

Now for a small chicken coop that’s a bit over kill, some good elbow grease and scrubbing will do the job. A good Spring cleaning job to do, I don’t see it too bad just some black speckles, which I cannot really say is mold or what - err on the side of caution.

So should I clean it now or wait until the weather is more dry in the spring? I assume the sooner the better for getting rid of mold, but I don't want to paint over damp wood if the humidity is high. I will try to do a big coop cleaning this week, if it ever stops raining! I also am not sure if it is mold or not. Its pretty much all over the plywood ceiling, so hopefully I can get it all out. None on the walls, though. I plan to clean it off with a spray and then when it dries I will paint on some primer made to prevent mold.

 

[StinkyAcres]

So should I clean it now or wait until the weather is more dry in the spring? I assume the sooner the better for getting rid of mold, but I don't want to paint over damp wood if the humidity is high. I will try to do a big coop cleaning this week, if it ever stops raining! I also am not sure if it is mold or not. Its pretty much all over the plywood ceiling, so hopefully I can get it all out. None on the walls, though. I plan to clean it off with a spray and then when it dries I will paint on some primer made to prevent mold.

It is likely too cold to use paint/primer right now.

 

[ChickenShepherd_6116]

It is likely too cold to use paint/primer right now.

Good to know! Given the mold is not too bad, should I just clean it now and wait until spring (or a dry day) to paint?

 

[StinkyAcres]

Good to know! Given the mold is not too bad, should I just clean it now and wait until spring (or a dry day) to paint?

What kind of spray will you be using? I'm not sure cleaning with chemicals or even vinegar in the winter is a good idea since you won't be able to easily air out the coop without the chickens inside.

 

[Ponypoor]

Good to know! Given the mold is not too bad, should I just clean it now and wait until spring (or a dry day) to paint?

I would wait until it's warm enough that washing it will actually dry it. Not much you can do with it, washing it will just make it more wet.

Just be mindful of it and in the Spring get a better look at it to see if it is indeed mould, as I stated it's very hard to see in the photos and without actually seeing it in person hard to tell. If you have used OSB for the wood, you will likely have a difficult time getting mould cleaned off it anyways. Once it gets really nice and dry (and hot would be good) you can give it a scrubbing and paint it, I think I read that the product someone mentioned 'Killz' is a paint/fungicide, give it a couple coats.

Another reason to wait is the fact you do not want to be using anything with strong odour, or chemical smell in an enclosed area, this can damage little lungs.

EDIT:

Just looking into the KILZ - make sure to get the

KILZ® MOLD & MILDEW​

Interior | Exterior Primer​

https://www.kilz.com/primer/kilz-mold--mildew

Some of the others are not applicable for mould and mildew applications. FYI these are just primers, you will need to use a paint overtop of it (I really like soft yellow )

 

[truthgiver]

Absolutely.

In the seven years I've been keeping chickens every winter we've gone sub-zero at some point or another.

I've had frostbite on two males. The first time it was -23F and my single comb rooster got a mild case of frostbite dubbing. The second time was last year when a cockerel with huge wattles dunked them into the fount waterer and the ends froze. Other than that, I've had no frostbite in my flock.

I have approximately 17 sq ft of permanently open ventilation in the ridge vent, gable vents and soffit vents along with two windows cracked open away from the roosting area and two pop doors that are kept open year round. I have no insulation in my coop.
View attachment 4261252

If you have adequate ventilation over your birds heads with some way for fresh air to come in down low you should not have any frostbite. Also, keep the coop is dry as possible. If you have any water source in the coop at all it needs to come out.

 

[SourRoses]

Particle board is like a sponge, you can't use liquid cleaners on it or it will swell.

To confirm mold, there is probably a test kit of some kind available. No idea of the cost. Or you can prise a chip of the affected area off for examination under a microscope (little handheld limited function ones are available for about $25).

Climate makes for big differences in urgency. In my climate, seeing mold spots means there's about to be explosive growth. Fungus is incredibly virulent. Black mold is not visible until the spores have spread all over the place. Then it only needs some more humid days to really get going.
In dry states you could probably watch an isolated area not progress for a long time.
If you want to wait and see, just check often, especially after humid days. But that does pose the risk of letting it get much worse because one grows comfortable with it. Remember black mold is unhealthy to breathe.

As for the paint products, there is also a separate additive on the shelves at my local lowes, that you mix into any paint to act as a fungicide. That keeps the mold from persisting in the wood. If mold were easy to kill, a layer of paint itself should be able to smother it. But no, we are talking about a crazy organism.

Summary: Test if you can, or observe if you must, paint when weather allows. Don't try to clean an uncleanable surface.

 

[ChickenShepherd_6116]

Here is a picture of my OSB ceiling - to me that doesn't really look like mold, just normal OSB texture. I am no expert when it comes to this and have never dealt with mold, so it could be, I just don't know. And in person, the spots look much lighter - like a reddish brown.

Here is another one of mine:

To compare, this image below is a google image of an OSB board, and it looks very similar to mine. Mine is a bit darker, but maybe that is just shadows/lighting? Who knows... I will keep an eye on it.

 

[StinkyAcres]

Here is a picture of my OSB ceiling - to me that doesn't really look like mold, just normal OSB texture. I am no expert when it comes to this and have never dealt with mold, so it could be, I just don't know. And in person, the spots look much lighter - like a reddish brown.
View attachment 4266308
Here is another one of mine:
View attachment 4266316

To compare, this image below is a google image of an OSB board, and it looks very similar to mine. Mine is a bit darker, but maybe that is just shadows/lighting? Who knows... I will keep an eye on it.
View attachment 4266315

Yeah, I'm not seeing mold in those photos. That's good news!