# Frostbite?



## bluejeanprincess (Mar 25, 2013)

Okay, so I know what frostbite looks like and a have a few birds that have it right now due to it being -18 outside in New Hampshire these past few weeks. I read somewhere that if a chicken gets frostbite, the black falls off eventually and it won't re grow. So basically they will have choppy combs and wattles..is this true? I hope not. But I am treating it now, and they aren't acting any different/sick. So I'm okay in that department but I just hope the poor things will be ok and not look like a hack job once everything is healed. I thought combs and wattles were like skin and would regenerate but maybe I am wrong. Please tell me your experiences or knowledge it will be very helpful. Thank you in advance!


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## Courage (Sep 21, 2013)

Nope, sorry! Once it's gone, it's gone. Yeah you're right, it goes black, falls off after a while, and are stuck with nubby-tipped combs and warped wattles.

I don't know how experienced you are with chickens, but just FYI, If you want to avoid dealing with frostbite as much as possible, you can get breeds with smaller combs and wattles, like a Rose or Pea combed breeds. Wyandottes have a rose comb and are known for being winter-hardy.

Hope I helped!


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## bluejeanprincess (Mar 25, 2013)

Thank you for the help! It's too bad that will happen but gotta look at the bright side - I still have my birds it's not like they are gonna die but it's just sad! Lol


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Something to keep in mind, it can be painful for them just as it is with humans. If you can, check to see how bad the humidity is in your coop. 

I have seen them with frostbite here in the South because of open air coops, so too much openness can also lead to it.


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## kessy09 (Jun 16, 2013)

Pretty well all of my roosters have frost bitten combs/wattles. Even the Chanteclers that were bred specifically FOR Canadian winters. Same thing with my Wyandottes and also the Easter Eggers with pea combs. From all the old timers I've spoken to around these parts, it seems like an inevitable thing. Apparently after the first year and the most exposed parts die off, it won't be a problem for subsequent years. Same thing happens to the barn cats-you rarely see a barn cat with fully intact ears. I tried doing the Vaseline as a moisture barrier and it didn't help. I don't know a single chicken owner here that doesn't have frost bitten roosters, and that's with a lot of different set ups-heat, no heat, tons of ventilation to no ventilation and in between. Frostbite can be very painful, but...it also can be nothing. It really depends what's freezing. If you frostbite a minor appendage (comb, wattle, toe, finger etc), it's not too big of a deal. You don't even notice frostbite until you see it and even then it's more of a shock because you see an obvious issue but don't feel anything. It's painful when the area starts to thaw/warm up again and blood flow tries to go back to an area where all the blood cells have been destroyed. There are no cells to process the blood so swelling starts to happen and blisters form/burst and that's when infections can occur. If there is no thawing then eventually the blackness develops as the tissue dies and just falls off-there's very little pain as the nerves in that area are also dead. I've seen some pretty major cases of frostbite in people as I spent many years as a ski patrol. Fingers and toes, even ears and nose and I didn't hear much complaining. Cheeks and large areas of skin-when the frost bite is going deep into muscle, then yes, beyond painful.


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## OrganicCOFlock (Dec 24, 2013)

I've heard that rubbing petroleum jelly on their Combs every day helps keep them from getting frost bite. 
Hope this helps!


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## birdlover (Nov 29, 2014)

I had a few birds that got small frostbite from the cold, but they are fine now. I learned that to prevent frostbite, you rub Vaseline on each birds comb. Hope I helped


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