New member

[Vtonero]

Hi I am a new member, I have 2 black sex link chickens and live in maine. I'm asking for advice, 1 of my chickens has the start of frost bite on her comb. Yesterday when the wind chills were well below zero I put Vaseline on her. Their yard is wrapped with tarp and plastic and has a mesh top and they have a small coop. Should I put Neosporin or a and d ointment on her tonight when I close them up? Also their house and yard has straw in it. Thank you for your advice

 

[DobieLover]

Hello and welcome to BYC! Glad you joined.

I would not put Vaseline on the combs. It's an old wives tale that it would prevent moisture from getting on the comb to freeze. But Vaseline itself will freeze and damage the tissue if the temperature drops low enough. It's best to have really good ventilation to remove moisture from the coop but also have the roost area completely free of drafts. Wind chill is not a factor inside the coop where the wind is blocked.

If you could post pictures of her frostbite that would help. But generally the advice is just to monitor it and do not touch it.

 

[Vtonero]

Hello and welcome to BYC! Glad you joined.

I would not put Vaseline on the combs. It's an old wives tale that it would prevent moisture from getting on the comb to freeze. But Vaseline itself will freeze and damage the tissue if the temperature drops low enough. It's best to have really good ventilation to remove moisture from the coop but also have the roost area completely free of drafts. Wind chill is not a factor inside the coop where the wind is blocked.

If you could post pictures of her frostbite that would help. But generally the advice is just to monitor it and do not touch it.

Should I open the vent window into their coop. I wrapped the back side with plastic and all around their yard because here in Maine we r having a huge storm and wind chills have been 30 to 40 below so I was trying to keep wind down for them. Just worried for my babies. They r laying eggs daily tho. But in morning when I let them out their back ends are frosty

 

[Vtonero]

Should I open the vent window into their coop. I wrapped the back side with plastic and all around their yard because here in Maine we r having a huge storm and wind chills have been 30 to 40 below so I was trying to keep wind down for them. Just worried for my babies. They r laying eggs daily tho. But in morning when I let them out their back ends are frosty

I'll attach pics in a few mins

 

[talkinboutchickens]

Hello and welcome! It is definitely extremely confusing, as every website that I have seen at least has suggested to use Vaseline, hen healer, coconut oil, or another goopy substance to heal frostbite.
My birds get frostbite all the time, so I can confirm that those do not work to help frostbite. In fact, like @DobieLover said, it makes the frostbite much much worse, as applying any of these substances is basically applying pure moisture, which is one of the factors that causes frostbite.
One time, I used hen healer on one of my rooster's comb and wattles. The next day, they were even more swollen and damaged. If the frostbite starts to get very bad, you can take your chicken inside in a cage- I suggest using puppy training pads. However, if many of your birds get frostbite, you have to pick and choose who to bring inside, unless you have a ton of space. Chickens with yellow tissue damage are ok- however, if the damaged area is bleeding, blistering, or swelling up excessively, that is an excuse to take your chickens inside for a bit.
You can spray the affected areas with Vetericyn or Blu Kote. Another thing about applying Vaseline is that it causes pain to the birds when you rub it onto their face. I truly do not understand why websites spread false "treatments" that don't remotely work. You tried your best and I do not blame you at all for doing what you read!

I would block any vents. Even though you want ventilation in there, if its getting that cold like you said, it is OK to block off airflow. This is what I have learned at least.

 

[theoldchick]

https://the-chicken-chick.com/frostbit-in-backyard-chickens-causes/

 

[muddy75]

 

[Vtonero]

Thank u for

Hello and welcome to BYC! Glad you joined.

I would not put Vaseline on the combs. It's an old wives tale that it would prevent moisture from getting on the comb to freeze. But Vaseline itself will freeze and damage the tissue if the temperature drops low enough. It's best to have really good ventilation to remove moisture from the coop but also have the roost area completely free of drafts. Wind chill is not a factor inside the coop where the wind is blocked.

If you could post pictures of her frostbite that would help. But generally the advice is just to monitor it and do not touch it.

all your help and quick response. I'm new with chickens so I just want to make sure they r ok
I had brahmas last year and let them free range and a fox got them
So this yr I have them in a enclosure and they r secure and safe. We had a mild winter last year so I didn't worry about frost bite plus the other chickens had short combs my sex links have tall combs. So again thank you

 

[Bsmac]

Hello! Welcome to BYC!

 

[fldiver97]

Sorry you lost your last set of chickens!
Make sure you don’t make the coop airtight though…. Chicken poop and respiration release a lot of moisture. Moisture + cold causes frostbite. You don’t want drafts, no wind blowing on your chickens when they’re roosting but having some ventilation higher up helps to keep moisture down. Also remove water from the coop at night. The frostbite damage is done, it’ll scab off. I would only apply vetericyn if it looks gunky.