Frostbite

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mstricer

mstricer

Crowing
15 Years
Feb 12, 2009
7,513
238
456
Ohio
What does frostbite on the comb look like and what can you do to prevent? Heres a pic of my Salmon Faverolle. Poor little Rudy Roo was asleep by the window during an extremely windy, cold front came through and blew window cover right off, which left him tranced in front of a wide open window. No they don't move.
22834_037rudy.jpg
 
He's frostbit and all his points may fall off, eventually. Preventing "it" is to make sure your chickens that have combs and/or wattles are not subjected to freezing weather conditions and wind- the windchill factor is usually more dangerous as the body heat is "blown" away.
 
Thats not good. I didnt intentually let this happen. We had 50 mile gust in our area I fixed it as soon as we saw it. My birds also have a covered hoop house they can roam around in, but prefer to be out running around, that is why I was asking? This is my first winter with chickens and dont know what to expect. Any help would be nice. (my coop is insulated)
 
None of us expect it and we all feel badly when it happens:( I dubbed my BO roo a year ago in Dec and my EE cockerel lost his toes on one foot and the tips to the joint on the other foot last April so there went my plan for him to be the main EE roo. I know deep straw bedding helps a lot, if they aren't roosting on a perch. If perches are used, they've got be out of the wind. I read how some guy in the old days swore chickens were healthier with fresh clean air and I've been trying it out till this month with three extra roo's I want to keep. They all have different sizes/types of comb/wattles and all three have been in great shape without heat of any type supplied as long as they had deep straw, good feed daily, fresh water daily. I finally put them in a small coop with a red heatlamp to keep their water from freezing the other day. They are a RIR/BOx roo, a bantyx and a silkie roo. Can you stack bales of straw for them to scratch and bed in?
 
Fret not... yes that looks like frostbite damage.. it appears minimal to me... the goal is to not let it get any worse. The dead bits will peel off after they scab but the damage shouldn't be too noticeable I shouldn't think.

Prevention of course.. those high winds caught MANY of us off guard, it was impossible I know, we had 80mph gusts through here, very unusual. Try to better fix and button up your coops if you can.

When it is going to be near freezing or below, you can use some Vaseline Petroleum Jelly to slather on their comb & wattles, this will help keep any frost from settling directly on their skin.

I don't know anything about your setup, but basically at or around freezing, you have to take some precautions to prevent this. Close up the coops, give them a warmer place or more enclosed place to sleep, use some petroleum jelly etc etc.

Don't worry, it's not too bad now... just work on the plan because the freezing is coming again!
 
Thanks everyone. I have since put some vaseoline on his comb. It actually brought blood to the surface started to get redder. Someone I work also told he when its very cold he puts vaseoline on his feet and it insulates them. So I'll see. Unfortunatly for him he doesnt know when the wind is to much. I hate locking them up in their coop. I made a hoop house kind temp run, covered with tarp, when the wind blows it makes a terrible frightening sound and scares them.
 
5 of my 6 hens have frostbite. Yet my rooster with his bigger comb and not sleeping with head tucked under his wings is just fine. My neighbor's chickens just 300 ft. away are all fine. She doesn't put vaseline or anything on their combs or wattles. I put vaseline on mine. They still got frostbite. My coop is not insulated but it is made with 3/4" thick wood, bedding is about 6 inches deep. Floor is off the ground on cement blocks with a rubber stall mat. Corn cob bedding and straw on top of that But yet 1 hen and the rooster are just fine. I've been going out to apply vaseline and rub combs (wattles are fine on everyone) but it seems a little worse every day. I've scattered some scratch in the coop today to encourage everyone to stay inside. Not worse today. Any thoughts? Advice? Thanks.

BTW, everyone's still laying. I'm getting 5-6 eggs a day still.
 
We are having -40 windchill factor today, tonight and into tomorrow, it seems like it is such a hard, cold winter, everywhere this year! Would it be possible to put one heat lamp up and above a water pan/can, that is as high as where a night time perch is? The bit of heat (as long as no breeze or draft is coming inside the coop in that area) would work. That is what I am doing this winter and its working much better than the electric oil sealed heaters I used last year because I'm stocking more birds inside and their body heat is keeping the coops warmer. So far everyone is happy, warm and thristy from scratching in the clean straw. Much cheaper on the utility bill this year;)
 
I stuck a gallon jug of hot water in the coop underneath the perch they use (I have two perches, but all birds like to cram together on one) and closed the pop door. I went out this morning to feed and rub combs and everyone's comb felt warmer. The water in the jug didn't even freeze. Slushy, but not frozen solid. It got down to 12 here last night.
 

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