rooster's wattle has turned dark color

[Bobby Lou]

Hi Everyone,
I've uploaded a picture of my rooster's whose wattle and some of his comb has turned a dark color and looks a bit shrunken. Why is the happening? Should I be concerned? Could it by frostbite? New England has just had some bitter cold temps and my coops is not heated or insulated. The other roosters look fine.

This same rooster keeps shaking his head back and forth as if he is saying "no, no, no". Is that normal or is he not feeling well?

I appreciated any advice.






Thank you!

 

[DavidKerk]

It appears he has frostbite. I would warm up some Neosporin and put it on him (don't glob it on, but put on a light coating).

 

[hensintheHOUse]

https://www.google.com/search?clien...1600&bih=773&q=frostbite chicken rooster comb


I think that your rooster has frostbite as you mentioned.

Their combs tell us how healthy they are. When their comb shrunk, or changed unusual colors means they are sick.

 

[realsis]

I suggest you give them a more shallow waterer. What it looks like might be contributing to frostbite is perhaps the Wattles are dipping into the waterer during drinking.leaving them wet and this contributes to the condition.may I also suggest trying some BAG BALM on the comb and wattles. The bag balm can offer better protection from frostbite than vasoline and absorbs nicely. Bag balm can be purchased at just about ANY farm or feed store. It comes in a square green tin. I think it might be beneficial in this situation. Of course their is not much that can be done for the parts that are already frost bitten however by changing waterer and applying bag balm you can possibly prevent further damage from happening. I really hope this helps. Best wishes and do give the bag balm a try and see if it offers some protection.

 

[DavidKerk]

I suggest you give them a more shallow waterer. What it looks like might be contributing to frostbite is perhaps the Wattles are dipping into the waterer during drinking.leaving them wet and this contributes to the condition.may I also suggest trying some BAG BALM on the comb and wattles. The bag balm can offer better protection from frostbite than vasoline and absorbs nicely. Bag balm can be purchased at just about ANY farm or feed store. It comes in a square green tin. I think it might be beneficial in this situation. Of course their is not much that can be done for the parts that are already frost bitten however by changing waterer and applying bag balm you can possibly prevent further damage from happening. I really hope this helps. Best wishes and do give the bag balm a try and see if it offers some protection.

You could also put pebbles or marbles in the dish of the waterer to make it more shallow.

 

[Bocktobery 10]

Poor guy! He's beautiful by the way!

Yep, frostbite. That's what my rooster's wattle looked like after some really cold nights. Not much you can do, but you should watch it in case it gets necrotic. Signs of that would be oozing and infection. I agree with David Kirk to put some neosporin on it just in case. The head shaking "no" is probably because of irritation, pain, I'd guess.

I've tried the Bag Balm on my roo's comb and wattle and it didn't really work for him. I don't know why, but it just didn't. I wonder if roosting in a box might help keep the comb and wattle frost free by containing all the body heat? Then again, maybe more condensation will build up and cause worse. I asked my vet about this once (who also has chickens) and she said it was inevitable that most roosters with large combs and wattles will get frostbite. She said just to watch for signs of infection and bring him in if he gets sick.

 

[Bobby Lou]

Thanks so much for all the advice and support everyone. Gus sure appreciates it! Another cold day today unfortunately and it's just the beginning of January!

 

[hensintheHOUse]

Yeah,, and more than that, this winter is very cold..

 

[allens]

I have a hen whos comb has blackened and shrunk in size now. There has been -30 degrees f here in Minnesota. I've kept them in the coop with a dish of water and food for the last couple of days. How do I tell if its infected. How can I treat the one with frostbite to prevent infection.

 

[hensintheHOUse]

I have a hen whos comb has blackened and shrunk in size now. There has been -30 degrees f here in Minnesota. I've kept them in the coop with a dish of water and food for the last couple of days. How do I tell if its infected. How can I treat the one with frostbite to prevent infection.

This site may be helpful to you.