Badly frozen comb is blistering Help! Graphic pictures

[DaughterOfEve]

Take care separating a roo from a flock with other roos. In less than a week apart the other roos may gang up on him when you try to put him back in the flock.

 

[Ema]

Ema, how far North are you? I'm down in the southern On between Windsor-London corridor.
It's been brutal in the fact that one day it's above freezing and then its a flash freeze, extreme cold again. It's hard to get anyone acclimatised to such weather.
As much as I hate the cold weather, we would be much better off if it would just freeze and stay that way. If it desn't we are going to be real 'buggy' this summer.

Its a little town called kapuskasing ontario, one of the few most northern towns in Ontario, so we get cold like you wouldn't believe. I was raised in part in Windsor, my eldest son lives with his dad int he city actually, and until recently I was told its been pretty mild there this winter. I know you guys just got a recent storm that brought snow and then freezing rain.

that is the one thing I hate the most in winter, the freezing rain. I mind less getting 2 or 3 feet over night, but I live on a concession road out in the middle of the woods actually, and from first snow fall to spring thaw my road is like an ice road I can drive on it as long as its snow packed and top layer graded, but a little bit of ice and you might as well have ice skates instead of wheels....those days I just call work and tell them I am not coming in.

 

[Ema]

Take care separating a roo from a flock with other roos. In less than a week apart the other roos may gang up on him when you try to put him back in the flock.

I had mine separated for 3 weeks due to a broken leg...no issues putting him back in with everyone else. Mind you they remember each other for up to 3 weeks without loss of status in the pecking order.

with that said, I wouldn't separated anyone due to a frozen comb, not necessary, if its bleeding, once its covered they won't know the difference. the only times I separate is if someone is showing symptoms of illness or if really injured. I have never had an real illness issue but this past summer was HOT, like you wouldn't believe for a northern ontario climate, and some of my chickens suffered from heat stroke, at first I thought it was something else, so, I medicated their waterers.

the way I see it, if one chicken is actually sick, its likely contagious and better safe than sorry, so everyone gets a round of Tetracycline 500 in the water for 5 days. Eggs they lay got in the trash for 10 days.

A pecking injury, some sort of cut or mild bleeding injury...gets cleaned up and bandaged and bird goes back in. anything broken they go into rehab coop until healed!!

Ema

 

[ILOVELEGHORNS]

The comb could become gangrenous which in turn could become very infected creating a life threatening situation for your rooster. We just recently had subzero temps here in Wisconsin. The huge comb on one of my roosters just turned black at the tips and a bit yellow underneath...for his safety...I dont wanna do it!...I think it would be in his best interest if I dubbed him. Dont have to use styptic powder, can use flower to control bleeding and will use an anibiotic for him.
Another thing, If a roosters comb freezes and becomes frost bitten, the worst thing you can do for him is to bring him into a warm environment right away to thaw his comb...causes him SEVERE pain and much bleeding. Imagine, being outside in freezing temps, your fingers end up freezing until they are numb....go back inside in ambient temps.. your hands warm up quickly, and feel like they are on fire! Excruciating pain.

 

[CMV]

The comb could become gangrenous which in turn could become very infected creating a life threatening situation for your rooster. We just recently had subzero temps here in Wisconsin. The huge comb on one of my roosters just turned black at the tips and a bit yellow underneath...for his safety...I dont wanna do it!...I think it would be in his best interest if I dubbed him. Dont have to use styptic powder, can use flower to control bleeding and will use an anibiotic for him.
Another thing, If a roosters comb freezes and becomes frost bitten, the worst thing you can do for him is to bring him into a warm environment right away to thaw his comb...causes him SEVERE pain and much bleeding. Imagine, being outside in freezing temps, your fingers end up freezing until they are numb....go back inside in ambient temps.. your hands warm up quickly, and feel like they are on fire! Excruciating pain.

Your potential scenario is a bit extreme. I have dealt with/seen many cases of frostbite over the years, and the chance of acquiring an infection in a frostbitten comb is minimal. You can dub your roo if you want, but I hope you are aware of just how much combs bleed when they are cut. You have heard the term "bleed like a stuck pig", I presume? It's pretty apt.

The reasons I like to let combs dry up and heal naturally without invasive surgical measures are many:
-less traumatic for the bird
-less traumatic for the keeper
-does not require separating the bird from the flock
-although the risk of infection is still present, the risk of bleeding to death is not
-does not destroy a roo's good looks by cutting away all his comb, including areas that are undamaged by the freezing

It is for these reasons that I will never dub a roo just because he has a little frostbite. Frostbite is not that big of a deal.

When I was a kid, our neighbors had a miserable roo that lost both feet to frostbite. This roo was awful, so no one could get near enough to him to treat him. His feet turned black and fell off over the course of the winter. From that winter on he stalked around on 2 stumps. He was still a huge jerk, but at least the stumps slowed him down enough that the neighborhood kids could get away from him when he chased us. He lived for several more years after losing his feet, eventually dying of something completely unrelated to his feet. I like to use him as an educational point because if a bird can lose limbs (comprised of skin, muscles, blood vessels, tendons, ligaments, and bones) and survive without treatment, then a little frostbitten skin on the top of the head is nothing.