Frostbite

[gabriellebw]

We had a heavy frost last night and my girls (2 rhode island reds and 1 bard rock) got frostbite on their combs! I have put polysporin and bag balm on their combs and wattles and have decided to keep them indoors during the night. Is there anything else I should be doing? Will the frostbite clear up? It doesn't look severe, just a bit of discoloration...

 

[AK-Bird-brain]

They will be just fine. It sounds like you caught it in time and are doing everything you can for care. Keep an eye on their feet also for signs of frostbite on toes, and watch for signs of infection.
Egg laying may be off for awhile as they recover.

 

[gabriellebw]

They are not getting worse but they are not improving either. I have been keeping them indoors at night (water has been freezing in their hen house). I don't want to put a heat lamp in the hen house for fear of fire. My husband suggested putting a heat lamp in the run and leaving them there in the night. I think that even with the heat lamp they would be too exposed in the run at night, it is supposed to snow tonight. Am I right? Also, they have been getting pecky with each other since the cold weather set in. They free range during the day so they should not be having any feelings of being cooped up. Can frostbite give them bad tempers?

 

[hinkjc]

If they're in a coop, they shouldn't get frost bite (especially hens). Were they sleeping outside?

A good prevention for frostbite is petroleum jelly on the comb and wattles. This is especially important for large single combed males.

 

[gabriellebw]

They were sleeping in a closed coop but it was too cold. They have been sleeping indoors for the past couple of nights. We don't want to put a heat lamp in the hen house since it is small and we worry about fire. My husband thinks that we should put the heat lamp in the run which is much bigger and have the girls sleep outside in the run. I think worry that even with the heat lamp they will be too exposed. Any ideas? I have been putting bag balk on their combs and wattles twice a day.

 

[Wildsky]

my Ideal 236 (leghorn like) girls got frostbite last year, their combs were huge and flopped over. I didn't do anything, it was too late, and I only noticed the other day that both of their combs are now small, no more flopping over - very strange, and they look normal, not like they were broken or cut off or anything, totally normal combs, just small now and not that big floppy thing going on.

 

[silkymom]

hello,
i have used a 250 wt red heat lamp in a ceramic pig heater for 15 yrs and no fire, i keep it 5 feet up over the waterer,
no problem, and pine shavings on the floor,
silkymom