Welcome back! This week on the podcast, I give a quick update on my kitty friend, and my baby Orpingtons, and then I dive into the topic of frostbite. What is it? How does it affect our chickens? Can we prevent it? And, most importantly, how do we treat it in our sweet feathered friends?
You can listen to the podcast here, or wherever you get your podcasts!
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References:
Wikipedia
The Mayo Clinic
The Chicken Health Handbook by Gail Damerow
If you follow me on Instagram, you would have seen that we had a fierce storm blow through right before Christmas. Although not much snow was predicted, there were going to be very high winds, causing a wind chill between -30 and -40F. I was so worried about the chickens that I went out two to three times a day to offer scratch grain and oats (good, warming carbs!), and to make sure no one was showing signs of extreme cold. During one of my checks, I felt that my white leghorn, Cracker, was looking a little dumpy. Scooping her up, she was lethargic, her eyes looked shocky, and her body felt cooler than it should. I also noticed that her comb and wattles were hugely swollen so I knew things were bad. I brought her in, set up the chicken hospital, and took a moment to remind myself about frostbite treatment. Which is what brought me to this episode!
What is frostbite?
Frostbite is a condition in which the skin, and sometimes the tissue beneath, freezes.
This condition can occur whenever temperatures fall below 31F or -0.55C
It can affect any part of the body but the extremities are most likely to be affected; hands, feet, ears, nose, and lips in people; comb, wattles, and toes in chickens.
When the temperature is 0F or below, it takes around 30 minutes for exposed skin to suffer frostbite.
At -15F, with even a light wind, frostbite can occur within just 15 minutes.
The mechanism behind frostbite is as follows: cold temperatures lead to vasoconstriction (narrowing of the blood vessels), which reduces blood flow to the tissues of the effected area. With limited to no blood flow, tissue death begins to occur. At temperatures at or below -9F/-23C, ice crystals begin to form within the tissues, which causes damage at a cellular level. So frostbite is a one-two punch of lack of adequate blood flow to the limbs/tissues, AND eventually direct cell damage due to ice crystals forming inside your cells.
The severity of frostbite is often categorized as superficial (1st and 2nd degree, aka ‘frostnip’), or deep (3rd and 4th degree).
Frostbite in Chickens
What causes frostbite in chickens?
Cold temperatures combined with damp and drafty conditions.
Large comb and wattles are the most vulnerable to frostbite
Toes can be affected but this is less common as a properly constructed roost allows chickens to sit and cover their feet, keeping them warm.
Treatment
DO NOT RUB the affected area. This is one of the most common mistakes people make. Rubbing the tissue will only increase the damage and your chicken’s pain.
It’s also important to note that symptoms might appear to worsen during initial treatment. This is because rewarming frozen tissue inevitably leads unavoidable tissue damage through ‘reperfusion injury’. Reperfusion is when the blood returns to the area. Reperfusion injury involves vasodilation, swelling/edema, and poor blood flow.
Platelet aggregation can also cause injury during this rewarming process. This is when platelets move to an area in response to a bleed or blood vessel injury. These platelets gather together (aka aggregate) in the area of injury, forming a blood clot. These blood clots can cause further damage to surrounding tissues by limiting blood supply to an affected area.
Blisters and spasms of blood vessels can also occur during rewarming, which can be very painful.
All this to say: don’t be alarmed if symptoms seem to worsen during the early days of treatment.
If you find your chicken with a frozen comb or wattles, thaw the effected tissue by gently applying a warm, damp cloth for 15 minutes; rewarming the cloth as needed.
For frozen toes/feet, you can use a warm water bath (100F/38C)
Do not use a heat lamp, heat pad, or any other direct heat on the area, as rapid reheating will increase the damage and pain.
Once the area has thawed, gently apply a water-based wound treatment such as Vetericyn.
Keep your chicken isolated in a clean, warm facility, and monitor them closely.
Use feeders and waterers that won’t come into contact with the comb to avoid additional injury to the area.
For feet, use soft, clean bedding material, and wrap with vet wrap if necessary to keep clean.
The affected tissue will swell and be very painful for your chicken. After swelling subsides, the skin might peel, be itchy, and/or particularly sensitive to cold for some time after.
The wounded area might scab over, blister, and turn black as the skin dies; eventually the dead skin will slough off, leaving permanent disfigurement if underlying tissue is involved.
NEVER pop blisters or remove black/dead tissue yourself; this will inhibit healing and prolong recovery. It also increases the possibility of infection.
Keep a close eye on all affected areas for signs of infection. ‘Wet gangrene’ is a serious, even life-threatening, complication of frostbite.
A clear sign of infection is a wound that does not heal, and is weeping a bad-smelling liquid. Without appropriate treatment, this infection can spread rapidly, and could even lead to sepsis.
If in doubt, call your avian vet.
Pain Management
Frostbite in chickens is usually noticed after the body part has thawed and is now visibly swollen and painful
Listlessness, lethargy, and lack of appetite are common
You can treat for pain with a vet approved medication (like Meloxicam) or aspirin
According to Gail Damerow: the dosage needed when giving aspirin is 25mg aspirin per lb (0.5kg) of body weight per day. So a 5lb chicken would be treated with ½ of a standard 325mg aspirin tablet.
You can ‘pill’ your chicken directly by opening their beak and pushing the tablet down their throat but it’s easier (and less stressful for the bird) to dissolve the aspirin in water. To ensure full dissolution, look for uncoated aspirin tablets.
Damerow also recommends dissolving 5 standard 325mg aspirin tablets in 1 gallon of fresh water, and offering this as the only source of water. Mix a fresh batch daily and treat for 3 days, or until the chicken starts to perk up.
Please note that aspirin is hard on the kidneys so be mindful with its application. This is not a daily, long term approved treatment. If you have a chicken with chronic pain (due to a condition such as gout, for example), speak to your avian vet about an appropriate pain medication.
Dubbing and Cropping
Dubbing = amputation of a comb
Cropping = amputation of wattles
This is a stressful and painful procedure that should be done by a licensed veterinary professional.
Anesthetic and antibiotics will be prescribed.
In her book, Damerow outlines how to do this procedure yourself; PLEASE DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS UNLESS YOU HAVE NO ACCESS TO A VET.
I’m including this description because I know some people live in extremely isolated areas where avian vets are not a thing. Please, please, please use this information responsibly. The following information comes directly from Gail Damerow’s book, ‘The Chicken Health Handbook’.
You will need: sharp scissors designed specifically for this purpose (sold at most poultry supply companies). Alternatives include: 6 inch curved surgical scissors, small tin snips, or leathercraft scissors.
Having a helper is strongly advised. Have them wrap the chicken in a towel to control struggling, and hold them securely.
Disinfect the scissors and area to be removed with rubbing alcohol, and snip off the affected parts with decisive cuts; avoid cutting into healthy tissue.
Do not pull at the skin, especially with the wattles, when cutting as you might cut too much off
If bleeding occurs, apply a wound powder such a McKillip’s, or sprinkle on some cornflour
If any blood has dripped into the chicken’s nostrils, use a cotton bud to clear them
Monitor the area closely after the procedure, and treat like any other wound (standard wound care procedures)
To prevent infection, Damerow recommends injecting 1/2cc penicillin into the bird’s breast muscle daily for 10 days, or add 1tsp Tetracycline or Bactitracin per gallon (4L) of water for 10 days.
Comb and wattles should heal with a month.
Toes rarely need to be amputated, and Damerow includes no instructions on this procedure.
DO NOT CUT OFF ANY LIMBS YOURSELF, FOR THE LOVE OF THE FLUFFY CHICKEN GODS.
Damerow does note that chickens can adapt readily to losing toes, although roosters might struggle to mate effectively (balance)
Chickens with any missing parts cannot be exhibited
Progressive Signs of Frostbite
Pale, grey, or white tops of comb or edges of wattles
Reddening of the feet/toes
Subsequent swelling of comb, wattles, or toes
Blistering within a day or two
Blackening of comb tips, edge of wattles, or patches on the feet and toes
Loss of interest in eating and other activities
Preventing Frostbite
The easiest option: keep breeds with small combs, such as cushion, rose, or walnut
Provide roosts that allow the toes to be completely covered when the chicken is sitting/sleeping (slightly rounded or flat)
Place roosts close to the coop ceiling as heat rises
Use of a flat panel radiant heater attached to the ceiling (check space requirements for proper placement)
Damerow recommends against heating the entire coop; instead, let the chickens move as close to a heat source as they want.
If you have a small, uninsulated coop (like many pre-fab ones sold in stores), especially a plastic one, consider moving the entire coop inside an outbuilding, barn, or garage
HUMIDITY: this is the big problem in winter! High humidity = a wet coop, and that is bad news for chicken health. Keep bedding dry, protect doorways from rain and snow, and make sure the coop is properly ventilated.
If you see condensation on coop windows, your coop is NOT properly ventilated.
Recommended beddings for winter: deep litter method (generates slight warmth) or deep sand (holds heat well and easy to scoop up waste).
The coop will be drier in winter if your chickens spend time outside. Encourage outdoor activities by providing a windbreak and removing heavy snow. You can also offer a covered outdoor area, bedded with straw or shavings.
That said, let your chickens decide where they want to be; inside or out.
Vaseline: does it prevent frostbite?
Simply put, no.
Vaseline is petroleum jelly, and its use as a preventative for frostbite in chickens is controversial. Why?
Coating the comb and wattles in vaseline can help in the following ways: it can slow the dissipation of heat from the skin; it insulates the comb from outside moisture; and it freezes at a lower temperature than the cell fluid in comb and wattles.
However, if temperatures drop below freezing (<32F/0C), especially for prolonged periods or with high winds, petroleum jelly WILL freeze and be useless for prevention. So if you live in an area where temps drop below freezing, save yourself the hassle and don’t both applying Vaseline to your chickens combs and wattles.
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Cracker and frostbite
During the crazy windchill we suffered through before Christmas (by day two, we had ice forming on the inside of our windows!!), Cracker suffered frostbite on her comb and wattles. The swelling was extremely bad, and I was very concerned that she would lose over 50% of her comb. Apparently, I intervened at the right time because everything healed beautifully, and she appears to have lost only the very tiny tips of her comb! I feel very fortunate that she came through it so well. And I’m grateful that I had appropriate pain meds and antibiotics on hand! My chicken supply shelf is rapidly turning into a mini pharmacy at this point!
My rooster, Red, actually has the most damage from frostbite this year. He is clearly going to lose the tips of his comb, and he also has some damage along the side of his comb, close to his beak. I’m keeping an eye on the scabs that have formed. Thankfully, he never appeared to be in pain, and has been active and eating and happy.
My other chickens all have cute little combs that served them well during the nasty weather! It helps that the Orpingtons are so FLUFFY. If I was a chicken, I’d sit snuggled up with one of them for sure!
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And that’s it for this episode! Next week, I’m continuing my farm story series with a fan favouirite: Higgins, the Russian tortoise! Learn all about how this cute dinosaur came to live with me, what kind of care tortoises need to be kept appropriately, and how all male tortoises are sex maniacs! Listener discretion advised??