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Update: None of my 8 middle-sized chickens (6 ½ months old and 8 ½ months old) have breast blisters. It looks like weight is the most probable cause behind this type of wound, and that means heavy breeds are more susceptible to it on wide flat perches. Again, I am very grateful to know this problem can be avoided by letting heavy breeds roost on the flat narrow part of such perches - the Cochin and Brahma are popular breeds in my area, and I will know what kind of roost is safe to give them should I ever want to try those breeds. Thanks alot for the heads up, Acre4Me!
Update 2: My chickens should definitely survive their frostbitten combs. I have kept a very close watch over them all throughout the weekend and they all behave fine. My Welsumer has lost a few spikes but does not seem to be bothered by it. Teacher the Rooster has a greyed spot inside the loop of his comb, close to his head, that I'm keeping a close eye on, but there does not seem to be any swelling or infection, so I think it is dust that got glued onto the skin by the Vaseline. I have double the reasons to think it is just dust, as well, thanks to the thermometer that's inside the coop: the coldest temp recorded to date is -7°C at 68% humidity, without ventilation or heat inside the isolated coop, and he's doing just fine without any salve on his comb. Either I'm missing a key point that allows Teacher to bear out frosty nights without injuries (breeder's selection, maybe?), or he's found a way to protect his comb and wattles during the night that I'm not yet aware of. It ain't for nothing I've named him Teacher... That Legbar mister is full of surprises! xD
Aggressive pecking seems more like the cause behind two of my hen's damaged combs; one of my Legbar hens easily gets irritated by those lower in rank than her, and she will aim for their combs every time she pecks. Even when the lower hen has her back turned to her and is clearly submissive, if she crosses paths with one of them or they are in her close line of sight, the Legbar will go around that chicken, chase her down if necessary, look for her head, and try to bite at her comb while making angry noises. My two EEs also peck, but they don't focus their pecking uniquely to the combs; they peck the closest body part available to get their point across, so they are not the main culprits behind my Plymouth's missing spike anymore. I have done my best to give all my chickens protein-rich treats (dried flour worms, buckwheat seeds, red quinoa seeds, afalfa, etc) to see if that helped quell down tempers; it seems to do a little bit the trick, but the results fluctuate too much for me to really say if the method is effective. My search to find better food for the chickens has turned up empty, as well, so I'll wait until the holidays pass, and then try out the shops again. Maybe I'll have better luck once the New Year starts.
And because that topic also came up in the thread, I'll say right now that none of my birds have caught foot frost. At no moment have I spotted grey toes, or seen them shiver or pull one leg up to their bellies in an attempt to keep their toes warm; if anything they're filled with energy, and quite eager to go run out in the enclosure. I will keep an eye on my birds nonetheless, though I don't expect any trouble on that end.
The lessons I learned from this:
- Vaseline on chickens in Quebec = the combs are sure to get frostbitten. The salve adds moisture to the skin instead of protecting it, so covering the single combs of my birds with it during particularly cold nights is a very bad idea. If there is a way to protect single combs with Vaseline without icing them over, I have not found it.
- Wide flat perches + large, heavy chickens breeds (10lbs +) = high potential for breast blisters. This injury can be easily avoided by turning the perch so the chicken roosts on the narrow side instead of the wide side. Bantam, standard and middle-sized birds are less prone to breast blisters, so they can use the wide flat perch with no problems.
- Feather-footed chicken breeds + unheated coop = a combination that's just asking for trouble. The high humidity of the country combined with the easily soiled/wet feathers of such chickens leaves them susceptible to foot frost in cold temperatures, more so than clean-legged breeds. This is a hypothesis, so it can be proven false at any time, but not every Quebecan has the perfect coop or the financial means to make one (myself being a prime example with lack of proper ventilation), so unless you're willing to heat your coop and face all the problems that come with that, don't try feather-legged breeds in unheated coops, even if said breeds are winter hardy. Again, that's just asking for trouble.
I do not list Aggressive Pecking as a lesson learned, as I have not found a proper local-based solution to solve that problem yet. I'll probably make another update in 2020 with the results of my experiments.
Thank you to all who have written their input here, it's helped me (and others, I'm sure) quite alot! ^^
Update 2: My chickens should definitely survive their frostbitten combs. I have kept a very close watch over them all throughout the weekend and they all behave fine. My Welsumer has lost a few spikes but does not seem to be bothered by it. Teacher the Rooster has a greyed spot inside the loop of his comb, close to his head, that I'm keeping a close eye on, but there does not seem to be any swelling or infection, so I think it is dust that got glued onto the skin by the Vaseline. I have double the reasons to think it is just dust, as well, thanks to the thermometer that's inside the coop: the coldest temp recorded to date is -7°C at 68% humidity, without ventilation or heat inside the isolated coop, and he's doing just fine without any salve on his comb. Either I'm missing a key point that allows Teacher to bear out frosty nights without injuries (breeder's selection, maybe?), or he's found a way to protect his comb and wattles during the night that I'm not yet aware of. It ain't for nothing I've named him Teacher... That Legbar mister is full of surprises! xD
Aggressive pecking seems more like the cause behind two of my hen's damaged combs; one of my Legbar hens easily gets irritated by those lower in rank than her, and she will aim for their combs every time she pecks. Even when the lower hen has her back turned to her and is clearly submissive, if she crosses paths with one of them or they are in her close line of sight, the Legbar will go around that chicken, chase her down if necessary, look for her head, and try to bite at her comb while making angry noises. My two EEs also peck, but they don't focus their pecking uniquely to the combs; they peck the closest body part available to get their point across, so they are not the main culprits behind my Plymouth's missing spike anymore. I have done my best to give all my chickens protein-rich treats (dried flour worms, buckwheat seeds, red quinoa seeds, afalfa, etc) to see if that helped quell down tempers; it seems to do a little bit the trick, but the results fluctuate too much for me to really say if the method is effective. My search to find better food for the chickens has turned up empty, as well, so I'll wait until the holidays pass, and then try out the shops again. Maybe I'll have better luck once the New Year starts.
And because that topic also came up in the thread, I'll say right now that none of my birds have caught foot frost. At no moment have I spotted grey toes, or seen them shiver or pull one leg up to their bellies in an attempt to keep their toes warm; if anything they're filled with energy, and quite eager to go run out in the enclosure. I will keep an eye on my birds nonetheless, though I don't expect any trouble on that end.
The lessons I learned from this:
- Vaseline on chickens in Quebec = the combs are sure to get frostbitten. The salve adds moisture to the skin instead of protecting it, so covering the single combs of my birds with it during particularly cold nights is a very bad idea. If there is a way to protect single combs with Vaseline without icing them over, I have not found it.
- Wide flat perches + large, heavy chickens breeds (10lbs +) = high potential for breast blisters. This injury can be easily avoided by turning the perch so the chicken roosts on the narrow side instead of the wide side. Bantam, standard and middle-sized birds are less prone to breast blisters, so they can use the wide flat perch with no problems.
- Feather-footed chicken breeds + unheated coop = a combination that's just asking for trouble. The high humidity of the country combined with the easily soiled/wet feathers of such chickens leaves them susceptible to foot frost in cold temperatures, more so than clean-legged breeds. This is a hypothesis, so it can be proven false at any time, but not every Quebecan has the perfect coop or the financial means to make one (myself being a prime example with lack of proper ventilation), so unless you're willing to heat your coop and face all the problems that come with that, don't try feather-legged breeds in unheated coops, even if said breeds are winter hardy. Again, that's just asking for trouble.
I do not list Aggressive Pecking as a lesson learned, as I have not found a proper local-based solution to solve that problem yet. I'll probably make another update in 2020 with the results of my experiments.
Thank you to all who have written their input here, it's helped me (and others, I'm sure) quite alot! ^^
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