Frostbite on Rooster's Wattles?

[Bogtown Chick]

Hi all. 4 years ago I had a New Hampshire rooster who had a rough first winter. On a particular cold morning I fed the flock a warm squash from the oven. The steam condensed on his wattles and comb then frostbite shortly after. Lesson learned on feeding warm wet food in a cold coop. 2/3 of wattles were affected. He swelled up and couldn't eat and drink very well. So did feed him for a while and syringed water in his beak for 3-4 days. Nuts! Made sure he was getting something. I had brought him in for a dog kennel stay but DH heard him crowing in the kitchen at 3 am and I carried him back out to the coop and tucked him between 2 fluffy hens. After a few days he was eating regularly, drinking without issues. The wattles turned gray then hard black (eschars) then they walled off and came off like a big scab. His comb did get a bit stinky and I went to our local vet and asked for cephalexin for him. Not sure it was necessary but he was a pet. The next 3 winters there was no more issues as he was more adapted to winter living in Minnesota with dubbed comb and wattles.

Bag balm (green tin with clovers) seems to be waxier in the cold and less likely to rub off easy. More repellent qualities for combs and wattles. Although this winter we are getting a wellie cockerel through his first winter as well and his comb is not looking too great despite bag balm efforts. A part of me feels that I should just let it go so I won't have to deal with it next winter...it's hard to decide what's best. Like Erli bird I have a mild flat panel radiant heater that's safe and takes the edge off. I also have my roosts set so there is lots of head room between the birds and the top of the ceiling. So moisture is rising up and away from combs.
Hope this helpful. And hope you all are getting your Roos back to their hens. Good luck. Stay warm.

 

[lutherpug]

Hi all. 4 years ago I had a New Hampshire rooster who had a rough first winter. On a particular cold morning I fed the flock a warm squash from the oven. The steam condensed on his wattles and comb then frostbite shortly after. Lesson learned on feeding warm wet food in a cold coop. 2/3 of wattles were affected. He swelled up and couldn't eat and drink very well. So did feed him for a while and syringed water in his beak for 3-4 days. Nuts! Made sure he was getting something. I had brought him in for a dog kennel stay but DH heard him crowing in the kitchen at 3 am and I carried him back out to the coop and tucked him between 2 fluffy hens. After a few days he was eating regularly, drinking without issues. The wattles turned gray then hard black (eschars) then they walled off and came off like a big scab. His comb did get a bit stinky and I went to our local vet and asked for cephalexin for him. Not sure it was necessary but he was a pet. The next 3 winters there was no more issues as he was more adapted to winter living in Minnesota with dubbed comb and wattles.

Bag balm (green tin with clovers) seems to be waxier in the cold and less likely to rub off easy. More repellent qualities for combs and wattles. Although this winter we are getting a wellie cockerel through his first winter as well and his comb is not looking too great despite bag balm efforts. A part of me feels that I should just let it go so I won't have to deal with it next winter...it's hard to decide what's best. Like Erli bird I have a mild flat panel radiant heater that's safe and takes the edge off. I also have my roosts set so there is lots of head room between the birds and the top of the ceiling. So moisture is rising up and away from combs.
Hope this helpful. And hope you all are getting your Roos back to their hens. Good luck. Stay warm.

Very interesting lesson about the hot squash and the cold coop-I've been taking them mash with chick feed on the super cold mornings-maybe I will rethink that strategy. I figured it warmed them up plus I've got a molting Dominique who could use the extra protein of the chick feed.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

You'll have to weigh out what's more important. Perhaps the nutrition is most important. I was feeding fermented feed that winter too. And it would cling and I'd note black spots on the wattles later. Just superficial. Not bad. But now winter -- we're about dry feed. Easy all around.

 

[MesMama]

@lutherpug For extra protein black oil sunflower seed works great, just a sprinkling and it helps keep them warm

 

[Bogtown Chick]

When I have a molting bird that needs a push of protein I'll give a can of tuna fish once a week or so. Electrolytes and probiotics in the water. Just ideas.

 

[Seabright12]

My rooster just got frostbite on his wattles as well so I'm hopping on this thread to stay updated. I thought it was just the wind and the fact that my roo refused to go inside until the ladies were secure. I gave him some warm oatmeal right before he went inside and after reading about the squash I'm afraid it's the steam that did it to him. He's won't let me catch him so he's kind of on his own. If I am able to catch him, can I put Vaseline on the frostbitten part? Or should I try not to touch it? Thanks!

 

[Cebarmlds]

My rooster just got frostbite on his wattles as well so I'm hopping on this thread to stay updated. I thought it was just the wind and the fact that my roo refused to go inside until the ladies were secure. I gave him some warm oatmeal right before he went inside and after reading about the squash I'm afraid it's the steam that did it to him. He's won't let me catch him so he's kind of on his own. If I am able to catch him, can I put Vaseline on the frostbitten part? Or should I try not to touch it? Thanks!

Like I said a few posts back, I massaged coconut oil on the wattles, he seemed to like it. Didn't have any permanent damage either.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Here are some photos of the New Hampshire I spoke of. One thing I wish I had at the time were more photos of what to expect. I had not been through it before and "the not knowing what was next" was hard. I hope this helps those of you with some of the more serious frost bit wattles and combs know this is sort of what will happen. And you'll both get through it.

Here we are with a first snow fall. Checking it all out as a young curious cockerel. "Pretty Cocky".

Wattle Cubes after warm wet food. (Steaming Squash and Oatmeal fall in this category)


Swellings is actually starting to come back down in this picture.



Starting to dry up and "Wall off"




This phase with the eschars drove him nuts. Very itchy. He'd shake his head and I could hear the eschars 'click clicking' together. The hens were my little nurse maids trying to debride him of these. When they did come off there were a few drops of blood. Sort of like thick scabs coming off.



Finally everything is off. Lots of loss but very much ready for his next 3 winters. No issues after. Very low maintenance.

Another profile pic. Here he's looking at a broody and chicks I'm introducing to him as new flock mates. A very good caring rooster.

 

[High Prairie]

@Bogtown Chick Thank you so much for the pictures! I think May will end up looking very similar. He's his usual, chipper self this morning in the laundry room. He was crowing quite a bit. I turned some Christmas music on for him, and that helped!

Do you happen to remember how long the whole healing process lasted? I imagine it takes awhile. Also, did you have any problems putting him back outside in the cold once he had been inside a couple of days healing? It's getting into the 40s here tomorrow so I might try it then if everything is looking good. He's still swollen today but maybe not quite as much as yesterday.

 

[ManawaGirl]

I'm in Iowa and Saturday we got hit with the artic air spreading across the US. It was negative 35 here. I'd banked our coop with straw, the apex of the coop has ventilation, and I went around the inside of our coop with old feed bags to get rid of drafts. My problem is that up until like 2 weeks ago, it was still in the 40s here, which is completely abnormal. I had 5 chickens start their molt the week of Thanksgiving. Sunday afternoon my teenage daughter went to check on everyone and found our oldest RIR in hypothermia not moving in a corner of the coop. She was one of our late molt-ers. We brought her in the house and kept a hair dryer on low going over her body for 2 hours. Then, we wrapped her in a towel and just held her. She gradually started opening her eyes, and trying to move a bit. We wound up putting her in an old guinea pig cage in our basement. I really expected the worst this morning, but when I went to check on her, she was up and ready for food and water. My guess is that she will lose a big hunk of her comb and both wattles. BUT she should survive. Poor thing. She's only 5.