Frostbite in Winter...

[llombardo]

Am I going to have problems with frostbite with this boy?

Second picture is a rooster photo bomb but a close up of those waddles

 

[Folly's place]

Maybe. Having a well ventilated dry coop helps, and waterers that don't allow him to dunk those wattles in the water. It's not the end of the world if he is frostbitten, but unpleasant for him for sure.
Smaller is better in snow country!
Mary

 

[aart]

Comb, probably not.
Wattles, most likely.
I have lots of ventilation, poops removed from boards every day, horizontal nipple waterers, dry shavings for bedding.
Everything I can do to reduce humidity, but ya can't make it less humid inside the coop than it is outside...and around the Great Lakes, it's humid, especially when there is a thaw and still a foot for more of snow on roof of coop and all around. Every winter I've had large single cocks combs and/or wattles significantly dubbed by necrotizing frostbite.
Females get nipped too but usually just the mild graying of tissue rather and the black dead tissue. Despite their warm closed waterer inside, they love, love to nosh on the snow banks, rubbing their wattles on it in the process...and thus, frostbitten wattles.
Try to keep them from doing that, haha, not gonna happen.

IMO it's pretty much unavoidable, salves applied may( I seriously doubt) or may not help....and like @Folly's place says, it's not the end of the world.
Best advice, don't even touch it...it's compromised tissue and touching it could very easily make it worse and introduce infection. It will likely swell up, but that will recede within a day or so. They probably will have some discomfort during that time, but I've not see it be truly debilitating, and there's really nothing you can do to make it better...and it could make it worse.

Here's 2 examples(2 different birds 2 different years) that I documented. I never treated these at all, just let them heal while watching closely for localized infection and birds overall demeanor/condition.

Swollen wattles, from snow eating, lasted 2 days:

10 days later:

Progression of comb frostbite and healing:
You can see in 1-19 pic he already lost part of big left wattle
(right wattle is withered/deformed from injury as a chick)

 

[llombardo]

I was thinking of trying to pin the waddles, so they are not in the way. Other thought was to make sure they were not wet nightly. Last thought was the dubbing(I would have a vet do it) beforehand to prevent it.

 

[roosterhavoc]

I was thinking of trying to pin the waddles, so they are not in the way. Other thought was to make sure they were not wet nightly. Last thought was the dubbing(I would have a vet do it) beforehand to prevent it.

Most wattles don’t get too bad like already pictured. I have had a rooster that got frostbite on his wattles pretty bad though. Once they get real bad they can swell up with fluid really bad. I just cut them off. You can dub him yourself. You don’t need a vet. Sharp scissors is all that’s needed.
This particular rooster just didn’t care about the cold and snow. All the hens were in the warmer dry coop and he was always out playing in the snow. Crazy bird.

 

[llombardo]

Most wattles don’t get too bad like already pictured. I have had a rooster that got frostbite on his wattles pretty bad though. Once they get real bad they can swell up with fluid really bad. I just cut them off. You can dub him yourself. You don’t need a vet. Sharp scissors is all that’s needed.
This particular rooster just didn’t care about the cold and snow. All the hens were in the warmer dry coop and he was always out playing in the snow. Crazy bird.

I worked as a vet tech for years and there is no way I would dub him on my own, especially by myself with no one to hold him. I might call a couple vets tomorrow to see if they even do it. Those waffles get in his way all the time now, can't imagine it not being an issue in the winter.

 

[roosterhavoc]

I worked as a vet tech for years and there is no way I would dub him on my own, especially by myself with no one to hold him. I might call a couple vets tomorrow to see if they even do it. Those waffles get in his way all the time now, can't imagine it not being an issue in the winter.

I dub birds all the time. Yes I do have someone hold them sorry. I wouldn’t worry about it unless they really got frostbite bad.

 

[aart]

I wouldn't dub as a 'preventative'...let winter do it.

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

Love the Wyandotte look. Same one my boy gives.
I'm worried about my rooster's wattles too, but I will do as Aart suggested and just let winter do it's thing. I had one hen get frostbite on her comb. I worried so much. Tried all the tips and tricks to prevent and it still happened. She just has rounded tips now instead of pointy. It's easier to identify her now.

 

[Mosey2003]

I'm planning to use horizontal nipples with a heated waterer to try and prevent frostbite on wattles this year. Otherwise, after you've ventilated and reduced drafts and any moisture you can, there's not much else you can do.