What will help my roo's frostbitten comb to heal quickly?

[Wynette]

I've had to separate him because his girls were picking at the blackened ends of his comb tips, and he was bleeding. The problem is that I am going to need the area he's in (a horse trough - works great as a recuperation area) in about two weeks.

I can see where the dead parts are beginning to pull/flake away from the good/live parts, but there is also a small area that appears to be pus filled at the back of his comb.

Should I try to "pop" and drain the pus-y area?

I did spray his comb and wattles, which have a bit of frostbite, too, with Blue Kote, and am hoping this will help move healing along. But, is there any other topical or supplement I can give him to help the healing move along? Thanks.

(YES, I did coat his comb/wattles with Udder Balm, but I did not begin soon enough, which is why he got frostbitten. PLEASE - no "you need to dub him" responses - this is NOT something I will do)

 

[chickenlady]

I would not pick or pull at it. I have read not to even rub it. It may be painful. I used the original neosporin on it and it healed very quickly. Best of luck.

 

[Wynette]

How quickly is "very quickly," chickenlady? Nope - I'm not picking, pulling or even TOUCHING it. That's why I opted for the Blue Kote, because it's a spray (man, that stuff's messy). Should I be seeing the dead parts start falling off within a few weeks? Thanks.

 

[chickenlady]

I noticed improvement in two days. I would say 95% better in about a week to a week and a half. My guy was affected on about 4 of his 6 points on his comb. The comb was like bubbled out, almost looked like it was filled with fluid and it was ugly pale yellowish. Looked terrible, I was so upset. The ends were all completely black. He actually made a full recovery. Nothing died and fell off. It is just about back to normal now, a few more days. I put the neosporin on once a day, thats it. I wasnt sure if it would work but it did.

 

[Wynette]

Yep, that sounds exactly like my boy, but all points of his comb were affected. He never got extremely swollen like I've heard some combs/wattles do, but it does appear to be a pretty bad case of frostbite to ME. This is the first I've ever seen in person. I applied triple antibiotic ointment for the first few days, then it got warm and I discontinued. Maybe I need to get back to that. Thanks, chickenlady.

 

[chickenlady]

My roos comb got very hot too, it seemed to 'melt' the neosporin on contact. I just made sure I put it on very thick. He didnt care for me doing this at all. I think it hurt bad. Just make sure he has enough ventilation, too little and his body will create condensation on his comb which will risk refreezing. I moved my boy to a more open coop during this time. For example, an enclosed plastic dog crate would not be good right now. I wish you the best of luck with him. I hope you are lucky like my boy.

edited to add: dont rule out needing an antibiotic. If it is truely infected, he may need one.

 

[thebritt]

Well, I disagree with the "do not touch" approach, and here's why: When I worked as a veterinary assistant for 3 1/2 years, the first thing we always did was to clean out the pus and remove dead and dying tissue. Topical antibiotics are just that - topical. Infection will continue to infect healthy tissue underneath, and can get to the bone, which makes healing infinately more difficult. Yes, it may hurt while your cleaning the area, but that's why they anesthetize pets when dealing with abcesses etc. Chickens have remarkable healing powers, and I wouldn't be surprised if their endorphins kick in and help with the pain. When (if) you decide to thoroughly clean, be sure to use sterile gauze. We always use a dilute (amber color) Betadine solution, 2-3 times/day. Then you can apply a THIN layer of neosporin, or better yet, Prep H, which has pain-relieving properties. A thin layer allows air to get to the wound. You want it to heal from the inside out. We put Prep H on the raw skin of pets that have been hit and dragged by cars (road rash) and the stuff is amazing. The "hottness" is generally a sign of infection. Anyway, that's what I would do. Can you bring him inside? Does he have supplemental heat? Good luck. Happy St. Paddy's Day.

 

[Kelpie]

My Japanese roo had his points blacken in late November. He didn't appear to notice and they didn't look infected so I just let him be. I just tried to make him go to bed in warmer places. Anyway just this week is the damaged tissue sloughing off. It looks good but it takes time. Maybe you should keep him isolated with a gentle companion for a while longer.

 

[farmer macdonald123]

with frostbite it wont grow back it will just fall off (it will flake off) and make shure it does not get an infection good luck and remember it takes time to heal

 

[Wynette]

Thanks much for all the feedback. Guess I have some decision to make on what to do next for my boy.

I have him separated in a horse trough with a wire panel lid (a panel from a dog kennel, actually). He's a big boy, and the trough is tall enough that he can crane his neck up to crow...and he's doing a LOT of that since he's been in there.

His comb is definitely warm...warmer than usual. I thought that was maybe a sign it was beginning to heal. He has no open wounds on his comb; just the frostbitten tips, and the area toward the back that appears to be white. When I rubbed Neosporin on his comb last night, a few chunks came off of the back part, and it was white underneath still. Up close, it appears to be comb tissue, but white rather than red/pink. The white area is a bit smaller now. The blackened tips do not appear to be close to falling off; I did rub the Neosporin into the tips as well as the comb below, thinking that maybe keeping it moister will help slough off dead tissue.

I've got him on Flock Raiser, and he has Avia CHarge 2000 in his drinking water.

I really prefer not to put him on antibiotics, but will do so if absolutely necessary.....what are signs I should watch for that he would need to be on them?