Frustrated with frostbite

[PAJenn]

Glycerine is your friend! Vaseline is petrolium jelly (an oil derived product). Glycerine is derived from animals mainly, but is sometimes of vegetable origin. Food-grade glycerine is edible, so won't hurt your hens. You can find food-grade glycerin in cake supply and craft stores (such as Michael's). Non-food-grade (external use only) is the stuff you find on the pharmacy shelf.

I prefer food-grade glycerine over vaseline for combs, wattles and feet. Apply often in frigid temps!

[kenya]

I have the exchequer leghorns which have huge combs, last year was the only year I had any issues. I always put Vaseline on the males combs, my coup is not heated but does feel warmer than outside. I put bales of hay at the doors as there is no insulation there at all and in fact the snow blows in there.

[Chick-a-roo]

The outdoors humidity is still pretty high- weatherman said 55% RH yesterday, so not much you can do to reduce that except by heating the coop.

I do think this is the issue - and the fact that I am SURROUNDED by water. We have 7 acres of land, 5 of which is swamp, and we live smack in the middle of Land O'Lakes region of over ten thousand inland lakes, ponds and swamps, and still close enough that the lake effect from Lake Ontario influences us to a certain extent. I should get a humidistat for my coop and find out just how humid it is here.

[Robbie]

Actually Canadian tire has some pretty good little humidity gauges in the kitchen department next to the fridge thermometers, only a few dollars. I always compare the readouts on these little cheapie devices to make sure I get one that reads the same as all the others.

[PAJenn]

I buy meat thermometres in the kitchen department from Canadian Tire to use as soil temp testers. Much cheaper than the Lee Valley Tools versions. And accurate enough for our needs.