SWOLLEN frostbit wattle

[maplesky7]

i got it from the vet when i had a hen tear a gash in her side...he gave me that...and then the whole town teased me and my hubby for months about bringing a chicken to the vet.

we didn't know his welding professor had connections but dh gets to class and gets teased by his professor so we had some processed chickens and i sent him to class with one to give to his teacher and tell him it was our $40 chicken and watch out for the stitches.

neener neener.

me,
g

 

[katrinag]

How funny.

 

[Cuban Longtails]

Well... if it does get infected he could very well die from it (gangrene). If it's swelling, it already sounds like it's infected to me. I dunno about you or anyone else, but I personally wouldn't want rotting flesh left on me if a simple cut would remove it.

Anywho... If you're interested, there's a very good article here for removing combs and wattles, just click here. Or, you could also pick up the latest Backyard Poultry magazine and read the most excellent article featuring frostbite prevention.

The "moon" thing has to do with placement of the blood in the body. If the moon is new, the blood is at the feet. If the moon is full, blood is in the head. Of course, there's always two schools of thoughts on it.

 

[maplesky7]

Thank you SO much for that link.

That was what i remembered reading earlier on somebody else's thread but i looked and couldn't remember which one.

I found it very informative thank you again Cubanlongtails.


me,
g

 

[Cuban Longtails]

Quote:
You're very welcome!

 

[maplesky7]

HOLY SMOKES!

I just tuned into my weather and they are saying -16 tonight and
-27 tomorrow!!!

an unprecedented number said the weather guy.

wow...i mean last week we had some really nasty temps with 40 mph winds and -30 windchills...

incredible!

well,
I put roo on 3 season porch and just put a heat lamp on him...got a therm. in there...I'll go check it in an hour....without the heat lamp it's sitting right below freezing but the water isn't iced up.

Got another lamp if I need to.

Hope the ones in the coop will be ok.

wow! what weather!

me,
g

 

[dacjohns]

You better email the weather man real quick and have him change the weather.

I wouldn't do any surgery until it is necessary. Frostbit tissue will swell because the cells have frozen and broken. It isn't always a sign of infection. I have read that petroleum jelly (Vaseline) can help prevent frostbite in combs and wattles. I think Neosporin is petroleum jelly based so it should do the same thing plus add antibiotics.

If your birds are protected from the wind the windchill doesn't mean anything. Windchill only comes into effect when you are exposed to the wind.

 

[Omran]

He has found a high place to roost in the coop and it's closer to the cieling where there is a draft and I don't know how to convince
some of them...that's not the best seat in the house....nothing I can really do about it now at any rate.

I had the same problem with my hens about 6 weeks ago, they started flying up to the ceiling and roost there, so I got some chicken wire and installed it, the firs day they tried to fly up there and boooom after few times they quit and roosted back on the roost.​

 

[maplesky7]

oh but dac...we went and broke a record here....we woke up to -27 and that wasn't including the wind chill.

i left the weather guy alone this time... I was too busy trying to keep my house heated...power went out for over 4 hours last night and I got my hubby home to entertain me at present.

roo's swelling looks better. he does have dead tissue...mostly on top on the edges though... a little black dot on his wattle.

the heat lamp is on again....power is up....temp's in the house are climbing and outside it's climbing but still cold. Supposed to go up to 20 tomorrow afternoon. I will be thankful when that happens...as will my chickens me thinks.

I have a small coop but the middle wall is up near the cieling and I'd rather try to close the gaps to keep the wind out...so the ones that want to go up there can...it's kind of like their refuge from some other ones. I did noticed EVERYONE was roosting next to each other down below yesterday in this bitter cold...not a one was up there. Glad they have SOME sense.

me,
g

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

The frostbitten parts (Wherever it is black) will eventually off on their own and the comb and wattles will heal up. The reason he is shaking his head is because the area probably feels very itchy, if not painful. You can give him some plain aspirin dissolved in water to help with the pain (2 plain aspirin to a gallon of water. I usually put a gallon of water in a milk container and dissolve the aspirin in that. Then dispense as necessary)

You CAN dub, but I only suggest this if most of the comb or wattle have been affected. The swelling should go down as the area heals up. The reason the area swells is because the body is trying to heal itself by increasing blood flow to that area. Swelling is often a sign that the area is healing itself. However, there is a chance the area may become infected so it is important to watch for this. I've never had this happen to me, but as with any injury/wound, infection is always a risk. It may be a good idea to apply some neosporin to the comb and wattle, and vaseline can be applied to the unaffected area to prevent further frost bite.

As the frostbite heals, it will turn white or black before falling off. That will eventually scab over and should heal by the summer.