Frost bite?

[Alicethewhiterabbit]

What do you think of his comb? Its extremely cold where I am. He will not be going back outside for the rest of this cold snap(until it’s significantly warmer). I have separated him from everyone else but i am concerned this maybe frost bite. If you do not mind sharing your experience with how you handled frost bitten chickens id greatly appreciate it.

My setup is that i heat their coop and the front porch area (stays around 40degrees) but out side of their partially enclosed and completely insulated porch area is a run that is about 20 degrees warmer then the outside (it has three layers of tarp and plastic wrap with no heat source other then what heat escapes the coop and porch and lots of straw the water is kept inside the porch area and never freezes.

Todays high is 13 degrees. So everyone is now inside.

 

[User690263]

I'm no expert, but I do think that it is frostbite.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...d-treatment-graphic-images-in-thread.1207750/

 

[CCsGarden]

Yes, that is frost bite. Put some petroleum jelly on the comb and try to not touch it after that.

 

[Eggcessive]

I don’t recommend putting any creams or ointments on frostbitten coms, since that can freeze and make it more damaged. It leave it alone, and do not massage or handle it. It doesn’t look that serious, just the tips, and may heal back to normal. You usually will know within a week or so how much damage is done. With large combed birds, it is hard to prevent frostbite when temps are near zero. I don’t recommend heat in coops since it can be a fire hazard. They get used to heat and they cannot manage in the outside if they are used to it.

 

[FunClucks]

x2 on what Eggcessive said.

Whatever gets frostbit will die, turn black, and fall off, and the comb will recover. It's really hard to prevent at low temps. Just leave it alone, and whatever is going to happen will happen. By the time a keeper becomes aware of it, it's already too late to prevent injury.

I think just the surface of some of those tips is affected, not the whole tips. Odds look good for almost full recovery.

If it helps, it impacts their quality of life not at all.

Regular large fowl chickens are generally fine in weather down to -35 to -25F with no heat. Supplemental heat can cause them to become unacclimated and they can get sick if taken to higher temperatures, like indoors with humans when it's very cold out. An unheated garage or shed out of the wind is really the most you want to increase temperature when your birds are acclimated to the cold. I think maybe about 20-40 degrees F warmer than the outside temperature but no more, if I recall correctly. If you have Silkies or Frizzles they can be more sensitive to the cold due to their feathers not holding heat well/properly.

Just make sure they don't have metal or wire perches, minimize opportunities for them to step into water or dip their wattles into water (cause then their wattles and feet can freeze), and help them have perches like the flat side of a 2"x4" so they can keep their toes from freezing when perched at night (their feathers warm their feet when perched on the flat side of 2"x4" and the wood insulates their feet).