I'm being given a Cream Legbar Roo with severe Frostbite.. What do I do?

[lismarc]

I have Cream Legbar hens and contacted the lady I bought them from to see if I could buy a Roo for the girls. She said she only has one but he has severe Frostbite over his entire comb and waddles. I haven't seen a picture but she says its all the way down to his head. She was willing to give him to me. I have NO IDEA what I need to do in order to make certain he remains healthy with such severe frostbite. I'm petrified he will get sick on me or worse.

Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

thanks in advance for your help.

 

[sourland]

Does this lady have a NPIP flock? If this bird is healthy except for the frostbite, he should be fine for your needs. The comb and wattles will eventually dry up and fall off giving him the appearance of a dubbed game cock. Applying some Bag Balm may help with the healing process by keeping things soft. Some have said that a frost bitten rooster loses his fertility, but that has never been my experience.

 

[lismarc]

Does this lady have a NPIP flock? If this bird is healthy except for the frostbite, he should be fine for your needs. The comb and wattles will eventually dry up and fall off giving him the appearance of a dubbed game cock. Applying some Bag Balm may help with the healing process by keeping things soft. Some have said that a frost bitten rooster loses his fertility, but that has never been my experience.

Thank you for replying. Yes, thankfully, she does have a NPIP flock. I told her I didn't mind if he didn't have a comb cuz then I wouldn't have to worry about frostbite ever again on him.

I will look further into the fertility issue. I've never heard that before.. I'm glad your experience has proven otherwise, because clearly his fertility is the only reason I would want another rooster.

 

[lismarc]

oh, I do have another question I would like to ask.. Should I keep him separate from the rest of the gang for a while to give him time to completely heal? I wouldn't want him to get hurt more by one of them pecking at the new kid? Or just introduce him as I normally would?

Thanks

 

[sourland]

I would definitely keep him separate from the flock. Quarantine even from good, known sources is a good idea. You know all about adding new birds to your flock, but in this instance I would recommend adding hens to his pen one or two at a time so that any scuffling is minimized. No need to get that comb or those wattles bleeding.

 

[lismarc]

I would definitely keep him separate from the flock. Quarantine even from good, known sources is a good idea. You know all about adding new birds to your flock, but in this instance I would recommend adding hens to his pen one or two at a time so that any scuffling is minimized. No need to get that comb or those wattles bleeding.

Thank you sooooo much. I will definitely do exactly that.

 

[plbuck]

RE roos with frostbitten combs being infertile: it doesn't always happen and when it does it's just temporary, a few months.

 

[lismarc]

RE roos with frostbitten combs being infertile: it doesn't always happen and when it does it's just temporary, a few months.

Thanks for that info. So at the worst... he should be fine come spring??

 

[plbuck]

Yes, by spring he should be fine. Meanwhile, watch for any signs of infection and make sure he's well-nourished, getting enough vitamins, etc. If the comb points don't die, the nasty looking part will eventually come off, like a tubular scab basically, leaving healthy tissue inside. Don't try to pry it off though.

 

[lismarc]

I wont get the him for another week and a half. The scary part is starting today we are having ANOTHER polar vortex blast. I'm praying she... well.... takes better precautions. He still hasn't healed front the first frost bite.