Emergency???Combs turning purple after I applied vasaline.

[navychick]

About 2 hours ago I applied vasaline to my 3 barred rocks combs and wattles as it is a cold day and I was trying to prevent frostbite. Now I just noticed they are turning dark purple. Please advise!!!!

 

[navychick]

Please tell me what to do. I am supposed to leave and I can't until I either do something (if its necessary) or know this is normal. I applied it to 3 hens and 2 are turning deep purple.

 

[klmclain1]

I sincerely doubt the color is due to the vaseline. If it's really cold it could be that the blood is going to the core of the bird rather than extremities - as it does with humans. Just make sure they have shelter out of the weather and free of drafts...

 

[azhenhouse]

Somewhere, on this forum or another source, I read how vaseline can actually cause frostbite. Something to do with the moisture, vaseline, and extreme cold, and how it causes the wattles and combs to freeze. Search more on the forum to see if you can find any information about using vaseline. Let us know what happens.

 

[tananaBrian]

Yes... no Vaseline or any other products on your bird's combs will prevent frostbite. I don't know if it can help cause frostbite or not, but I do know it doesn't help anything. The only real solution is to give them heat and keep them inside if it's windy. Everybody here in Alaska just gets used to the fact that the little tips on the combs do indeed get frostbite and turn gray, sometimes a speck of black. They don't seem to notice, and it doesn't seem to hurt them. The combs just heal up when warmer weather comes (although sometimes a tad grayish on the tips still) and it's onward and forward. Just as a point of reference, my birds have been in weather as cold as 20 below (overnight) without harm when things got colder than expected. When it gets below zero, I plug in their red 250W head lamp on a timer and it runs a 50% duty cycle, 2 hours on, 2 hours off, all day and night until the weather warms up. As soon as it starts staying above zero again, I unplug the heater. Chickens are pretty hardy when it comes to the cold.

Brian

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

I would honestly only worry about applying vaseline to show birds to prevent frostbite. Now, if you're wanting to ensure good bloodflow, put IcyHot on first, then apply the Vaseline. Works like a charm.