I'm a good bit further north than y'all - in Maryland, so we get some pretty cold temps, but the kicker here is the humidity. Cold doesn't really cause the frostbite. DAMP cold is the real risk factor, at least around here. Chickens are pretty good at fluffing up and keeping warm, as long as you don't have drafts below their feet (that's why ventilation is usually up high, above the roosts, or low and away from roosts,) but they can't do anything against the humidity. When humidity is high and temps dip well below freezing, it's hard to keep that exposed skin from icing ... hence the Vaseline.Thanks, @MROO, I will keep this in mind if it gets cold enough here to worry about frostbite! This is good stuff to know, I learned a lot from this post! ... er, how cold, exactly, might that be?
Oh - and there's another reason for oiling combs ... they look really nice, and a little primping never hurts! Most of my roos really enjoy it, too. Sammy will lower his head and totally relax during a good comb massage. I swear, when prepping for a show, he sometimes gets so relaxed it's almost obscene. I almost expect him to light up a cigarette afterwards!