Winter is coming

[Mother hen 119]

When mine have gotten frostbite, was when the roost was too close to the ceiling. I did not get that feeling from your pictures, but sometimes pictures are misleading.

As stated above moisture is the culprit. Damp chickens are cold chickens. Good deep dry bedding, and ventilation. The time I am most apt to have problems is if there is a bit of frozen manure, due to a long spell of very cold weather, then it warms up, manure thaws and releases a ton of moisture, then that night it gets cold again.

Now I really pile the bedding deep beneath the roost, and every so often I sprinkle it with scratch. The girls will turn that bedding breaking up the manure, and leaving dry bedding on top. Works well for me.

Work on the idea of dry, do not worry about warm. Dry birds out of the prevailing wind are warm.

Mrs K

Thanks for all the new information. I will keep it all in mind. Oh and my chickens have a 8 by 10 shed for their coop. They roost not even half way up the shed. It also has 2 windows in it. I also cut a hole in the side so they can get out.

 

[Vorksigan]

Looks like you have a few red sexlinks, a Faverolle, a Silver Laced Wyandotte, a Swedish Flower Hen rooster, a Cochin rooster, an Old English Game bantam hen, and a few mixed breeds.
All should be pretty cold-hardy.

I have

 

[Vorksigan]

I have

I have 5 Flowering pullets that are a mixture of colors from light brown to silver. I also have 3 cockerels that are solid white. I obtain a bunch of chicks and all the pullets are similar in color but are they sex link with cockerels being ? Also how often do they lay? Any help will be appreciated.
[email protected]
Johnny

 

[aart]

How do I keep my chickens from getting frostbite on the water? How do I know when to treat them for frostbite?

I know 'water' was a 'typo' but dragging their wattles in an open waterer during freezing temps can also cause frostbite...and they can also go out and eat off the snowbanks getting wattles wet and cold(happens here every year despite a heated and closed water system).

Thanks for all the new information. I will keep it all in mind. Oh and my chickens have a 8 by 10 shed for their coop. They roost not even half way up the shed. It also has 2 windows in it. I also cut a hole in the side so they can get out.

That sounds pretty good..as long as the windows don't let strong drafts ruffle the feathers while birds are on the roost. If their feathers are moving, the air movement is too strong
Where are you located?
Knowing your climate would help us help you.



More on frostbite:
Frostbite is hard to avoid if you live in a humid climate, when you have gads of ventilation to release ammonia, you can't make it drier in the coop than it is outside.

I don't think vaseline, or even bag balm, really is much of a deterrent...it just causes stress and creates a dirt magnet which can actually hold moisture.

Nice wide roosts, 2x4 wide side up, can definitely help them keep their feet warm tho.

As far as treatment, IMO it's best not to even touch it......it's compromised tissue and touching it could very easily make it worse
Have had mild and terrible big black patches on tender wattles here.
Those black patches were swollen for a few days and eventually sloughed off without any infection or swelling and if you didn't know where to look you wouldn't even know it happened within a few weeks or so.

Had other smaller black spots on some combs and more often grayish patches/spots(a mild frostbite) which heal up even faster.

So don't sweat it too much, if you see some grayish or black patches, just keep an eye on them for infection.

Here's some pics:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...ll-are-welcome.697050/page-3499#post-16265188

 

[Mother hen 119]

Thanks for all the information. It’s is always cold in the coop but there feathers don’t move. The other day it got cold enough to freeze the water. I don’t have electronic out there. Do you have any idea how to keep the Walter from freezing?