Frostbite or something else?

[TX Chick Noob]

Sorry to post yet another frostbite thread, but even after reading several other threads and articles I am not sure if that is what some of my pullets have. A few have large white areas on their combs. Wattles all seem ok.

They are 8 months old, some are ISA Brown, some are OE or some other colored egg layer.

I did my best to block off wind in the coop while still giving ventilation. They do not have a run. Coop is 10’x12’ for 11 chickens. I have been trying to scoop out the worst of the poop each day, especially anything on a solid surface. Bedding is pine shavings that is probably 5” deep. The day before the storm I sprinkled PDZ over all the bedding and then added a fresh bag on top, which the girls mixed in. I took out all but the heated waterer, which is in a front corner to try to keep it closer to ventilation and away from the roost area. We had lots of rain and horrible humidity for several weeks before the cold hit. Temps got down to around 15F with windchill of -10F one night, and stayed below freezing for over 48 hours. That was almost a week ago, we have had off and on freezing several days since then.

Here are some pics of the girls, and some of how the coop is currently set up. I also did monitor wind direction and it was never blowing directly on the front of the coop.

I know that if it is frostbite I need to just monitor and leave it alone. We are supposed to be over freezing for at least the next week. Just need to confirm if that is what I am dealing with, and get some advice on what else I can do to prevent it in the future. More bedding? Add heat or a dehumidifier?

 

[sourland]

You are correct. They have frost bite - not extreme, but parts of their combs may darken, dry up and eventually fall off.

 

[TX Chick Noob]

You are correct. They have frost bite - not extreme, but parts of their combs may darken, dry up and eventually fall off.

Any suggestions for what else I can do to prevent it in the future?

 

[WI chickens]

Any suggestions for what else I can do to prevent it in the future?

It looks like their roost area is unprotected from the wind. I would correct that.

 

[TX Chick Noob]

It looks like their roost area is unprotected from the wind. I would correct that.

Actually their roost area stays pretty well draft free. I will double check again, but it is about a foot below the open area in the front and wind doesn’t seem to be able to get in that back area from the side. When I checked them after they roosted during the bad weather there weren’t any ruffled feathers or anything, and I have tried holding up string to check. But I will tie some at a few places and monitor it to make sure. Thanks for the advice.

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Actually their roost area stays pretty well draft free. I will double check again, but it is about a foot below the open area in the front and wind doesn’t seem to be able to get in that back area from the side. When I checked them after they roosted during the bad weather there weren’t any ruffled feathers or anything, and I have tried holding up string to check. But I will tie some at a few places and monitor it to make sure. Thanks for the advice.

OK take this as just some thoughts as you work on solving the problem. I wonder about how close the top roost is to the roof and those back eaves, and what might be going on with the roof material during extreme temperature changes, and how exposed the roosts are in general. The big things they say are moisture and/or drafts, combined with the cold.

--I would be suspicious of that square open wall that the fan is next to. It is right next to their roosts it looks like? Maybe block that wall in bad weather, leaving the front parts of that wall and the front wall for ventilation, if it calculates as enough, because then the main ventilation mechanisms are away from the roosting area.

--Could the metal roof be forming condensation as the temperature drops? Insulate it between the chickens and the exterior roof, or give them some barrier like plywood between them and the outside roof.

-- Track the pattern of air flow as you mention you are going to try, from where it is coming from and going to. You don't want it entering or exiting right by their heads. This is a good quick read and has many links to other coop designs for ideas. Living in Texas I imagine you need both the extreme heat and extreme cold ideas.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/repecka-illustrates-coop-ventilation.77659/

-- Maybe put some baffle inserts to stop any direct drafts flowing near head height, like in the back eaves you have there. Here's a good article on ventilation baffles by @aart , using furnace filters.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/ventilation-baffling.75434/

Hope this helps!