Frostbitten Comb- Vaseline Didn't Work

[chilaman]

i have a small personal heater that i bought at walmart for $15-it's 200 watts and brings the temp up in my 24sq ft coop at night near 40 degrees when its like20- 25 degrees at night---also don't have worry about froozen water. NICE

 

[BackYardChknLvr]

I too, have a Leghorn named Daisy and frostbite was a worry for me here in Boise, ID this winter as well. This one in particular has been the coldest for a long time, down in the singles and occasionally dipping below 0F. It would seem we are finally coming out of it and temps are staying in the twenties now at night which means frostbite is no longer a danger. As soon as it started to get really cold though, I pitched a thick layer of hay over the wire floor in the coop (my henhouse is probably big enough for 6 and I have 5) and closed the ramp door at night, leaving the side door cracked so they could hop out in the morning and the sliding board vent at the top cracked a couple inches at the furthest end to keep air flowing. Stagnant, moist air caused by chicken CO2 is the leading cause of frostbite. I also used vaseline, just because I researched it well and found that while a few people think it is bogus, alot of people felt that it helps. It also moistens the skin and here in Boise our winters are so dry the combs would be chapped, kind of like how our lips get chapped. I feel that the biggest thing about vaseline that I found was, the thicker you lay it on, the better it works. It acts like a second layer of skin. So if you just put a thin wimpy layer on, it won't do much good. I don't think it is the be all end all, but I feel like it helped. My Leg's comb did start to turn a little white on the tips, but the dead skin will slough off eventually. You can add a low watt bulb to the coop, but I don't light either and don't intend to. I think insulating will be a better bet, and pitching a nice thick layer of straw helps. I thought of stapling a section of car window sun reflector to the wall. Maybe for next year. Yes, do keep an eye out for infection in Daisy's comb or any open bleeding. If it does crack or bleed, I would sponge it clean if you can with some warm (not hot) salt water and use some neosporin on it. Good luck.

Oh i totaly agree, the winter here has been prity harsh and i was extreamly scared about my Red's getting frost bite cause 2 of them have very large combs, and for some reason all winter long they would never go in the coop to sleep they actualy roosted ontop of it and they still do to this day darn buggers, but i just kept fresh dry straw in there area all winter long and i ended up tarping all around the dog run that i keep there coop in to block as much wind and cold i was able to block out since i didnt want to run heat lamp out there as i have like 6 of them going already one in the garage for the babies and all the rest are inside for my lizards. This was my first winter with chickens and i was super scared about loosing them.. boot WOOT its officaly now warming up and i think we dont have to worry i hope *NOCKS ON WOOD* that the cold fronts for us are over!!!

 

[buddy phoenix]

cow farmers use bag balm to prevent udders from frost bite.

 

[englewoodcowboy]

I appreciate the help. My coop is well insulated, got that advice from this site when I was designing it, but it stays reasonable inside with only the bird door open and the roof vent when it's cold out. If I close the bird door they fog all the windows come morning. I will work on chasing them in on cold nights that are to be below freezing and layer the petroleum jelly on them and see what happens. My turkeys don't go in at all, they roost under the barn and have no issues like my two buff Roos.

 

[blondiebee181]

Oh i totaly agree, the winter here has been prity harsh and i was extreamly scared about my Red's getting frost bite cause 2 of them have very large combs, and for some reason all winter long they would never go in the coop to sleep they actualy roosted ontop of it and they still do to this day darn buggers, but i just kept fresh dry straw in there area all winter long and i ended up tarping all around the dog run that i keep there coop in to block as much wind and cold i was able to block out since i didnt want to run heat lamp out there as i have like 6 of them going already one in the garage for the babies and all the rest are inside for my lizards. This was my first winter with chickens and i was super scared about loosing them.. boot WOOT its officaly now warming up and i think we dont have to worry i hope *NOCKS ON WOOD* that the cold fronts for us are over!!!

Where is Boise are you?

 

[sandmbaker]

Honey! I used honey on the feet and comb of my rooster that was frost bit he looks as good as new. No black and nothing fell off. I study naturalpathic medicine

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Single, or straight comb breeds of chickens are more prone to frost bitten combs, pea combs are second then other types of combs. This is especially true if the single or straight comb is deeply lobed or serrated. 60 years of raising chickens has taught me that Vaseline doesn't do much to prevent frost bite and that it isn't effective at treating it. The only exception may be carbonated Vaseline which already has an anti-biotic agent added (sulfur) and may treat frost bit combs about as well as most other things.

When the comb tunes black, the damage is done, it's a little like trench foot in solders whose feet and toes stay wet too long. Even if the damage is only surface deep the part of the comb that is dead will fall off leaving the chicken weakened and adversely affect a rooster's fertility and the egg laying potential of hens. Whole shelled yellow corn helps prevent frost bite, so does a heated coop. However the latter raises the humidity holding potential of the air and that can adversely affect the heat transfer potential between a warm comb and the cold air, helping bring on frost bite if the temperature falls low enough.

If I was worried about frost bite I would dub or cut the combs off or back on all my chickens, thus lessening or removing the likely hood of frost bitten combs all together

 

[bruceha2000]

I know ventilation is my enemy and I'm trying to fix the problem without making it drafty.

NO!
Ventilation is your FRIEND!
DRAFT is your enemy.

Your birds will suffer frostbite without ventilation.
Your birds will be inhaling ammonia without ventilation. This is BAD! Worse than frostbite.

... but it stays reasonable inside with only the bird door open and the roof vent when it's cold out. If I close the bird door they fog all the windows come morning..

That "fog" means the humidity is high, high, HIGH. And, thus you get frostbite. Humidity can be high enough to cause frostbite without visible evidence in the form of water vapor.

i have a small personal heater that i bought at walmart for $15-it's 200 watts and brings the temp up in my 24sq ft coop at night near 40 degrees when its like20- 25 degrees at night---also don't have worry about frozen water. NICE

Your money I guess. 20F is not cold. The birds will not suffer as long as you have adequate ventilation and no drafts. My girls have seen temps above 20F maybe 10 days since the start of December. And they have seen more days that are below 0F.

And, JMHO, I wouldn't trust a $15 Walmart "made in China" personal heater in my coop. Talk about asking for a fire.

Bruce

 

[Strikefalcon]

Chickengeorgeto please explain more

 " Even if the damage is only surface deep the part of the comb that is dead will fall off leaving the chicken weakened and adversely affect a rooster's fertility and the egg laying potential of hens.".

Won't that have the same effect if the comb or waddle is cut off?

"If I was worried about frost bite I would dub or cut the combs off or back on all my chickens, thus lessening or removing the likely hood of frost bitten combs all together"

 

[tdgill]

the more ventilation you have the better. I dodge drafts by hanging a towel or blanket over the lower half of the windows. I would not like to see fogging windows in my coop! Lack of oxygen can contribute to frostbite also. I believe that when people have chickens that won't go into a coop, they seriously have a problem with their coop. Either air quality or space issues!