Frozen Chickens with frozen feet...what can I do? HELP!

[cubalaya]

marans guy is right. even my cubalayas which are not known to be especially winter hardy are doing just fine with these temps. either your coop was built wrong or you have sick chickens.

 

[Ryu]

Keep checking the feet of the birds that showed 'frozen' extremities. The tissue damage from the freeze can take some time to show up. If you notice the feet darkening and turning black then the tissue is dying, and depending on the extent of the damage you might need to cull the bird.

It can be hard to see on slate legged birds. The tissue will be puffy, then the swelling will go down. The bird should pull away when you pinch a toe if the tissue is viable.

 

[baileychic]

My problem is not with feet freezing but with large combs and waddles getting frost bite on my leghorn roosters. The hens are fine and have no problems from the severe cold we had in the Midwest this past week. I know my coop is well ventilated and draft free and I have proper roosting and a nice thick layer of shavings with straw mix. I really think their waddles got frozen from dipping in the warm water I give them. Now what do I do for them. The one rooster looks so pathetic with swollen wattles, I feel awful for him. Should I put them out of their miserey, will their combs and wattles fall off or become infected? Need help!

 

[Wynette]

Quote:
Unfortunately, there's not a lot you can do for the poor boys with huge waTTles (not waddles) and combs. Some folks say you can put vaseline on them, or Bag Balm....I've tried both of those, they did not work. I also got a prescription strength salve that is used to treat burns on humans...that didn't work, either. I believe the only way you assuredly not have the issue is to keep them under a heat lamp to above freezing temps. But...that's actually not good for the birds. I have single combed breeds, and each year, the tips of their combs and sometimes the very ends of their wattles do get frostbitten; they turn black & eventually fall off. I hate seeing them go through it, but I've not found a way to stop it. I did switch over to a heated poultry waterer, and since using those, have not had any wattle frostbite. I think the large heated pet dishes are the ones that do the wattles in, because it's a large, open water pan, and their wattles drag through the water. With the heated poultry waterer, they do not.

 

[BlackBrookPoultry]

I was watching my roosters drink the other day wondering if their wattles would freeze eventually. They end up getting dunked in the water quite a ways. I can't really prevent it, I have ducks and they need a place to play. There's really no way to stop them from getting in there. I don't think they would need to be culled because if this. They will just turn black and fall off. Not the most attractive thing, but not worth killing them over.

 

[Wynette]

DO watch for the others pecking at it when it turns black. I did have a roo one year that just the very tips of his comb got frostbitten & turned black....the girls pecked at them until he finally began to bleed, so I had to remove him. And it took forever for those black tips to finally fall off!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Quote:
I agree with Marans Guy 100%. It immediately sounded like high humidity to me. I keep a humidity meter in my coop. In MO we start with high humidity and closing the coop compounds it. It has been 6 degrees here inside and out of the coop. But I keep the East side of the coop open with large windows, ridge vents and a screened floor level vent. The east openings give morning light and ventilation.
In the old days when they started raising large groups in buildings and they closed it up in winter they would have massive dieoffs mostly due to bad air. Not until they opened up a side of the building did the winter survival rate climb dramatically. The more fresh air the better for respiration and keeping humidity low.
For the frostbitten ones I would bring them into the house until they recover. Black frozen combs can be trimmed. For the rest, give good dry and deep bedding, wide roosts where their feet are covered by feathers. The frozen feet speak to that. You'll never be able to heat an uninsulated coop enough to be effective. Possibly a UV light that will warm their bones rather than the air and good air exchange. Keep the water liquid and add some high fat/protein treats to raise body temps. I like black oil sunflower and salmon cat food.
The more consistent exposure to cold the better they feather out. They aren't as happy as in spring and fall but they won't freeze.
Besides the hens in unheated coop, I have 10 week old meat birds in an unheated field leanto and run. The south side of it is open but with deep pine bedding. They seem quite content and no lost birds.
Best of luck.

 

[BooBear]

Alot of good input here.
1. OP says the coop is an old drafty structure that has not been maintenanced.
Well, that sounds like the cause of her woes.
Too much wind, snow , and moisture blowing in from all directions is the recipe for disaster.


2. Solutions can be some simple fixes.
a) Block the draft from the sides that the coldest winds are coming from. Such as Northwesterly winds.
b) Add thick layer of pine and straw bedding
c) Remember to allow right amount of ventilation to help maintain moisture control and air quality.

3 Hang in there. You are doing good by seeking help and everyone is cheering for you to have a happy ending.

4.I don't know about frostbite do I will thay to the experts. I do hope you chooks make a good recovery.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

That's a really good post, BooBear.

 

[HB&B]

Thanks for all the help and good info guys.

I have not gotten a heat lamp and don't intend to. I have wrapped the coop in plastic on 2 sides, but left two sides and from 5 feet up open for ventilation I took fecals to the vet and they are positive for hook worms and coccidia. They have all been treated by the veterinarian. It turns out the ones that went down had coccidiosis. They just happened to become sedentary with the coccidia, and therefore got cold and then died. I have treated the chickens, and plan on continuing treatment and treating the coop as well. And also get them on medicated feed.

And just FYI I don't feel like any of you have "yelled"

at me or made me feel bad or worse or anything

. I hadn't had a problem with parasites yet, and it is just a mistake I am gonna have to deal with. I do feel like they have been neglected, but I also understand that parasites are not fully preventable, only treatable. So thank you everyone for the help and support, I am glad I have somewhere to turn!