Frostbite & Molting?

[lchavis]

This is our 1st winter with chickens...we live in MN and this has been out 1st truly cold week. Mr. Ballchinion (our rooster) got his waddles & comb frostbit the beginning of the week. All of our chickens have since been confined to their room in the barn! He also looks like he might be molting & a couple of our hens are also loosing some feathers by their tails. 1. How do I treat his frostbite? 2. Is his feather loss related to his frostbite or is he molting? 3. Are my hens starting to molt, or is it due to a bored bully chicken pecking on them?

 

[SIMZ]

Winter can be difficult in cold climates!

It would helpful if you could post a few pictures of his frostbite and feather loss, and a hen with feather loss. It could be pecking or molting or even damage from mating.

To treat his frostbite you can gently put some neosporin (WITHOUT pain relief) on his comb and wattles. We live in Northwest Indiana and struggle with frostbite on our roosters every winter. They normally recover fine but the frostbite usually leaves permanent damage to their combs such as missing points.