mjfletch1
In the Brooder
- Apr 30, 2017
- 8
- 5
- 12
During the cold snap here in Indiana a week and a half ago several of my chickens got frostbite, a couple of them really bad. My situation is unique because I converted one of the horse stalls in a large pole barn into a chicken coop. We put 2x4's over the top and covered with chicken wire. It gets really cold out there with the temperatures in the pole barn probably only a little warmer than outside. All last winter they did fine tho, no problems at all. There is a ton of ventilation because the whole top of the stall is open to the air in the pole barn. Is that considered good ventilation tho, because it's open to the air in the pole barn? I would think so. I do always open or crack several of the doors/windows of the pole barn so fresh air gets inside, and there's tons of openings/cracks in the walls of the barn. I figured that it was a warmth issue so I covered the top of the stall and the one open side with a tarp, still leaving several of the tops of the walls open for ventilation. I have been using a heat lamp on the days that it gets really cold, like single digits and below cold. And more chickens are getting frostbite!!! What in the world?! I'm so frustrated. Do I ventilate more or do I try to increase heat? Which direction do I go? I feel awful because they are getting worse and I don't know what to do. I've been keeping them inside the past several days that it was been below freezing again. They free range so they are exposed to all the elements outside. I've read every article I can find on frostbite and ventilation, etc and I just get more and more confused. Like I said, my situation is unique because it is a coop inside a pole barn. If anyone has any insight, I would really appreciate any help!!!
