Frostbite??

[newchickmom]

I have no idea what frostbite looks like.

My rooster had some white spots on about 4 points of his comb, I thought he had maybe gotten burnt on the heat light, so I raised it.
Now the spots are black. Did he get some frostbite? And if that if is what happened, how do I treat it now? Will it fall off? Should I cut it off?
I don't know what to do!

 

[mario2girls]

my experience only here,,,
my old english,,,his comb was black then the litte tops fell off,,
didnt have to do anything to it, he is fine,,,,but that is just me,,,
forgot to say,,,yes its black,,,from frostbite

 

[CUDA]

Yes, it is frostbite. You can let it fall off on its own, which it will, or you can dub it. Living in Michigan, I have to deal with this all the time, that is why I dub all my fowl. It is best for their overall health. Frostbite can cause infections, and infertility in your fowl. You can see information about dubbing HERE . Good luck!

 

[Rebeccahorse]

I have two chickens that I got from my brother after his dog killed the rest of them and they both had frostbite on part of their comb, it turned black and fell off. One of the chickens even lost a foot to frostbite. She still gets around like the rest of them. The only thing she can't do it roost up high, so I put hay on the floor and she beds down on the hay.

 

[Luckylash7]

Does anyone have any pointers for frostbite? I live in a climate that can get to -30/40 with the windchill for several weeks. Its below freezing for at least 3 months out of the year. Heat lamps seem to help in an insulated coop...but does not cure the problem. Has anyone made hats or anything for their show birds?!?

 

[CUDA]

Sorry, didn't see the show bird part, so I am rewriting this...lol. Anyway, you will need to keep the temp in the coop warm enough for this not to happen. If you already have an insulated coop, put a heater out there. Put your lights on a timer to simulate day and night, and keep them locked up in this kind of weather. Good luck!

 

[Mrs MIA]

Where I live we get down into the -20 to -30F range for the month of January. I only have two white leghorns that I have to worry about - all the rest have rose-combs. When it stays that cold for a while, try slathering their combs with Vaseline to help insulate them, if you don't want to dub them.
We provided an insulated coop, too, but unless you keep them closed up inside it, you can't really protect them - the cold hits them really fast. The flat roosts will help for their feet. I rescued a little silver sebright last winter that lost all but two of her toes to frostbite. The previous owners provided zero heat for their birds. Her toes turned black, then fell off. Now she just has little pink nubbies, but does all right. In the winter she stays in the coop most of the time, but in the summer she's out there scratching with the best of them.

Just keep an eye on the comb, and keep a little peroxide available if it looks like it's weeping. That will help cauterize it, too. Once the tips fall off, they may look a little funny, but they should be fine. Just keep an eye on them. And heck, they make "saddles" to protect the girls from the roosters, so why not little fleece bonnets for the ladies! You might be on to the newest fashion trend in poultry!!

Good luck!

 

[Luckylash7]

I have them locked up I just need to add the heater. I have one, its a space heater. I am thinking of putting it up in the corner of the room. Also, adding a fan to blow the hot air around. Any ideas on how to control humitity?!?

 

[Mrs MIA]

I would provide a small vent near the ceiling to allow fresh air in and keep moisture from building up. We trained a heat lamp right on their waterer to keep it from freezing, and that seems to keep the humidity pretty constant.

 

[CUDA]

Yep, I forgot about the vasaline, good call bird brain. You will also need to keep the coop extra clean to keep the fumes down from the poo.