Will her beak and his comb ever grow back?

[MattalynsBarn]

I have 8 hens and 1 roo.
Okay, easy problem first; the roo, Hamlet, is a Speckled Sussex, so he has a single comb, and now he has frostbite. I didn't know about using Vaseline and so I fear it may be too late. I noticed it getting black about 3 or 4 days ago. I was wondering, how do I know if it's bad enough that the frostbitten parts will fall off? Also, will they ever grow back?
Okay, now the (potentially) harder problem; I was watching one of my SS hens, Jane, drink this morning and I saw that on her upper beak about 1/4 of an inch has broken off the tip. I have no idea when or how this happened, nor if it'll ever grow back. I know people sometimes clip their chickens' beaks to reduce pecking, and that they have to keep trimming them, which makes me think it will grow back.
This winter has been very hard on all of us, humans and animals. I'm looking forward to a pleasant.

Thank you for your help!
Matty

 

[MuranoFarms]

I have had several chickens with chipped beaks and it WILL grow back. If it has any blood or blood residue on it you need to use blue kote on it! The other chickens will peck it if you don't and it will just become a bloody mess...plus it will hurt.

This is my first winter with frostbite on combs also. Hopefully someone who went through it already will be by, but get the vasaline on it ASAP to prevent further damage. After the first time I applied vasaline my roo's comb got a bit better.

Good luck!

 

[MattalynsBarn]

Thank you so much! There is no blood, which is good, it means it didn't break far enough back to hit any blood vessels. And my did is picking up Vaseline on his way home. Again, thank you so much!!!!!!

 

[sourland]

If the beak hasn't broken back into the quick, it will grow back. Sounds as if she is able to eat as is so the only concern is cosmetic in nature. If truly frost bitten, the frozen portions of the rooster's comb will dry up and fall off. They will not regrow. Frostbite generally results in a natural dubbing.

 

[MattalynsBarn]

I watched her eat, but I'm not positive that she managed to get any food. But we'll keep an eye on her and if she starts loosing weight or anything we'll hand feed her. We're already doing that for another chicken who can't be with the rest of the flock (and thus can't have free access to food and water) until her feathers grow back a bit more. Thanks again, should I be concerned about the sharp point now on her beak? Like will she hurt herself or others or does that generally not happen?

 

[chuckzoo]

Matty,

I had the same thing happen to one of my hens when she got a fright and flew against the wire. She broke a good 1/4" off her beak and it did bleed so it was worse than yours.

It grows back quite quickly, but in the meantime make sure that her food dish is deep enough that she can sort of shovel food into her mouth. The beak could also be quite sensitive at this time. If you give her greens or treats make sure that they are small enough for her to eat without her having to tear them.

Best wishes.