Frostbite help!

[Dreammaker]

Let us know how they get along over the next weeks. The combs will probably become smaller and rounded off unfortunately.

When this happens, do birds experience long-term health effects? I know that combs act as temperature regulators for chickens. So, if a chicken were to lose a huge portion of its comb, would it be ok in the long run? Or, is it really just an unfortunate thing that only affects their looks?

 

[Mother-Hen-Michele]

It is in the past, so don't worry about heat tolerance... Just know that once you have had frostbite (even if nothing falls off) you are much more sensitive to it afterwards. I had frostbite on the palms of my feet in 2000, the toes were less affected, but still damaged and I still have sensitivity to cold on my feet.

If you see swelling bring them to much warmer place. Once inside you can use vetericyn but only at indoor house temps.

I had one very old Leghorn that looked poorly, her comb was swollen so I brought her inside. The others looked ok, so they stayed in the coop. The one I brought in did not lose any of her comb, but the others are losing tips. (It got to -67F here) the coop is heated, and very insulated but there are always cold spots when it gets that cold.

It isn't so much the initial cold that gets you, it is sustained cold after the frostbite that does the damage. If your body doesn't get a chance to warm up well afterwards, that is when you get dead tissues.

 

[Dreammaker]

I had a couple of roosters who had frostbite on combs, and it did not affect them in any way. The rounded off comb is not a very cosmetic, but it doesn’t affect their health usually.My pea comb rooster didn’t have any problems. So, the moral is, if you love large combed chickens, living in the cold north may not be a good thing. Some chickens will get weepy hugely swollen comb s or wattles, and temporarily, they may not feel well or eat and drink enough.

I agree about large-combed chickens and the Northeast. I had never even considered combs when selecting breeds, but I'm not sure I'd go for a breed like that again (though I do love my ISA Brown so much). My other single-combed birds (Speckled Sussex and Lav. Orpington) have just a tiny bit of frostbite on the very tips, but not nearly as bad. Their combs are a lot smaller, which helps. And of course, the pea comb girls are fine.

Combs are definitely something to pay attention to when considering a breed's overall cold hardiness. This ordeal has been a good lesson in that.

 

[MegEck37]

I don't mean to hijack your thread, but I am glad to have stumbled across your post, as I am going through the same thing with my flock of 6. Last weekend, we had temps below freezing for quite a while. The only two birds who came away totally unscathed were our Lt. Brahma and Olive Egger, both of whom have pea combs. Our ISA Brown got it the worst, but she also has the biggest, floppiest comb.

When I tell you I have chicken mom guilt... Oh my goodness... I feel absolutely awful about it. She seems happy as ever. Still laying almost every day. Still eating and drinking and walking around. Still the alpha. But her comb looks rough (very much like the third picture you attached). I have no idea what to expect in the next month or so... Will she lose the whole thing? Just the very tips? If she were to lose the whole thing, I wonder if she'd suffer long-term health problems because of it or get along just fine.

All I can say from this ordeal is that I hope we never get another weekend like that. And, pea combs for the win!

Best of luck with your flock. You're not a bad chicken mom at all; you're doing your best to deal with the problem at hand.

Thanks so much! We live and learn

I don't mean to hijack your thread, but I am glad to have stumbled across your post, as I am going through the same thing with my flock of 6. Last weekend, we had temps below freezing for quite a while. The only two birds who came away totally unscathed were our Lt. Brahma and Olive Egger, both of whom have pea combs. Our ISA Brown got it the worst, but she also has the biggest, floppiest comb.

When I tell you I have chicken mom guilt... Oh my goodness... I feel absolutely awful about it. She seems happy as ever. Still laying almost every day. Still eating and drinking and walking around. Still the alpha. But her comb looks rough (very much like the third picture you attached). I have no idea what to expect in the next month or so... Will she lose the whole thing? Just the very tips? If she were to lose the whole thing, I wonder if she'd suffer long-term health problems because of it or get along just fine.

All I can say from this ordeal is that I hope we never get another weekend like that. And, pea combs for the win!

Best of luck with your flock. You're not a bad chicken mom at all; you're doing your best to deal with the problem at hand.

I don't mean to hijack your thread, but I am glad to have stumbled across your post, as I am going through the same thing with my flock of 6. Last weekend, we had temps below freezing for quite a while. The only two birds who came away totally unscathed were our Lt. Brahma and Olive Egger, both of whom have pea combs. Our ISA Brown got it the worst, but she also has the biggest, floppiest comb.

When I tell you I have chicken mom guilt... Oh my goodness... I feel absolutely awful about it. She seems happy as ever. Still laying almost every day. Still eating and drinking and walking around. Still the alpha. But her comb looks rough (very much like the third picture you attached). I have no idea what to expect in the next month or so... Will she lose the whole thing? Just the very tips? If she were to lose the whole thing, I wonder if she'd suffer long-term health problems because of it or get along just fine.

All I can say from this ordeal is that I hope we never get another weekend like that. And, pea combs for the win!

Best of luck with your flock. You're not a bad chicken mom at all; you're doing your best to deal with the problem at hand.

Thanks- you too! Hopefully the combs just round off and no infection sets in or anything. So far, so good for my flock. Everyone is acting normal and seems just fine. The combs that were “weepy” or bleeding are drying out.

 

[MegEck37]

If you can give the little Leghorn something for what must be massive headache it would lessen the suffering.

Ask you vet if we Are ok to give a part of a baby aspirin? I saw someone else suggest that is a painkiller that does no harm. Check with someone else prior to meds. Be careful of infection, she will lose most of that comb.

Thanks- she is acting normal but I know that chickens hide pain very well. I have been spraying vetericyn most nights to help prevent infection. So far everyone is progressing better than I would have thought. I just can’t believe I didn’t think to double check them before going to bed… this was so avoidable

 

[MegEck37]

I agree about large-combed chickens and the Northeast. I had never even considered combs when selecting breeds, but I'm not sure I'd go for a breed like that again (though I do love my ISA Brown so much). My other single-combed birds (Speckled Sussex and Lav. Orpington) have just a tiny bit of frostbite on the very tips, but not nearly as bad. Their combs are a lot smaller, which helps. And of course, the pea comb girls are fine.

Combs are definitely something to pay attention to when considering a breed's overall cold hardiness. This ordeal has been a good lesson in that.

Agreed! I never thought about the style of combs and frostbite before now. All my Easter eggers are just fine. Poor little leghorns…

 

[MegEck37]

Let us know how they get along over the next weeks. The combs will probably become smaller and rounded off unfortunately.

Updates are in- many girls lost a few comb tips. A few lost all their tips and I did end up having a rooster and a hen each lose the very end of one toe. They are all healed up and living as if nothing happened at this point. I am thankful nothing got infected and all is well! Phew.

 

[Dreammaker]

Glad to hear that, overall, your flock did well! I, too, found that my hens were largely unscathed. The one who had it the worst lost a few tips. Your bird still looks great, even with her new comb. And glad to hear that with even the tips of their toes gone, those birds are doing well too.

What amazed me--and you can tell me if this was your experience--was that the black tissue on my worst-off hen's comb acted as a scab. I assumed any black tissue would be entirely gone. So in my case, I was expecting her to basically have almost no comb left. However, as weeks went on, I noticed the black part just peeled off, little by little. I didn't touch it or apply anything; just kept an eye on it. Underneath each section of black was healthy pink tissue, even little points on her comb (granted, they're smaller now). Amazing!

Chickens never cease to impress me with how hardy and resilient they are.

 

[MegEck37]

They may lose some tips of their combs, but if they are eating/drinking o.k. and moving about, I would just monitor them.

It's good you are not seeing any signs of frostbite on the toes, but I'd still look a their feet daily just to be sure.

Thank you

 

[Dreammaker]

It helps to securely fasten doors and gates open or closed. We have all had accidents happen, and learn from out mistakes, so don’t beat yourself up. Do you have any pictures of combs, wattles or feet that might be questionable? I usually do not treat frostbite unless it is very bad because most creams, ointments, and sprays will also freeze. If the wattles or comb become extremely swollen and weeping, then it might be necessary to bring them inside to above freezing temps, and treat.

I had my birds in their coop when mine got frostbite, but here's what we did differently: we closed all the vents (they're all covered with plexiglass "storm windows" that we keep propped up 99% of the time). We do have two vents that are permanently open (with hardware cloth) all the time, so they did have some ventilation. Do you think it was the decreased ventilation--and therefore increased humidity--that caused this? I want to make sure this never happens again. I was against closing the vents, but my husband was adamant.