Frostbite !

[CassieTheChickenTender]

3 out of 4 of my chickens have frostbite on their combs. The Temps in wyoming got to -30s! I left them in the coop for a couple of days because of it being so cold... I feel so bad!! What should I do? I know it's gonna warm up to the 40s this week... do I just leave it alone? One of thems is SOO BAD
I don't have heat lamps in there!

 

[RaesChicks]

I was looking up their condition, I’m sure you have done the same. From what I read if it doesn’t turn black they should be fine. Vaseline can help insulate their combs during the cold. But to prevent further damage is their any way to get a heat source to your coop? Or is bringing them into a garage an option so that lamps could be plugged in?

 

[alinas2010]

I’m sorry this happened to your chickens. The experts here will usually say do not touch it and do not apply Vaseline for cold weather. Just let the combs heal on their own as touching or applying anything will be very painful. I have never tried Vaseline myself, though so I can’t speak from experience if that is a bad idea for cold weather…Having ventilation in the coop up high above their heads and eliminating moisture is the key to preventing frost bite.

That being said, those are some big combs to try to protect and I understand the bitter Wyoming cold. I myself am from Wyoming and it was an awful past week, I feel your pain. I often also wonder no matter how much ventilation, will a chicken with exposed parts in that much cold get frostbite anyways?

I am skeptical our coop has enough ventilation in all the right places, although we modified it this summer. But knowing that our coop was lacking, I went ahead and provided heat for them using a radiant heater this past week to help them through this cold snap and it was a huge relief for me to know they were at least somewhat warm. I know a lot of people on here are against providing supplemental heat, and I’m sure they really don’t need it most of the time. Just wanted to share how we coped, coming from a fellow Wyoming-ite

 

[Eggcessive]

I agree that there is not much that can be done to prevent frostbite on combs at -30F. Be very careful if using any heat source, and you would want to place them in a place warmer, but not above freezing. If you heat them too much, they won’t be able to withstand the cold winter temps. I don’t treat frostbite. Any ointments or creams or sprays will cause more freezing, so I don’t recommend them. It will heal in time, and the comb tips will probably become more rounded off in weeks.

 

[CassieTheChickenTender]

I’m sorry this happened to your chickens. The experts here will usually say do not touch it and do not apply Vaseline for cold weather. Just let the combs heal on their own as touching or applying anything will be very painful. I have never tried Vaseline myself, though so I can’t speak from experience if that is a bad idea for cold weather…Having ventilation in the coop up high above their heads and eliminating moisture is the key to preventing frost bite.

That being said, those are some big combs to try to protect and I understand the bitter Wyoming cold. I myself am from Wyoming and it was an awful past week, I feel your pain. I often also wonder no matter how much ventilation, will a chicken with exposed parts in that much cold get frostbite anyways?

I am skeptical our coop has enough ventilation in all the right places, although we modified it this summer. But knowing that our coop was lacking, I went ahead and provided heat for them using a radiant heater this past week to help them through this cold snap and it was a huge relief for me to know they were at least somewhat warm. I know a lot of people on here are against providing supplemental heat, and I’m sure they really don’t need it most of the time. Just wanted to share how we coped, coming from a fellow Wyoming-ite

Hey thank you! I'm wondering if I should add a radiant heater when it's in the negatives. I only worry about starting a fire... I might need to add more Ventilation. It's a pretty good sized coop for just 4 hens.

 

[CassieTheChickenTender]

I agree that there is not much that can be done to prevent frostbite on combs at -30F. Be very careful if using any heat source, and you would want to place them in a place warmer, but not above freezing. If you heat them too much, they won’t be able to withstand the cold winter temps. I don’t treat frostbite. Any ointments or creams or sprays will cause more freezing, so I don’t recommend them. It will heal in time, and the comb tips will probably become more rounded off in weeks.

Thanks for the advice! I'm hoping it doesn't get down to -30s again.

 

[CassieTheChickenTender]

I was looking up their condition, I’m sure you have done the same. From what I read if it doesn’t turn black they should be fine. Vaseline can help insulate their combs during the cold. But to prevent further damage is their any way to get a heat source to your coop? Or is bringing them into a garage an option so that lamps could be plugged in?

I have an extension cord ran for their heated water bowl. I don't know how safe it would be for heat. But it's 30 degrees tonight so thankfully no negative Temps!

 

[alinas2010]

Hey thank you! I'm wondering if I should add a radiant heater when it's in the negatives. I only worry about starting a fire... I might need to add more Ventilation. It's a pretty good sized coop for just 4 hens.

In my mind it’s definitely better to not risk a fire if there is a chance, and as Eggcessive pointed out, we are really hindering their ability to handle the cold weather if we provide too much heat. Last year the power went out when we had -30 weather and the chickens ended up inside in a dog kennel that night! So that’s what i get for providing heat. But even knowing all this, I love them and struggle with not giving them something in extremely cold weather.

Edit to add: also, I’m sure you may have researched up on ways to keep them warmer without heat, but we always add extra bedding before cold snaps, cover the crack of the coop door with a curtain to avoid drafts, provide higher carb treats, like corn, and I did add some insulation around the bottom edges of the coop this year.