Frostbite - 1st occurrence

[Acre4Me]

Thanks to that Polar vortex last week, we had temps to -12F (wind chill as low as -36F). Chickens in draft free coop, but did have the option of going outside during the day if they wanted. They ventured out a bit, but stayed inside mostly. Their coop and run are directly behind a barn, and are protected by the winds that were heavily blowing from the west. We do have a heated dog bowl for water in the coop, but a lot of ventilation, and it does not seem more humid, nor has there been any water dripping, etc. So, here is our male Black Jersey Giant (11 months old), who seems to have gotten frostbite quite a bit. We have not rubbed anything onto his comb or wattles and they do not appear swollen.

So, what do you think about his condition, and what should I do at this point, and what should I expect?

A few other chickens seem to have a very mild frostbite, with some grayish tips here and there, but not too bad. This one is the most affected.

 

[DobieLover]

Just continue to leave him alone and monitor for infection. If things start looking weepy, I would apply some Vetericyn twice daily for a few days.
He will lose some of his comb points. Sometimes this is just unavoidable with large single comb birds in sub-zero weather.
It sounds like you have done everything right. He'll be okay. He just won't have a big pretty comb anymore. No big deal.

 

[Acre4Me]

Just continue to leave him alone and monitor for infection. If things start looking weepy, I would apply some Vetericyn twice daily for a few days.
He will lose some of his comb points. Sometimes this is just unavoidable with large single comb birds in sub-zero weather.
It sounds like you have done everything right. He'll be okay. He just won't have a big pretty comb anymore. No big deal.

Thanks. We were a little surprised at the extent of the frostbite. It was very cold! This is the male my tween wanted to show in the county fair of course! We'll have to see what it looks like in a few months, and hope it heals well.

 

[DobieLover]

Thanks. We were a little surprised at the extent of the frostbite. It was very cold! This is the male my tween wanted to show in the county fair of course! We'll have to see what it looks like in a few months, and hope it heals well.

He's still a handsome guy!

 

[Chickassan]

In a few months if you didn't know he got bit it would never cross your mind.
Speaking from experience.

 

[MissChick@dee]

I don’t do anything with frost bite. FB is actually a burn. The tissue is already dead. IMHO don’t mess with it as it will open it up to infection. It’s better to leave it be and let what Ever tissue underneath that is going to heal...heal. The dead tissue will fall off by spring. I’ve seen some people here @ BYC smother it with Vaseline and I cringe! After frostbite has happened all Vaseline does is keep bacteria in and in cases where there is blisters the Vaseline prevents them from drying out.
Vaseline Before... frigid temps yes ...after frostbite no.
I did a experiment and applied Vaseline before the dips in temperature it did little to prevent frostbite so now I don’t bother.
I raised my waterers it helped some. But I have one idiot that just loves to stick her face in and blow bubbles! (Not really but you get the picture). Best wishes

 

[Eggcessive]

His wattles don’t look too bad. He may loose some comb tips and just a bit of wattles, but it doesn’t look too bad overall. Could you pleas post the same pictures to show what they look like when they are completely healed? It really helps ithers to know what to expect.

 

[Acre4Me]

In a few months if you didn't know he got bit it would never cross your mind.
Speaking from experience.

Great! I'm hoping this is the case!

His wattles don’t look too bad. He may loose some comb tips and just a bit of wattles, but it doesn’t look too bad overall.

Great! I'm hoping the loss is minimal. That one comb tip (the most blackened) looks the worst, so interested to see how much is retained.

 

[Acre4Me]

I don’t do anything with frost bite. FB is actually a burn. The tissue is already dead. IMHO don’t mess with it as it will open it up to infection. It’s better to leave it be and let what Ever tissue underneath that is going to heal...heal. The dead tissue will fall off by spring. I’ve seen some people here @ BYC smother it with Vaseline and I cringe! After frostbite has happened all Vaseline does is keep bacteria in and in cases where there is blisters the Vaseline prevents them from drying out.
Vaseline Before... frigid temps yes ...after frostbite no.
I did a experiment and applied Vaseline before the dips in temperature it did little to prevent frostbite so now I don’t bother.
I raised my waterers it helped some. But I have one idiot that just loves to stick her face in and blow bubbles! (Not really but you get the picture). Best wishes

We haven't bothered it at all! I agree Vaseline is not the thing to use at this point! I'm hoping that he doesn't get an infection...and so far it looks ok, and not infected. Just disappointed that he might lose part of his comb! We did not pre-treat as Vaseline will keep in moisture, but does not impact the temp and the temp is part of what causes the frostbite!

 

[MissChick@dee]

We haven't bothered it at all! I agree Vaseline is not the thing to use at this point! I'm hoping that he doesn't get an infection...and so far it looks ok, and not infected. Just disappointed that he might lose part of his comb! We did not pre-treat as Vaseline will keep in moisture, but does not impact the temp and the temp is part of what causes the frostbite!

I did one year (apply Vaseline Prior) didn’t do a dang thing I still had FB. the good news the ones that lost tips ... didn’t get FB the next year. I feel bad for them