Frostbite... treat or not?

[Bonnie G]

Hi Everyone!

I've been doing a bunch of searching on here about frostbite. It seems that it greatly depends on the severity of whether or not to treat. So here's my problem.

The weather here has been up and down (Southern Ontario) and right now the temp is around -4C (25F). It's been all over the place, got snow this morning but lots of rain recently. Anyways, this is my rooster. I noticed it today, and it seems to be getting a bit worse every time I go out to the coop. I have them in the coop since the AI is going around here, a confirmed case 3 hours north a few days ago. I've struggled with keeping the humidity down in the coop all winter, I guess that might be a separate post about suggestions for ventilation upgrades.

Is it better to leave this alone or should I treat it? I know vaseline is a big no, but is there a salve I can make at home? It's getting on in the day, and most farm stores are closed Sundays.

Now that I’m inside and looking at the photos, they're not the best... he wouldn't stand still!!!

Thank you in advance for the help!

 

[picklestheduck]

The frostbite doesn't look that bad, my rooster has it too! I would leave it alone since thats usually the best way to go. The dead tissue will eventually fall off. Other than that hes REALLY pretty! Does he has a name?

 

[Bonnie G]

The frostbite doesn't look that bad, my rooster has it too! I would leave it alone since thats usually the best way to go. The dead tissue will eventually fall off. Other than that hes REALLY pretty! Does he has a name?

Thank you! I kind of figured that might be the best course of action... I don't want to make it worse.

He does! His name is Albert! Still fairly unsure of his breed, but here's a better picture of him

 

[picklestheduck]

AWW! Hes SO pretty!!!!

 

[klb25]

Handsome fella!

I agree the frostbite doesn't appear bad. My roo got frostbite after a couple nights at 8F. It's been a couple months now and you can hardly tell. As it was healing (no intervention), it looked a bit worse before it got better. It goes through phases but I believe your guy will be perfectly fine!

 

[Eggcessive]

I agree that frostbite is not too serious. It will heal without treatment. Here are a couple of good old threads about ventilation and winter in coops:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...-there-and-cut-more-holes-in-your-coop.47774/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/winter-coop-temperatures.47763/

 

[Bonnie G]

Thank you all so much for the help!!! I really appreciate the insight! I think I was worried because I could see it get worse after a couple hours, but hopefully he’ll be on the mend soon! Looks like the temperatures should be rising for good (it’s the end of March after all).

Thanks Eggcessive (awesome username!) for sharing those links. I’ll be doing some coop upgrades this summer. Ventilation will definitely be key, and I might try switching them to a nipple waterer instead of my current one. I’ve read that can also help with humidity.