Should I Dub and/or Crop my Hen?

[TheYLWFlock]

Yeah try the natural stuff before cutting/altering your chickens body. Once it’s off it’s off.

It could be your coop. If you don’t have enough insulation and it gets really cold in there at night or if your ventilation isn’t proper. The moisture that comes from your hens breath/poop will stay in the coop because there’s not enough ventilation and then it kind of “freezes” their comb and wattles. Like imagine standing in freezing air that’s really humid but still...? Sorry I’m not doing a great job of explaining this!

 

[Frazzemrat1]

Before going to the extreme (in my opinion) of cropping your chicken, since combs and wattles help regulate heat, I'd make sure first that you have enough ventilation in your coop. A well ventilated coop, in winter, will prevent frost bite all by itself.

 

[aart]

Even a well ventilated coop may not eliminate frostbite.
Might depend on the ambient humidity and temps.

I have a hands off approach to frostbite, I leave my hands totally off it.
Most preventive coatings don't often work,
and messing with it after the fact can often make it worse but disrupting the healing process and/or actually introducing infection vectors.

Once the comb tips are 'winter dubbed' there won't be much more, if any, frostbite the following winter.
This guy also lost part of this left wattle edge, right wattle is 'deformed' from either genetics or very early injury. Wattles are frostbit when they nosh on the snow banks in frigid temps....smh....happens to hens too.

 

[bobbi-j]

Even a well ventilated coop may not eliminate frostbite.
Might depend on the ambient humidity and temps.

I have a hands off approach to frostbite, I leave my hands totally off it.
Most preventive coatings don't often work,
and messing with it after the fact can often make it worse but disrupting the healing process and/or actually introducing infection vectors.

Once the comb tips are 'winter dubbed' there won't be much more, if any, frostbite the following winter.
This guy also lost part of this left wattle edge, right wattle is 'deformed' from either genetics or very early injury. Wattles are frostbit when they nosh on the snow banks in frigid temps....smh....happens to hens too.

View attachment 1390600

I manage mine like Aart. Hands off. I try to only keep rose or pea-combed birds, but sometimes I’ll end up with a larger combed rooster when I buy the hatchery’s variety pack. If I don’t process them before winter, they get winter-dubbed. I have never had one get an infection from frostbite.

 

[WVduckchick]

Even a well ventilated coop may not eliminate frostbite.
Might depend on the ambient humidity and temps.

I have a hands off approach to frostbite, I leave my hands totally off it.
Most preventive coatings don't often work,
and messing with it after the fact can often make it worse but disrupting the healing process and/or actually introducing infection vectors.

Once the comb tips are 'winter dubbed' there won't be much more, if any, frostbite the following winter.
This guy also lost part of this left wattle edge, right wattle is 'deformed' from either genetics or very early injury. Wattles are frostbit when they nosh on the snow banks in frigid temps....smh....happens to hens too.

View attachment 1390600

x3 on the hands-off the combs and wattles.

 

[PirateGirl]

Unfortunately once an area is effected by frostbite, the circulation to that area is compromised. In this case, it's your chicken's comb. Due to the compromised circulation, this area will forever be prone to frostbite in the future, even in relatively mild conditions. Frostbite can occur at temps right around the freezing mark if conditions are right; it does not have to be -20* below with howling winds and blizzard conditions. Also it can only take about 20 minutes of exposure for cells to freeze/burst and permanent frost damage to happen. That being said, when conditions are right, unfortunately, conditions are right, and there's not much that can be done. You are doing the right thing by thinking ahead to next winter now. I believe you have already gotten some good advice in regards to caring for your chicken. Look at your coop, how many birds in how much square footage, ventilation, are there other ways you can minimize moisture in the coop, water outside vs. inside, different bedding or different poop management possibly, more vents or relocated vents, more space for fewer birds, etc. Do you have any photos of the comb of the effected bird, either when it was suffering the frost bite or now? You are on the right track to be proactive!

 

[lazy gardener]

I would not dub. IMO, that's like cutting off fingers, so they don't get frost bite. Take care of coop conditions, and that will greatly decrease further frost bite problems. Moving forward, choose breeds that do not have single combs. Roos are more prone to frost bite b/c they stay on alert more at night, rather than tucking their heads under their wings.

I agree with Aart, frost bite happens, even in a very well managed coop. (adequate cu. ft., excellent ventilation, appropriate population density.) Frost bite will result in natural dubbing. I don't touch my birds combs or wattles, and rarely have prolonged issues, even when temps stay below zero for many days at a time.

Be sure the perch is far enough away from the back wall, that the perch is long enough so the birds are not crammed up against the side walls. Be sure that the perch is low enough that the birds are not close to the ceiling. Be sure that condensation is not collecting on the ceiling and "raining back down on" the birds. Make sure that the water is not in a container that they can step in, or drag their wattles through. Make sure that the bedding is deep enough.