rooster has frostbite on his comb

[woodsman23]

What can i do about frostbite on my roosters comb its very black at the tips and he is leaving blood on the feeder as he eats. It is -2 right now and no heat in the coop . All the others seem fine be he has a large comb. what can i do to adress the frostbite?

 

[JerseyGiantfolk]

You can put some Vaseline (or petroleum jelly) on his comb to help sooth and prevent more serious frostbite. Also make sure he has ventilation in his coop so it doesn't get too humid.


Some people who live in cold areas dub their roosters and hens. Dubbing is removing pieces of facial skin on a bird. So it would be cutting off the comb, wattles and earlobes. Sounds nasty, huh? But it sure is better than getting painful frostbite.

 

[heydeej]

My roosters have the large single combs. Last year one of them lost all his points to frostbite.
So this year I drilled some holes in the peak of the coop, switched to deep litter, and added a heat lamp.
Now another one is showing signs of frostbite. I had read here about putting vaseline on the comb and wattles, so tonight I snatched him off the roost and smeared him up real good.
Thing is...as I walked back to the house I noticed that the fingers with the vaseline on them felt a lot colder.
Did I just do him a disservice?

 

[JerseyGiantfolk]

My roosters have the large single combs. Last year one of them lost all his points to frostbite.
So this year I drilled some holes in the peak of the coop, switched to deep litter, and added a heat lamp.
Now another one is showing signs of frostbite. I had read here about putting vaseline on the comb and wattles, so tonight I snatched him off the roost and smeared him up real good.
Thing is...as I walked back to the house I noticed that the fingers with the vaseline on them felt a lot colder.
Did I just do him a disservice?

Combs are used as a heat source, if you've ever kept your finger on the comb for a while, you'll notice. The vaseline should melt down a bit and be like lotion (as I have noticed). Good luck.