Vaseline on Combs

[chickfused]

I read in our chicken owners manual, Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens by Gail Damerow, that rubbing vaseline on their combs would help prevent frostbite, so we've been dutifully massaging on the vaseline, but I'm afraid they've experienced some frostbite.
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As someone who grew up in a very cold area, I can tell you that vaseline works, but you don't rub it in. You leave a thick layer of the gunk. It transmits cold less efficiently than water and is effectively a windbreaker due to it's viscous nature. Rubbing it in would be pointless. We used to use it all the time when working or playing outside in the sub-zero weather and it totally works to keep cheeks and noses safe.​