Frostbitten Comb- Vaseline Didn't Work

[chicknmania]

Thanks for your advice, but we don't put a heat lamp in the coop because what if the power were to go out in the coop? The birds would be so used to the heat, that they'd die from the lack of it. It is a good idea though.

Heat lamps are extremely dangerous. I have read so many stories about people's barns burnng down from well intentioned owners leaving heatlamps on all night for newborn animals or chicks.
We use heat lamps for chicks in pens, or if the weather is dangerously cold...in the single digits and below...but we always turn the heat lamps off before we go to bed...no exceptions..check on them often throughout the day while they are on, and try to position them so if they fall off or explode, that the hot surfaces will not easily ignite anything. They do make cool blue heat lamps, but I am not sure how those work, I have never found any though I haven't looked on line. Insulating the coop, or wherever they are sleeping, helps. I have read that vaseline just makes the combs cold, and I'm sure that's true. We don't use vaseline because we can't catch most of our roosters, and they are primarily the ones who suffer from frostbite, because they don't usually sleep with their head under a wing. At night, the birds will huddle together, or mama will keep the chicks warm, and in a well insulated building, or even one not so well insulated, all those feathery bodies will generate a surprising amount of heat for all to share...

 

[katsdar]

Since you said your coop is well insulated, I would check to see if you have too many chickens in the coop, even though you said Daisy is the only one with frostbite, remember it is supposed to be 2 square feet per chicken, the only reason I say this is the moisture from their breath can cause lots of moisture and that can be a source of increased moisture in the coop even though it is well ventilated.

 

[swede-murphy]

I use an oil-filled heat, did not cost much but cannot remember having bought it years ago. Anyway, it has a thermostatic control and no open flames, heat elements, glass bulbs or anything like that. Looks like an old fashioned radiator. I also have an inexpensive digital thermometer that records max-min both inside and outside. Most days even at 0 or thereabouts outside, the inside stays above 32; most nights the radiator does not come on at all. I suppose it could short out and burn the place down, but if I worried about that sort of thing, I would be living in a tipi out on the back 40.

 

[GhostRider65]

My Delaware rooster also got frostbite this year but I have only had chickens 3 years..this year being the coldest of the last 5, The week of severe cold and terrible wind chills-25 during the day and 35 to 40 below at night, is what did it, my coop is inside an insulted garage, but I also have horses so the stall next to the coop has an open 7x8 door facing south, but it should not draft into the coop that is only open at the top 18 inches for ventilation.
I think the problem is the west window in the coop, it does draft and I should have plastic it. even one of my BO hens has some at the very tips, and she sleeps right next to Hansom on the center roost bar, right in front of the dam west window.. I was afraid of the cold and did put vaseline on the roo, but it did nothing to help. my floor is bedded with sand and very dry, no water in the coop. but they still got it........ he doesn't seem to be too hurt by it tho......... and it isn't black its whitish gray with black tips just a tiny bit. Will it all fall off? or just the tips? Kim

 

[HennyPennyCrazy]

Quote:
Maybe just the very tips will fall off. My Buff Orpington rooster was outside on a high wind chill day (I am kicking myself for not keeping him cooped up) and he suffered bad frostbite on his comb and wattles. I took him and his hens out of the unheated coop and into a dry heated room (old office) in our barn.
I was wondering if I should smear petroleum jelly on his frostbite, but my husband told me to just leave it alone, so I did.

Today I am happy to report that the whitish or tan colored parts of his wattles have turned red again. Hooray! I am hoping he will lose nothing but the very edges of the frostbitten areas.

My hubby laughs at me for being so upset over this, telling me his hens will still find him attractive. My chickens know enough to come in out of the rain, but not enough to come in out of the cold, apparently. Sigh, live and learn.

 

[englewoodcowboy]

Not trying to hijack but I am a new member though I have been following for quite a while. I have Buff Orpingtons and my two roosters have a discoloration and somewhat growth on the edge of their waddles and combs. All of the girls are fine and my Barred Rock rooster is healthy too. Now my orp Roos tend to stay out late on the outside roost and the past few weeks we have had some really cold weather here and there. Here are a few pics, any help will be greatly appreciated.

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[englewoodcowboy]

 

[englewoodcowboy]

 

[blondiebee181]

My large combed roo got a lot on his comb but the temperature only went down to 17 degrees. I've never had a chicken with frostbite so I thought that he had stuck his head in the chain link to attack the other rooster but wonder now if his comb falling off at the bottom .the top of it is blackened and the bottom had a bit of blood on it but since he is not with others i thought that it would heal naturally. will he be okay? Should I post some pics?

Pics are always nice when trying to identify a wound and recommend a good treatment. It does sound like frostbite.

 

[blondiebee181]

englewoodcowboy, it does look like your roo has the beginnings of some frostbite, though it doesn't look very severe. My advice is to layer on the vaseline so it acts as a second skin, this will help keep moisture from settling on the skin and should help it not get so severe. Some of the comb may still turn a little white, that's what happened with my hens, but their combs are mostly back to normal. If the tissue doesn't die (i.e. turn black) it should heal. Make sure your coop is ventilated but not drafty (meaning there shouldn't be any direct breezes blowing at your birds but rather a vent usually at the top of the coop for moisture to escape) and for everyone, even though they may want to, don't let the silly things try to roost outside. I had a couple hens try to sleep on the roof for a while (thankfully when it was still warmer) but I strongly discouraged it and now everyone goes in at night. Also it doesn't take a lot of time or money to insulate, even spreading a nice 2-3 inch layer of straw over the floor, especially if the coop is small, helps a lot. Stay warm all, hopefully we are beginning to come out of the worst of this cold.