Topic of the Week - Frostbite, prevention and treatment - Graphic images in thread

[D13]

Our first rooster Cocky got frostbite on his comb-poor dude lost all the spinies on his comb. It's happened to a few other roosters we've owned as well. We've never had any problems with them losing whole limbs, but our neighbor had a rooster that lost his toenails, so his feet where just little nubs.

 

[Chicken_tiger_catt]

*Warning for those with weak stomachs—graphic images ahead*

I live pretty far north, where frostbite is constantly lurking around the corner. The best thing you can do to prevent it is open up the coop. Yep, seems counterintuitive but nothing else is going to work. For temperatures in the neighbourhood of -40*C or below you might want to close up some more to keep drafts away from your birds, but DON'T seal the coop up! I can repeat that if needed to drill it into your brain... lol. Humidity is your enemy here.

If I have single combed roosters, they are going to get frostbite. No way around it, I refuse to bring 10 roosters in the house all winter and heating just doesn't work for my situation. If you have valuable showbirds then the insane electricity bill might be worth it but for a regular backyarder it just plain isn't. Having foresight and choosing breeds with combs better for your climate will go a long ways towards reducing headache that comes with monitoring frostbit cockerels. I am switching over to just Chanteclers and Ameraucanas.

A side note: dubbing might be useful in preventing it. I am not well-versed enough to safely attempt it but if you can find a mentor it's certainly a viable option.

As for what I do with "treating it"—I don't. Thawing and maybe saving some of the comb/wattles just means he gets to go through it again. Unless there is excess swelling, like if the wattles are affected, I leave the bird outside. I have never had one die from it yet. If there is swelling, I'll bring the bird inside for a bit and monitor for infection until it goes down a bit, then he goes back outside. Next year he'll be fine and shouldn't get frostbite again.

I don't have many pictures of roosters with frostbite because my camera stays inside in winter. I did find this one, though, of a cockerel that was almost done healing from frostbite. There's only a little chunk left of the frostbit parts.
View attachment 1184785

If you are getting hens with frostbite, then that means you're doing something wrong. Open up the vents more and make sure they're in a place where they won't blow on the roosts. I have Leghorn hens right now and they don't get anything more than maybe the very tips coming off even in some pretty cold weather.

That's all for frostbite on combs and wattles. Frostbite on legs and feet does require treatment and is a real headache. I have only dealt with it once and that was when I foolishly hatched in late August and the pullets (bantams) weren't ready for the cold. I won't do that again.

Here's a picture of the frostbit bantam. She lost all the skin off her feet, a toe or two, and all her toenails. Her feet are stiff to this day.
View attachment 1184769
Because of how much swelling there was, I popped the blisters on the bottom of her feet with a needle. That way she could walk instead of tumbling around like those blow up punching bags. Then I slathered antibiotic ointment on the feet and bandaged with a cotton pad and vetwrap. After a few months she was good to go.

Oh, I just remembered. Chrissy, a WH duck, also lost a foot to frostbite after a mink attack left her unable to pull her web under her in the December chill. That was different in terms of treatment—it shriveled and dried without swelling or pus, so I didn't do anything with it. I just changed her bedding frequently, gave her baths, and it fell off on its own. She recovered well from that, but later she lost her life after another accident which I won't go into.
View attachment 1184772

Foot after it fell off. Rather neat in a sick way, eh?
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Here's the stump that was left. No infection, just healthy tissue. I bandaged this up with antibiotic ointment and vetwrap & changed the dressing daily.
View attachment 1184773

Wow, that’s interesting! My mom and I were worried about a cold front (in Ohio), and she decided to put the hens in the coop. We only caught 3. So now I’m wondering if I should let them out, or try to capture 18 more hens (including a pair of very flighty white Leghorns) as well as a mixed breed rooster who is very afraid of people and who’s father I gave away because he 100% would fight anyone that looked like a threat to the hens.

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

I had to slather some vaseline on a few hens' combs yesterday because they were looking a bit red or slightly blistered. The one's just looked dry.

What can be done about the feet and toes? I didn't even think of it! I think they look alright right now, but I want to be sure I'm doing things right. We have an insulated coop, but it gets pretty good cross ventilation as well.

 

[The Coop Crew]

It’s -20 here today. Luckily we moved our coop into the garage at the beginning of winter and have a space heater in there as well. I normally open the garage door each morning but I only cracked it this morning to help avoid the frigid winds

 

[Chicken_tiger_catt]

Wow, that’s interesting! My mom and I were worried about a cold front (in Ohio), and she decided to put the hens in the coop. We only caught 3. So now I’m wondering if I should let them out, or try to capture 18 more hens (including a pair of very flighty white Leghorns) as well as a mixed breed rooster who is very afraid of people and who’s father I gave away because he 100% would fight anyone that looked like a threat to the hens.

Edit: I thought I’d risk it and bring my rooster in the house to get a closer look at his comb and wattles, because he has a bit more frostbite than the girls……… he ran when I went up to him, but as soon as I picked him up, he relaxed, and was just like a big feathery puppy. He still doesn’t like being held, but I’m surprised how well he behaved compared to what his dad would’ve done.