Rooster with swollen wattles is doing better but needs dubbed

[Poohbear]

Good site, bj ! Much better than I could explain.

 

[morelcabin]

The pictures were very helpful...and poohbear you were right about one thing...the roo didn't feel a thing:>) I only did the tips though, (on the rooster that doesn't have it as bad. some bleeding, not bad really...but I didn't have the nerve to go down as far as I should have...
The other roo I am frankly afraid to do. To get all the frostbite I would have to cut even with his skull pretty well.
I did the other one because we are expecting to go down into the -30's tonite and I don't want it to get any worse.
I couldn't do the wattles...just couldn't bring myself to it. Glad I'm going to do chanteclers next year...

 

[Wynette]

Ummm....might be a good idea to pick up some vaseline or bag balm or something for the future; if you rub this on their combs/wattles, they won't get frostbitten in the first place.

 

[IndianaLeghorn]

Well, they are both dead.

The beat up one made it to the next afternoon and the other one made it 2 more days. I did just as I read in all the forums. I checked out the Cajun Yankee article multiple times and watched the filmstrip. I had them on Teramycin and electrolytes. They would not stop bleeding. It was not profuse buit it never stopped. I think they bled to death.

I had 8 rooster 3 weeks ago. I butchered 5 and gave one to a friend for his hens. These were my last 2 and I really wanted to hatch some eggs this Spring.

If anybody knows where I can find a White Leghorn Roooster around Cincinnati, OH I would like to buy one.

 

[morelcabin]

Oh no, so sorry to hear that. Mine are still hanging in there, even though I am secretly hoping the one passes on, with his bum leg he won't make for much of a rooster anyway. I only dubbed one of them, but took very little off his comb. I figure it will shrivel and fall off eventually anyway.
Hope you find another leghorn

 

[Poohbear]

I don't think they would have bled to death from dubbing. I've dubbed more fowl than most and I've never had one bleed to death. Other factors were at work there (fighting outside, frostbite, the cold weather, etc). Fowl don't have to be clipped close to the skull. Just enough to allow them to tuck their head under the wing in inclement weather. Long wattles that get in waterers or huge combs are a killer in freezing weather. You could rub vasaline on their head until your OWN head gets slick and it doesn't keep fowls combs and wattles from freezing in 32 degrees and below. Just like anything else, the more you dub the better you get. Sorry you lost your roosters.

 

[mjelse]

I had a rooster with frostbitten wattles and posted the same question a while ago. I read all the advice, decided he should be dubbed, but then I looked at the wattles and decided there was a lot of blood in there. I did not feel confident about doing dubbing myself, so I brought him to the local farm animal vet, who said:

1. It would bleed a lot, the tissue is highly vascularized.

2. It is not necessary.

3. The mild frostbite damage my rooster had was probably not painful to him, as he did not flinch while we handled the wattles.

4. You can tell if it is surface frostbite or deep by feeling the flesh to see if it is warm. If it is warm, there is still circulation and the flesh will live. The surface scabs will fall off eventually.

If your rooster had those symptoms he must have had a respiratory problems. Maybe he caught something, maybe it had something to do with the cold. If I had pneumonia I think getting something amputated might add a bit of stress to my life!

 

[kgrabowski]

I'm sure she was just trying to do what she thought was best for the rooster.