Rooster with frostbite

[KC Chickens]

My poor guy has bad frostbite. How can I help him heal and get better? I've read alot of threads but there is alot of mixed opinions which is making things a bit confusing.
It's been 2 nights of -41 Celsius with wind chill in northern Ontario ( Canada )

All of my hens are ok but this poor guy is in bad shape. ( he did have frostbite that started at the begining of the season but healed himself pretty quickly while keeping him in the coop )

I did move him inside and plan on keeping him in until the weather improves and he heals.

His waddles are quite swollen and comb has open wounds, no puss from.what I can see. He is also shaking and keeping his mouth slightly open.
He is eating and drinking.

Not sure if I should be purchasing electrolytes and some kind of wound spray for his comb? Or just wait it out qs I know they do heal on their own. Any advice is greatly appreciated

 

[Chicken_Obsesser]

If the flesh is already black it will fall off eventually. Poor guy! Make sure the space he is in is as dry as possible so less moisture is in the air.

 

[red horse ranch]

I've had to deal with this several times over the years. It is very painful for the rooster. That's why he shakes his head so much. I have found that using pure aloe on the comb helps as much as anything. Don't rub the aloe into the comb, just gently cover the entire comb and wattles. I also bring them in the house for up to a week to give them time to recover. It's important to keep the hens from pecking at the comb. He will recover although he will probably lose some of the points on his comb.
Make sure your coop has good ventilation but no drafts. But there is really not much you can do for them when the temp in the coop is well below freezing.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Educators @Wyorp Rock, @Eggcessive say not to put anything on the comb or wattles, it will just freeze and make the problem worse, and handling also just damages the area and causes pain.

It is not cold temps that causes damage, it is moisture. Be sure there is plenty of ventilation, air flow above the chickens' heads when they roost, not blowing directly on the birds, to prevent condensation.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

My poor guy has bad frostbite. How can I help him heal and get better? I've read alot of threads but there is alot of mixed opinions which is making things a bit confusing.
It's been 2 nights of -41 Celsius with wind chill in northern Ontario ( Canada )

All of my hens are ok but this poor guy is in bad shape. ( he did have frostbite that started at the begining of the season but healed himself pretty quickly while keeping him in the coop )View attachment 4033091View attachment 4033090

I did move him inside and plan on keeping him in until the weather improves and he heals.

His waddles are quite swollen and comb has open wounds, no puss from.what I can see. He is also shaking and keeping his mouth slightly open.
He is eating and drinking.

Not sure if I should be purchasing electrolytes and some kind of wound spray for his comb? Or just wait it out qs I know they do heal on their own. Any advice is greatly appreciated

It's good that you separated him out and he's in a warmer area.

Personally, I would leave the Frostbitten areas alone. Don't handle them or apply anything to them.

Frostbitten tissue will dry up and eventually fall off on its own. With that much damage it will take a while.
I've found shaking the head is normal when they have Frostbite, it must be painful.

You can offer electrolytes if you wish.

 

[KC Chickens]

Thanks for all the replies!
I do have good ventilation and make sure to do normal coop cleanings. ( I don't do.deep litter as i heard this can cause alot of moisture. The Temps have just been all over the map this winter which can't be easy on them.
I will keep him indoors until he is healed up and temps aren't as low.

Thanks again!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Thanks for all the replies!
I do have good ventilation and make sure to do normal coop cleanings. ( I don't do.deep litter as i heard this can cause alot of moisture. The Temps have just been all over the map this winter which can't be easy on them.
I will keep him indoors until he is healed up and temps aren't as low.

Thanks again!

Keeping him in is a good idea. Being exposed to cold temps can make it worse.

Frostbite can happen with just exposure to cold and wind, moisture does play a part too, but even in a dry coop, frostbite can happen with extremely cold temps. More so on large straight combs and wattles like your rooster.

Do keep watch that he's drinking well and eating. His wattles may become very painful and he may not want to drink/eat just because of the motion/movement. If that happens, then you may need to Torpedo feed him and syringe fluids into him. Hopefully he'll just continue on with not too many problems.