HELP!! VERY swollen wattles on my rooster from frostbite

[ClaremontChicks]

Last night was a very cold night and my rooster got frostbite on his wattles as well as in between them. This morning they were very swollen and since then i have had him in the garage all day to keep warm.There is so much swelling that it is actually keeping his mouth open because it is so heavy. All my other chickens are fine because their combs and wattles are no where near as big as his.

The swelling has not gone down at all today and it looks as though his wattles have even gotten a little more swollen during the day. How do I reduce the swelling? I'm worried that this will affect his breathing. I need some opinions please!!

For the rest of the winter I definitely plan to keep him in the garage, I just want to know how I can help him right away because it his affecting his eating.

 

[nchls school]

To find answers faster type your question in the advanced search box at the top of THIS page. Good luck.

 

[ClaremontChicks]

I can't find anything that will help me bring down the swelling. Do you have any advice??

 

[naivetefarm]

@ClaremontChicks - Do you have any photos of this fella? Often, that will help others on here to get a good idea of what they're dealing with before giving advice.

I caught my rooster with frostbite this week and while there wasn't a lot of swelling, I did end up moving him into our pantry (no heat in there, but warmer than outdoors). Is the swelling due to blistering and puss? Have you tried any remedies on him so far other than keeping him in the garage (is the garage kept at a temperature that is above freezing?)

This is an ointment that Fresh Eggs Daily recommends and I have been using it on my rooster. Just keep in mind that you want to avoid rubbing very hard on him as his wattles are already tender and damaged. Be as careful as you can. If he has a lot of blistering, you may want to hold off on this to make sure you aren't covering up an infection.

Homemade Frostbite Ointment

This all-natural ointment can be used to prevent and treat frostbite.

Ingredients
2 ounces beeswax
3/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 teaspoon liquid vitamin E (helps repair damaged skin)
10 drops calendula essential oil (anti-inflamatory, aids in healing wounds)
10 drops lavender essential oil (relaxant, pain reliever, antibacterial, anti-fungal)
10 drops lemon essential oil (antibacterial, antiviral)

To Make
Grate beeswax and melt with coconut oil over low heat in a glass mason jar set in a saucepan of boiling water, stirring with a wooden chopstick. Remove from heat and stir in the Vitamin E and essential oils until well mixed. Leave in the mason jar or pour into a covered container and cool. Store in a cool, dry place and use as needed.

In serious instances, some folks may recommend dubbing. There are plenty of threads on here about if and when this is appropriate, but if this rooster is in as serious a position as you say he is, you might want to start your research on whether or not this is an avenue you'd pursue. Some controversy around it - some folks believe it to be cruel while others believe it to prevent the bird from repeated pain with recurring frostbite... You'll have to decide for yourself if it's a useful avenue or not.

Keep an eye on him in the meantime and keep us updated. Do you know what cause his serious frostbite? Are you sure your coop is getting enough ventilation? Check for moisture buildup in there, especially in the morning right after you let everyone outdoors. What kind of waterer are you using? My rooster ended up with frostbitten wattles because I was using a heated dog bowl - each time he took a drink, he was floating his wattles around and getting them wet. Take a good look around your chickens' quarters to make sure there's nothing in their environment that may be making them more prone to frostbite.

Best wishes for his recovery!!

 

[naivetefarm]

You can also try giving him a low-dose (81 mg) aspirin, crushed in a quart of water. Or, if you can find the orange chewable tablets, he might peck that up as he heals a little.

If you want more information about pain killers and chickens, @sunflour gave this helpful advice on a different thread:
RE: aspirin for chickens, found this site.

https://sites.google.com/a/poultrypedia.com/poultrypedia/poultry-podiatry


Give Painkiller

• CAUTION: Do NOT give Ibuprofin (Advil, etc.) or Acetaminophen (Tylenol, etc.) to birds! Those are harmful to them.
• Buffered aspirin (such as Bayer, etc.) can be used for a chicken to help reduce:
  • Stress, listlessness, discomfort, pain
  • Fever
  • Swelling / inflammation.
    Caution:
    Aspirin thins blood and keeps it from clotting as quickly as normal.
    • You should wait until internal and external injuries have begun to heal before using aspirin.
    • Birds bruise more easily when on aspirin.
    • Aspirin carries risk of some damage to digestive system lining. The risk is higher if old, non-buffered, or broken-up pills are used; or if given in high or frequent amounts.
  • Note: A standard baby Aspirin is 80 mg, and a standard adult Aspirin pill is 325 mg.
  • Dose for chickens: Approx. 25 mg per pound of chicken's body weight each day.
    • Examples: For a 6-lb. Large Fowl Leghorn rooster, give 1 baby aspirin or 1/4 of a regular aspirin for a morning dose, and the same amount for an evening dose ( = ~150 mg total per day).
      For a Bantam 1.6-lb. Bantam Leghorn rooster, give 1/4 of a baby aspirin for a morning dose, and the same amount for an evening dose (= ~40 mg total per day).
  • To administer:
    • To give immediately or in individual administrations: Crush up and split dose up into 2 or 3 administrations per day. Sprinkle the powder on a small tasty treat such as fruit or yogurt and give to the chicken.
    • To have the chicken self-administer throughout the day: Crush up the total daily dose and dissolve in the approximate amount of water that the chicken drinks each day. Pour into chicken's drinking container.
• Never give a chicken any kind of painkiller with 'caine' in the name. These are EXTREMELY toxic to chickens if overdosed.
  • Exception: Procaine Penicillin injectible is not as risky because it is rarely overdosed.
  • Do NOT use a Triple Antibiotic Ointment with "Pain Relief" or Painkiller because almost all include '-caine' ingredients.
    • Exception: Neosporin with Painkiller products usually only use Pramoxine HCl as the painkiller ingredient, and that is alright for chickens.

 

[ClaremontChicks]

I just added some pictures. Today He is still as swollen but now he isn't eating as much as he did yesterday How do I make the swelling go down?? The garage that he is in is room temperature.

 

[naivetefarm]

@ClaremontChicks - did you try asprin and/or the salve? Anything else you've tried, yet?

 

[nchls school]

I just added some pictures. Today He is still as swollen but now he isn't eating as much as he did yesterday How do I make the swelling go down?? The garage that he is in is room temperature.

This is from another site from the internet-swelling sounds like possible infection.

If any chickens show signs of lameness or severe frostbite of the comb or wattles, they need to be removed from the flock and treated promptly. Soak the limbs (feet, toes and legs) in room temperature epsom salt water to gradually warm the frostbitten areas. This may take as long as a half hour of soaking. Dry thoroughly and rub bag balm or other salves on those areas. Place the bird in a carrier with bedding, food and electrolytes along with fresh water, in a warm area with no drafts. Check frequently to make certain the chicken is alert, eating and drinking normally. Examine the frostbite areas for any bleeding or infection. If there is bleeding, apply Blu Kote to prevent pecking, especially if you are treating more than one at a time. An application of Vetericyn will help prevent infection.

 

[naivetefarm]

Also - this thread might be SUPER helpful to you - 60+ responses and this fella looks to be in worse shape than your rooster....

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/122969/help-swollen-frostbitten-roo-pics-not-eating-drinking

 

[ClaremontChicks]

Also - this thread might be SUPER helpful to you - 60+ responses and this fella looks to be in worse shape than your rooster....

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/122969/help-swollen-frostbitten-roo-pics-not-eating-drinking

Thank you so much for all of your help! I really appreciate it. I'm pretty far away from town, but I plan on going out tomorrow to get some asprin to help his pain. I'm not sure where I can get penicillin for him because I think his wattles might be infected. They are warm to the touch. I have him in my garage and he has been sleeping in a nest box I made for him.

He really wants to eat and drink, but his huge swollen wattles stop him from doing so, so now he isn't trying as much. I am wondering if I should try and drain them maybe with a needle.