Can you "fix" frostbite?? *updated 1/4/12*

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HappyPlace

HappyPlace

Chirping
8 Years
Jul 31, 2011
130
4
93
Middle of the Mitten
I intentionally got EE's because of their pea combs, but I ended up with a mutt roo with a large single comb anyways...
hmm.png
He's one of my favorites, though, and is excellent at being the "ladies man", so I want to keep him in tip-top shape.

So here's the problem: The last few days here, it's been super cold and yesterday was probably the worse. I had a feeling that my little roo would have a problem with his comb, so I've been keeping an eye on it. He's terribly hard to catch, though, so I haven't really been doing anything to try and prevent frostbite. I don't remember him having any discoloration yesterday morning, and I don't remember seeing any last night when I was checking on everyone for bed. Today, about a 1/4 - 1/3 of his comb is a purplish color and looks really dry. I managed to catch him and I rubbed his comb and put Bag Balm on it. His comb is still fairly soft and pliable and it didn't seem to hurt him for me to touch it.

Is there anything more I can do for him? Will the frostbite continue to get worse? He didn't seem to like the balm, but he wasn't trying real hard to get it off... I used the actual BAG BALM that comes in the little green tin.
 
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Make sure the coop is ventilated so condensation doesn't build up in there and freeze his comb. Also, don't feed any steamy treats (hot oatmeal) so that it doesn't freeze on his comb either.
 
Thank you, Imp. The articles did help a little bit more than what I could find here in the forum.

Their coop is ventilated pretty well and I haven't noticed any condensation/excess moisture in it. I've only given them food/treats/water than was below room temperature as I figured it would be better for them in the cold.

I'll keep massaging his comb and I think I'll keep using the bag balm (since it's antiseptic and healing, too).

Is there ANY way this may get better? Has anyone had a chicken with a purple comb go back to red? I'm hoping it gets better, but I know to expect it won't... I would just like to know if there's anything more I can do for him.


ETA: I don't think he got the frostbite because of the coop/food/pen/etc... It's been VERY cold the last couple days here, though, and I suspect that the cold was too much for his large comb. (An example of the temps: today is a high of 25 degrees where I am and yesterday was MUCH colder.)
 
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If it's still pliable and purple, then it can go back to red. However, it may just stay purple for the rest of the winter and get back to its normal color when the seasons get warmer. It's not permanent, the color just indicates blood flow.
 
There is hope he'll recover.

A couple decades ago, I frostbit my toes hunting. I didn't realize anything was wrong till I went to take a shower that night and discovered that my toes were dark gray. It took a couple weeks, but they were fine. It never went below freezing that day. Was cold and drizzly all day, so below freezing is definately a probability, for causing frostbite.

Imp
 
My little roo is a LOT better this morning.
big_smile.png
He still has a bit of purple today, but even that is a much lighter color. I think he's going to be okay, though I'm still going to keep an eye on him and continue using Bag Balm on him. I think I managed to catch it in time, thankfully.
smile.png


Thank you everyone that responded with help and hope.
big_smile.png
 

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