Chicken Frostbite — Treatment & Prevention

many areas have been hit with a trench cold already this season, with temperatures below zero and wind chills much cold. It takes about 10 minutes in below freezing temperatures to cause chicken frostbite. The most vulnerable parts for chickens are the combs and wattles. This is particularly therefore for the birds with large combs, even cold-hardy chicken breeds. To prevent chicken frostbite, those exposed combs and wattles need to be protected from the bitter cold temperatures. We suggest using Vaseline, Bag Balm or early dense salves on those exposed areas .
If you are allowing your chickens out of the coops during the freeze weather, provide stumps, buckets, boxes or even pallets in the wimp runs so they are able to get up off the frigid labor to prevent feet and toes from freezing. Provide wind barriers to prevent exposure to the wind chill. Monitor frequently to make surely the birds are not succumbing to the cold .
Straw and hay are excellent options for bedding for chickens, and can be spread thick in chicken runs and coops. This will help to keep feet from being exposed to the freeze ground and will help keep the birds active and ardent.

Chicken frostbite is a serious discipline, and can cause serious infection, leading to gangrene and loss of limbs if not treated. The sphere of frostbite will turn black, may swell and there will be a obtrusive lameness in those chickens that are affected. If bad enough those limbs will either fall off or need to be amputated. If amputation is necessary, you will need to take the dame to a veteran to perform that amputation. even a vet that does not typically cover fowl will perform amputation and suggest follow-up worry .

If any chickens show signs of lameness or hard frostbite of the comb or wattles, they need to be removed from the batch and treated promptly. Soak the limbs ( feet, toes and legs ) in room temperature Epsom salt water to gradually warm the frostbitten areas. This may take a long as a half hour of soaking. Dry thoroughly and rub bag balm or other salves on those areas. Place the bird in a carrier wave with bedclothes, food and electrolytes for chickens along with clean body of water, in a warm area with no drafts. Check frequently to make certain the chicken is alarm, eat and drinking normally. Examine the frostbite areas for any bleed or contagion. If there is bleeding, apply Blu Kote to prevent smack, specially if you are treating more than one at a time. An application of Vetericyn will help prevent infection .
If a chicken loses a limb, it may become a special necessitate shuttlecock and may not integrate back into the batch as a result. Chickens can function with the loss of a limb or toes, but they may besides become the discipline of browbeat by the other flock members. You will need to provide an area of protection for that bird for the remainder of its life or be prepared to cull that bird.

prevention is always the best solution. Keeping your cluster protected from the wind cool by providing hoist barriers, providing an extra thickly application of bedding materials, having objects within the wimp run for them to get up off the ground and keeping them in the coops on the cold days will help prevent the most serious effects of wimp frostbite .
What precautions do you take to prevent frostbite in your troop ?
in the first place published in 2014 and regularly vetted for accuracy .