Frostbite in Chickens - identifying it, avoiding it, and treating it!

[@scarletv7365]

I live in northern Ontario, above Lake Superior and we have long harsh winters. Our coop is insulated and we hang two heat lamps. When the temps drop to -30 and more we turn on both lamps. The run is covered with plastic and keeps the snow out and shelters them from the wind. We also added lots of straw to keep their feet off the cold ground. I also gave them a bit more corn to help them make heat naturally. Only one chicken got frost bite, she is my rebel girl always the last one to go in. She lost 3/4 of her comb. She was a bit lethargic and I kept an eye on her to make sure she was doing okay. Now she is perky and back to her old ways. This was our first winter with chickens and we are going to make some changes. We will be adding plywood walls to the open run along with the plastic, as well adding heat lamps and light so they can enjoy more space even when the arctic moves in. Our girls were pretty lucky, others in town suffered losses when we had a two week arctic front come down. It really is a challenge when you live in an extreme cold climate, but we do what we can to keep the girls happy and healthy. Thank you for the great video and showing that frostbite is common for northern climates. ( our heat lamps are secured so they cannot be accidentally knocked down or burn the chickens, my husband is deathly afraid of fires so that was his priority when installing them).

[@mikecioka1180]

Just to let you know, chickens don't need heat lamps. If you provides them with a dry well ventilate coop, they will be ok. Whole corn with a 18% protein layers mix will be just fine.

[@eatwhatukiii2532]

Nice broad perches to keep feet warm at night! ❤️👍

[@raygodbout]

Glad to hear that I'm not the only one feeding scrambled eggs to their chickens. I'll add a bit of fermented feed and oats to the mix and they seem to love it.

[@ChickenHues]

I bet they do love that! Thanks for watching!

[@aaronwilliamson4045]

I saw a recommendation to give baby chicks chopped boiled egg and started doing it with the chicks and seem to continue doing it... They absolutely love them and come to me every time i come up to the run, hoping for another egg treat.

[@eatwhatukiii2532]

I laugh when people post a video saying “It’s winter here” and it’s just what we here call shallow snow. 🥰 I guess it’s good because you can have a lovely “white Christmas” without the huge hassle of major snow removal. Most winters here in Maine we have to shovel or snow-blow just to FIND the coops, once the storm is over and the snow has slid down off the coop roofs. Once the paths are clear enough to open the doors their breakfast is placed in the coops, fresh water in their runs, and then the birds are let out to run around the yard as they see fit. They run and socialize off and on throughout the day and then they all go to bed on their own around 3pm (it starts to get dark here about then). Care is taken that they not get wet, but cold snow is dry and powdery so doesn’t cling to feathers. The only winterization my outdoor coops get is just before a blizzard or the major temperature plunge I hang loose curtains of plastic (weatherization plastic) to keep out blowing snow. The plastic is open 4” from the top for air circulation to keep humidity down. Pampered birds suffer more so it’s best to acclimate them to the cold at a young age, that way if the power goes out during a storm (very frequent here in Maine) they are adapted and have no issues from it.

[@ChickenHues]

Maine winters are famous! Yes, I’m sure that does make you chuckle. Lol How many inches of snow do you get in an average snowfall? What is your usual winter temps? Finally, do your chickens get frostbitten?

[@kathrynl2009]

Great vid! Reptile heat bulbs are a creative way to get heat in a coop without the light. There are also chicken heating panels as well... I think they're no more than 200 watts. I generally don't use heat but it's been very cold here in Ohio lately. I do think that just adding more litter to the coop when it's wet (a thick layer) will help... the composting litter does raise the temp. I do agree that they need dry clean bedding tho!

[@ChickenHues]

I've heard of reptile lights and they seem like an option. I agree that making sure it's as dry as possible will help. We only use a nipple waterer in the winter since we realized the others tended to leak. Thanks so much for your comment, Kathryn! Stay Warm! :)

[@isaiasjeremy7579]

i guess im randomly asking but does anybody know of a tool to get back into an Instagram account? I was stupid forgot my account password. I would appreciate any assistance you can offer me!

[@Rizik1986]

Breaks my heart. This is my first year raising chickens and one of my girls has some white tips on her comb and feared it might b frostbite. She seems ok otherwise but last 2 days have been crazy cold here in Ohio. That poor rooster He dont look too happy.

[@ChickenHues]

They do ok with it and mine almost always lose the tips their first winter. It's painful - especially if they have a lot, but it almost always heals without issue. Stay warm and Merry Christmas!

[@Rizik1986]

@@ChickenHues Thank you for sharing this info im realizing its kinda normal unfortunately they lose the tips. Subbed and Happy holidays!

[@robinmurray5266]

That's what my hens have right now....those white patches on combs. I'm in NW Ohio. Thanks for the info! It's going to hit 40 today! Thank goodness! They seem happy and right now quarelling over a nest to lay eggs. I'm going to keep my eyes on them.

[@ChickenHues]

They should be just fine, but the white areas may turn black. 😀

[@aliciaspears7847]

I got cold from just watching this. I'm in Texas and we're just not used to that !

[@ChickenHues]

Texas sounds pretty good right now! We're about to have several days with highs around 0 and lows around -10. Ugh. lol

[@WisdomofWTF]

I found chicken foot warmers on amazon... Pretty pricy per foot but im considering it

[@ChickenHues]

Interesting! I’ll have to look into it.

[@tylerstrong1776]

Have you tried putting Vaseline on their comb and waddles? I've heard this works very well.

[@ChickenHues]

Yes. It didn’t work and seemed to freeze and make it worse. I’be read mixed thoughts on that and it didn’t work here. Our problem is either a ventilation issue or simply the high humidity.

[@terryedge3423]

I have a red rooster just like yours his problem with frostbite is he has big wattles too and when he drinks they get wet . Hes about 9 months old so this is his first winter . In Wisconsin it has been bellow zero for the last week . Do you know of a drinker he could use and stay dry ?

[@ChickenHues]

That’s tough and their wattles can swell up and make it so they can’t eat or drink. Try to avoid open bowls and wet food like oatmeal. A heated nipple waterer may help, but I think a normal heated fount water would be ok too.

[@DevoutFollowerofYeshua]

Thank you.

[@ChickenHues]

Thank you for watching! I hope it was helpful.

[@ricardoandfriends3812]

I just wanted to ask. i have a rooster and somtimes when he is in his pen his comb turns gray or black but then when he's outside it turns back to normal.is this normal or could this be something bad

[@ChickenHues]

I’m not sure but I noticed that with my roosters sometimes. I haven’t notice any inside/outside connection, and it’s usually just a bit of the comb. It could be circulation or heart related.

[@lowky7075]

My white rooster has that right now..his bottom is bloody and so is his beak..what do I do😭I’m freaking out right now this is my baby I don’t want to loose him

[@ChickenHues]

That doesn’t quite sound like frostbite. Frostbite happens ok combs and wattles and sometimes feet. Could something be attacking him!

[@Andrejwashers]

Most of my rooster got frostbite and he is bleeding right now

[@ChickenHues]

I'm sorry. It's been so cold and the roosters can be hit so hard with frostbite.

[@Andrejwashers]

Also my mom killed my favorite rooster

[@aaronwilliamson4045]

I'm sorry but a little difficult to hear... But good information..........I think.

[@ChickenHues]

So sorry about the sound quality!

[@kalievesely3200]

I hate to break it to you, but tons of ventilation isnt good.

[@ChickenHues]

Thank you! The key is finding the right balance between too much and not enough.

[@mrs8792]

Gads. Staple up some insulation or hang a heat lamp. I never let my chickens get cold.

[@ChickenHues]

Thanks for watching and sharing some tips! The coop is already insulated and I don't like the fire hazard of heat lamps. I may look into some lower wattage heat bulbs that will go directly into the sockets, but not sure how much help it will be in super cold temps.

[@eatwhatukiii2532]

@Garden Bee Aunt, Heat lamps start fires. Chickens burn alive and sometimes people lose their houses (and their own lives) from using heat lamps. It does seem counter-intuitive but NOT insulating the coop actually is better than insulating and trapping all their humidity inside. It’s actually the MOISTURE that contributes to frost bite. Mine that are outside in coops that have NO insulation and free range in the snow during the day actually DON’T get frostbite, yet one roo in the insulated barn tends to be the only one to get hit. Temps drop to -30F at my place and I have had very few issues with it, just with one roo and like I said, he’s in an INSULATED barn and had a tiny bit on a comb tip. Next winter he’s spending the cold season in the house. Another thing to note is these perches are nice and broad so feet stay warm with feathers covering them.

[@SB_whatevers]

@@ChickenHues a heat lamp almost burned down my coop. I came home to a smoldering fire and the smoke killed 3/4 of my chickens. You are right to be wary.