Is our coop causing frostbite?

[Fetz]

Our Barred Rock rooster has developed frostbite on his comb and wattles. Some of our hens are starting to as well. What can we adjust in our coop to prevent this?

Their coop is a stall in a 100yr old barn. It is not insulated and we have not used supplemental heat so far. There is no water in the coop and we are trying to use deep litter method, though I'd guess we only have 8in of bedding on the floor. We've left about 3sqft of a south facing window uncovered for ventilation and light.

We have been cleaning the poop tarp weekly but I think that will become a daily chore do remove that moisture source.

It seems it may be a moot point as they spend almost all day outside anyway. Right now the rooster and everyone else is behaving totally normal.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

What type of temperatures? Most of my flock is kept in a pole building. No insulation, nor heat. When it gets below -10 Fahrenheit I sometimes will see frostbite. Gets much colder and it is inevitable in my experiences. It can help to choose smaller combed breeds to avoid it somewhat.

If you are seeing frostbite at warmer temperatures it's probably a moisture issue.

How much air movement is there? Prevailing winds should be blocked as much as possible while still allowing good air exchange. Here poop freezes and there is no moisture as long as everything stays frozen.