will high winds cause frostbite?

[wildorchid053]

since we are on a hill top we have a breeze all the time.. i am worried about the wind chill in the winter.. i have RIR and large combs and wattles.. they are made for this area but with all the wind we get and the freezing temps will they get frostbite? should i keep them enclosed when it is in the teens or lower?

 

[thechickenchick]

As long as they have access to the indoors you shouldn't have to worry. Mine will gladly go out when it is 0 as long as the wind isn't blowing. This morning it is 18 and calm, they are outside playing in the snow! I trust mine to go in when they are too cold. If it is 30 below and windy (like last week!) I don't even open their door. They won't be interested in coming out anyway and this keeps their heat in the coop.

 

[LynneP]

Mine are in today, not so much because of cold but because the crystalline snow and high winds (we're on a hill too) would scald the eyeballs right out of the hens! Or they'd be pounded on the wire in the run. I was waffling, and opened the big door to the run- the alpha balked and the other 11 tipped her out into the snow. She squealed and jumped back and we all decided it was too savage for hens to be out...so having the right amount of square footage indoors is reallllly important when it's like this!

There are lots of reasons for keeping birds in- I'm not afraid of frostbite as much as eye damage but if wwere damp, too, frostbite would be an issue even in my cold-hardy flock.