frost inside hen houses

[karlooben]

i have just been out to clean out the girls and i noticed that in both my houses 1 shed 1 wendyhouse that there is damp an frost on the roof in the inside have never had this before has anyone esle had this prob and do i need to worry about the girls of a night i really dont think there is much i can do about it though.

 

[Tallulah]

I too have had this problem but because this is my first year as a chicken keeper I just thought it was the norm. After daily cleaning and topping up bedding, I have found that opening all the vents fully during the day has helped dry it a bit before bedtime! So far (fingers crossed) my 5 girls seem to be ok, but I'm keeping a very close eye on them. I have heard of people covering their coop roof with thermal insulation and blankets but am a little wary of closing of the ventilation in my particular coop. Sorry its not an answer to the problem

 

[karlooben]

dont worry i am just glad its not only me having this prob , i cant cover my roofs as i dont have anything to use have just got to pray its a one of and the inside has dried out .

 

[Blue]

our sheds have been quite frosty inside this year.

I think of this way... the girls are huddling & keeping warm thanks to all the good food they are getting, they are breathing (!) and so there is quite a damp environment (as they exhale water vapour) which will settle on the doors & ceiling. It is this that then freezes, as its nearest the "outside" anyway.

and the hens all seem fine

 

[karlooben]

good point , at least now i know what i need to sort out for next winter i cant do much about it now . fixing the netting on the roof tomorw will be fun enough as the weight of the snow has pulled some of it away from the staples this is something i completey forgot about happening .

 

[Lucylou]

Karlooben, I had the same problem with my netting roof last year. Although it had wood struts across it the snow was so heavy it made it bow in the middle. I ended up propping it up with the step ladder :lol: Its got proper supports now but the snow is still making the netting sag :roll: .

I've got the run covered with a plastic tarpaulin at one end, over their house, this gives them a dry non-snowy area & I hope, makes their house a bit weather proof too.

 

[elmwood]

Hi,

YES - we too have had fost on the inside of the coop/hutch. It did concern me, so I tried a duvet over the coop but that just ended up so damp its in the bin. I then tried a thermal blanket, the ones you get in a first aid kit- that froze itself. Plus it was so flimsy- it ripped very easily.

My five girls are inside a rabbit hutch, especailly bought for the winter months which is a lot more portable than their summer house. This is in our wooden shed having moved them from the metal shed. So nothing has really worked. Short of bringing the hutch into the house, I can't really think of what more can be done.......

Thankfully they are now huddling together having finally mastered the ramp up to the sleeping quarters. I have been lifting them up and down for the past few weeks. Bless them, they wait for me to offer my hand, they then climb on and get placed on the perch.

 

[karlooben]

i suppose really its just one of those things we have to put up with will be going out there shortly to check them an clean them out so will look to see what has happened , i just dont want the wood to start getting damp then finding out in the spring that needs replacing although i did paint the roof with cupinol twice and it has 2 layers of felt on .

 

[victorias poultry]

Hi
Some of my houses also have frost inside, am planning on buying a few cheap duvets from tescos tomorrow to put over them to give a little more insulation

 

[karlooben]

but what about if they get wet ?? they can become very heavy to handle when wet at least for next winter we can be prepared for this sort of thing as i am so sure i never had this last year .

 

[elmwood]

Hi.

Have just checked on my girls. felt each one-not that warm- pushed them closer together on their perch. Draped a bath towel over the blanket on the hutch.

If this big freeze continues they will be in our porch come xmas eve- :roll: what a worry for us all.

 

[foxy]

Thicker layers of shavings can help, there are some very absorbant brands available. Extra straw is OK as long as it is changed regulary to prevent dampness from the condensation. I also use Stalosan F underneath easibed in the houses to absorb any dampness. A little scatch mixed corn given in the afternoon helps warm them and means they go to bed with full crops.
Chooks are amazingly resilient to cold temps, however, dampness with a bad draft can cause harm, so I would hesitate with covering their houses with any coverings.

 

[karlooben]

i am adding bedding very few days but am tempted to bring home some of my horse straw that hasnt been chopped so being bulky it should help keep them warmer but i am also so paranoid about mites etc even though its so cold , its seeing thier poor pinky legs thats worrying me tomorw i am putting thier feed within the houses as well wether they like it or not but tonight i had trouble cleaning the houses as the poo was frozen to the floor am of work thursday so will be giving them a good clear out then hopfully .

 

[elmwood]

Hi,

Foxy- am a little concerned now, as I have wrapped the covers around the hutch so that no draught gets to them, but I don't want them to suffer from dam/condensation. I am using some new bedding from Flyte so fancy

http://www.flytesofancy.co.uk/chickenhouses/Poultry_Bedding_Woodchip.html

Of course my girls don't like to sit on it, preferring wood shavings. (so fussy!) Thankfully they have now gotten used to the change of food- and their crops are bulging at night. I did give them extra corn this afternoon.

Karlooben..... my girls poos are frozen, which thankfully means its not smelly in a morning at all but I did use the wallpaper scraper today!!

Will order some Stalosan.

Many thanks, off to remove one of the covers and check on them bless.......

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Karlooben & everyone! 08
When this yukky cold first started, I sent Mr Wolfie out late at night to feel the hens' feet. Believe me, they were TOASTY warm. Felt a bit mean disturbing their beauty sleep, but at least we know they are cosy. We can turn the heating up and put the gas fire on, (the cats insist on it!) but the poor hens - but we do know they're OK. Water freezing over - no problem - 81 year old Mum lives next door now and whilst we're at work during the day, she is tasked with keeping the water liquid. And (H)entertain the girls with treats!

 

[karlooben]

seems like we are all panicking over nothing really our birds will survive this cold think we with me i was just shocked as i had never noticed the frost inside the house before .