Letting chickens out with frostbite on comb.

[LivelyHens]

I have 15 hens + 1 rooster, early this week I noticed 2 hens plus my roo have gotten frostbite on the combs, since I've put them up in the coop, applied Vaseline to all 16 combs and maintained that they not go out of the coop day or night until the frostbite is cured, no heat in coop (I have had 2 friends lose coops and chickens to fires, I won't chance it.) there are 2 vents in coop for fresh air and 2 windows for natural light, they haven't slowed in egg production, coop is a converded yard barn that is 12' by 8'. Am I doing the wrong thing? Am I neglecting them? I don't want the frost bite to get worse, and the temps have been in the teens at night mid 30s at daytime.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

At those temperatures they shouldn't be getting frostbite, you must not have enough ventilation, most people get worried and close up their coop in winter which allows moisture to build up and causes frostbite, the birds will be fine, depending on the damage there may be swelling or parts will blackened and eventually fall off, I have dealt with frostbite not caused by moisture, when it gets down into the -20 with -40 wind chills I will get some frostbite on the comb points and sometimes wattles. I would play around with your ventilation to increase it some.

 

[aart]

Best to leave any frostbitten tissue alone to heal and/or fall off, vaseline doesn't do much good anyway.
I would only intervene if swelling lasts more than 3-4 days or very obvious infection is present...and I've had some pretty bad wattle damage on two cock/erels.

Even with closed waterers, my current boy has some from dragging his wattles in the snow.

 

[LivelyHens]

Ok, thank you so much guys.