How to Deal With Frostbite on a Chicken's Comb
Chickens are resilient birds, but what happens when they are exposed to cold temperatures? Frostbite is relatively common among chickens and must be prevented and treated properly.
Proper ventilation, hydration, and a controlled environment are only a few of the preventative measures to take when keeping your chickens safe from the cold. If these birds are not taken care of during the winter, they could become seriously ill or even lose a foot.
In this article, we will cover how to treat frostbite for your chicken’s comb, wattle, and feet. Read on to learn more!
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How Do You Treat Frostbite on a Chicken Comb?
Frostbite is very common among chickens, especially roosters, if you do not keep an eye out for the signs or provide proper accommodations for your chickens. Here is a brief list of how to treat frostbite on a chicken’s comb and other areas.
Apply a warm, damp towel to the affected area for 15-20 minutes.
If it has affected your chicken’s feet, have them sit in lukewarm to warm water for 15-20 minutes.
Move your chickens into a temperate location.
Lay down soft, old towels for your chickens to step/rest on.
Lay down soft and dry material such as natural bedding, straw, etc.
Gently apply petroleum jelly or Bag Balm to the affected area
Provide ambient heat but do not expose your chicken to a direct source right away.
Place the chicken in a dry, draft-free environment.
Bring your chicken to a vet if the degree of frostbite is severe.
If you would like some more information regarding how to identify, avoid, and treat frostbite in your chickens, check out this video!
What Does Frostbite Look Like on a Chicken Comb?
Before we get into what frostbite looks like on a chicken’s comb, we have to go over the different stages of frostbite.
First Degree
The first degree of frostbite on a chicken’s comb will cause the skin to look pale and/or almost gray in color. For their feet, you will notice a deeper red color on the toes.
Second Degree
At this stage, the skin of the comb, wattle, and/or feet will freeze and harden. You might even notice a slight darkening of tissue that looks almost black.
Third & Fourth Degree
The third and fourth degrees of frostbite are severe cases where the skin hardens, blackens, and mummifies. Soon, the skin will fall off, causing the chicken to eventually lose a foot, comb, or wattle.
In all, the early stages of frostbite cause a graying of the flesh for the comb and wattle while it will redden the feet.
How Cold Does it Have to Be for Chickens to Get Frostbite?
Depending on other exterior weather conditions, the average temperature it has to be for a chicken to get frostbite is around 32 degrees Fahrenheit.
Keep in mind, that this is excluding frosty winds, rain, snow, etc. It can be a few degrees warmer outside but just as dangerous if you have cold winds blowing outside. It’s important to note that chickens are highly unlikely to develop frostbite if the weather is cold but no other conditions are present - for example, a chicken probably won’t get frostbite if it’s cold and dry. If it’s wet, however, the odds increase.
For the most part, chickens are protected against frostbite via a variety of natural mechanisms.
When a chicken gets cold, it will transfer heat from its comb and wattle to the rest of its body in an attempt to conserve its body heat. Though their body may be warm, their exposed skin is left unprotected. That’s why the feet and combs are really only the major risk areas for frostbite.
Because of this heat transfer, chickens can easily get frostbite if they are not provided with the proper accommodations and treatments.
How Common is Frostbite in Chickens?
As stated previously, frostbite can be common for chickens if they are not given proper accommodations, preventative measures, and overall treatment.
Because chickens produce a lot of moisture through their respiration and pooping (their feces are largely composed of water), this is one of the reasons why they are more at risk of getting frostbite when they are confined to a coop, particularly one that is not well-ventilated.
We have a large flock of chickens that we have raised outdoors with zero supplemental heat for many years now. Frostbite has never been a concern, even in our winters where sub zero (and sub -30) days are quite common. The reason for this? Good coop ventilation.
Further, frostbite tends to be more common in roosters because, naturally, they have bigger combs and wattles. It’s also more common in chicken breeds that have large wattles and combs. This larger surface area makes them more susceptible to experiencing frostbite.
What Factors Increase the Risk of Frostbite?
Here are a few things to watch out for when it comes to frostbite on your chickens.
Wind Chill
The wind is one of the biggest factors causing frostbite, especially in chickens. When the forecast calls for strong, frosty winds, it dries out the moisture on our skin and the chickens, causing that protective layer of moisture and heat to disappear.
We often get chapped lips when it is cold and windy outside. The chickens experience something similar. Because they have already begun to transfer the heat from their exposed skin to their body, their combs, wattles, and feet are at the mercy of the drying winds.
Exposure to Moist, Cold Conditions
Long exposure to cold temperatures and, even further, moist, cold temperatures can cause frostbite.
The wind dries the good moisture from a chicken’s skin while a moist environment breeds opportunities for infection, respiratory issues, etc.
Moist, cold conditions keep chickens cold and can make them sick.
Humidity and Any Kind of Wetness
Humidity, along with wind, is one of the main factors of how your chickens get frostbite. Because chickens produce a lot of moisture through breathing, pooping, and normal everyday activity, the humidity invites a greater risk for frostbite.
In order to limit the amount of humidity in your coop, you must provide proper cross-ventilation and constant cleaning to your chicken’s litter, bedding, etc.
High Altitude Environment
High altitudes are incredibly dry on top of having thinner air and colder temperatures. Because frostbite, or the stages leading up to frostbite, limits the amount of oxygen that circulates through the blood, high altitudes put chickens at more risk.
Chickens can survive in higher altitude environments, but, if you are considering buying chickens, it may be worth considering purchasing a cold hardy breed. This way, you do not have to worry a ton about the chicken easily getting frostbite.
However, even the hardy breeds need protection from the cold.
Dehydration
Dehydration is one of those factors associated with frostbite that is not thought about that often. Chickens need to have the proper vitamins and electrolytes to conserve all the energy they can during the winter.
Keeping your chickens hydrated during the winter is absolutely crucial. Further, you need to provide a constant supply of clean, warm, water for your chickens. The warm water will allow the chicken's body to not use up so much energy while drinking.
We recommend keeping an eye on your chickens when they return to their water fount because they can accidentally splash water on their wattles. If this happens during the winter months, it can contribute to frostbite later down the road.
Lack of Circulation
If chickens do not have proper circulation throughout their bodies, they will be more susceptible to frostbite. They need to be kept in clean, dry, sanitary environments.
Additionally, it is important to keep an eye on their appetite and water intake which contribute highly to their circulation.
Remember, chickens transfer the heat from their combs and wattles to conserve heat in their bodies. Therefore, the circulation to those exposed skin parts will be poor.
Can Chickens Get Frostbite Anywhere Else on the Body?
Yes. Chickens can get frostbite on their combs, wattles, and feet. Anywhere that is not covered in feathers is at risk of frostbite during the winter months.
A chicken’s comb and wattle will typically pale in color and even appear to be gray. If left untreated, the comb and wattle will develop black flecks (dying tissue) and can end up turning hard, frozen, and black if not treated properly.
For a chicken’s feet, the skin here will not turn pale or grey at first, but their feet will begin to deepen in red color. Check the bottoms of your chickens’ feet to see if their toes are a brighter red than normal.
In a similar fashion to the wattle and comb, frostbite on chicken feet, if left untreated, will eventually turn black and even fall off.
How to Prevent Frostbite on a Chicken Comb
Luckily, there are many ways to prevent frostbite on a chicken’s comb, wattle, and feet. Chickens are resilient birds. Even if they have experienced certain degrees of frostbite, they can live full, happy, and healthy lives if given proper treatment and continued care.
Vet Visits
Above all, we highly recommend taking your chickens to the vet if you notice developing frostbite. A vet can prescribe certain antibiotics and anti-inflammatories that are essential to getting your chicken’s health back on track.
Move to a Warmer Climate
Not you - unless it gives you some relief to think about the prospect of moving to Florida when it’s -20 outside!
If your chicken does have frostbite, move them into a warmer, temperate environment. Do not move them into an excessively warm or hot environment. Shocking the chicken from a freezing environment to a hot one is not good for their health.
Consider placing some old, soft towels in your garage or other enclosed, well-ventilated space and monitor your chicken there.
Provide a Covered Run
A great defense against frostbite is to provide structures that protect your chickens from the wind.
To kill two birds with one stone, cover the area around the run with contractor plastic sheets to protect your chickens from the wind and promote outside time.
Outside Time
Chickens need to have a healthy amount of outside time to get proper circulation and airflow. By laying down soft bedding or other dry material on the run and in areas around the coop to protect their feet.
Installing contractor plastic sheets around the run or the general area the chickens venture outside will help protect them from harsh elements like wind, snow, and rain.
Well-Ventilated Areas
It is absolutely essential that chickens have proper ventilation for their coop. One window will not be enough to provide enough ventilation. There need to be sufficient vents and they need to be left free of towels or cloths (this traps moisture).
Consider using the deep litter method which is a composting method that helps eliminate harmful bacteria and moisture while keeping the coop warm in the winter.
In addition, you can install dropping boards to easily remove and clean so the chicken’s dropping will not fester and add to the moisture within the coop.
How Do You Treat Frostbite on a Chicken Comb?
Here are some tips on how to deal with frostbite on your chickens’ combs.
Do Not Massage or Rub
It may be tempting to massage or rub the comb, wattle, or feet when you notice bits of each part affected by frostbite, but this is highly harmful to the chicken. Avoid touching the wattle, comb, and feet as much as possible.
Use a Warm, Wet Cloth
If you do notice signs of frostbite on the comb and wattle, take a warm cloth and gently hold the cloth to the affected area for about 10-15 minutes. Make sure the cloth is kept warm.
Similarly, soak a chicken’s feet in lukewarm to warm water for about 10-15 minutes if they are infected with frostbite.
Use Moisturizer like Petroleum Jelly
Unless it is below freezing, moisturizers like petroleum jelly will help a chicken’s comb, wattle, and feet from completely drying out and getting cold due to lack of circulation.
Use this method with caution as adding too much to the area will freeze under extreme conditions.
Do Not Use Supplemental Heat
This one is controversial, but I highly recommend against adding supplemental heat to the coop, even if you’re concerned about frostbite.
Frostbite, 99% of the time, will not kill your chickens. What will kill your chickens is othe rhealth problems brought about by a rapid fluctuation in temperature - or a fire in the chicken coop.
Too many chicken keepers rely on coop heaters to keep the coop warm, but don’t plan for what will happen when the power goes out (or even if the heater accidentally gets unplugged). Going from a nice, warm coop to frigid air is going to be more harmful on your chickens’ immune systems than the risk of frostbite.
And again, many coop heaters, even the ones that are labeled for farm use, pose the risk of fire. I wouldn’t risk it. Chickens have the ability to shake off the cold fairly well, and by following the steps I described above, there’s not really any need to provide supplemental heat.
Final Thoughts
Chickens are susceptible to getting frostbite, but they are incredibly resilient if given the proper attention! Remember to keep the chicken’s space well-ventilated with constant dry and clean bedding.
You might even want to consider using the deep litter method to assist with humidity/moisture reduction, and odor reduction, and to keep your chickens warm during the winter without worrying about their health.
Additionally, it is important to remember not to immediately bring them into an intensely warm or hot environment as this can cause various infections and shock the chicken’s body, causing certain illnesses and wounds.
Further, never massage, rub, or pick at any of the areas where you notice frostbite. It is best to limit contact with these areas as much as possible and instead gently apply a warm cloth to the area for about 10-15 minutes.
Take some time to evaluate which frostbite prevention methods are right for you, and take steps this fall to safeguard your chickens’ health so you don’t have problems this winter.
Want to learn more about raising chickens? Be sure to check out these articles!
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