Freezing temps are freezing my chickens combs.

cheyannarach 12/6/2013, 4:08 pm

Has this ever happened to any of you? I have two chickens with frozen bloody combs, one doesn't seem too bothered but the other one is not chipper at all, won't eat or drink. We have her in the house in a box. We got an eden pure heater in the coop now. Her comb won't quit bleeding though, is there anything I can do? It's been about -20 for the last three nights and not much warmer than that during the day. They had a heat lamp in there but I think it's too cold for just that.

**camprn** 12/6/2013, 5:04 pm

For bleeding styptic powder may help. The good news is if it's bleeding the tissue is still living.
You can probably get it from the vet or at the grain store.

http://www.americandiabeteswholesale.com/product/kwik-stop-styptic-powder_6667.htm?source=Shopzilla&zmam=69792428&zmas=1&zmac=83&zmap=KS60001

May need to take measures to prevent further frostbite.

http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-treat-frostbite-in-chickens.html

http://www.hobbyfarms.com/livestock-and-pets/frostbite-in-chickens.aspx

littlejo 12/6/2013, 11:02 pm

The chickens may have got their combs to close to the heat lamp! Be sure to hang well above their heads. Styptic pwd or stick should work, but, if you have a farm/seed store, you might call and ask. They might have something that works better.
Jo

**Turan** 12/8/2013, 8:27 pm

I have had them freeze combs before but never had them have a bleeding problem. I do know it is one reason cold hardy breeds are usually with small combs naturally. Long term frozen combs fall off and then are not a problem.

cheyannarach 12/9/2013, 10:07 am

Thank you! The chicken we had in the house has recovered just fine! We kept her in overnight and put her back the next day and so far so good! And I am not sure if I told all of you they had started laying again and we are getting 4-5 eggs a day. Someone told me to get some bag balm to put on their combs so I am going to try to find some.

**camprn** 1/5/2014, 10:02 am

http://www.grit.com/animals/poultry/chickens/winter-storm-preparations-for-backyard-chicken-keepers.aspx#axzz2pHYN5gse

cheyannarach 1/6/2014, 9:53 pm

Oh thanks Camp! I am going to get some plastic for the run now! They have been doing pretty good for now but I have noticed that they have been (I'm assuming) pecking eachother, I don't know if it's because they are sick of being cooped (haha, no pun intended) together or what so maybe extra protection for the run will help!

Triciasgarden 1/8/2014, 7:30 pm

Chickens do peck at each other and you. Hence the term "pecking order", lol. It hurts when you are wearing shorts! I have been pecked on the back of my legs several times and it bleeds. It seems like all they do is peck at things, except if my dogs are bothering them. My chickens haven't figured out to peck at the dogs and the dogs would leave them alone. They just squat down and take it or run and hide.

Another thing I learned from a website is that chickens don't show illness because the others would peck at them. So if you have a sick chicken you may not know about it.

cheyannarach 1/9/2014, 3:14 pm

Yes, they peck my hands bad when I open a new feed bag in the coop! It's amazing the things you learn from new animals, even something as simple as chickens! My rooster doesn't even crow anymore, I think the girls are ganging up on him!

**sanderson** 1/9/2014, 9:39 pm

When I was a health inspector, I used to inspect the long buildings of poultry operations, Had to see horrific pecking wounds on the "bottom rung" birds. With 10,000 birds in a closed building, there's no where to get off by themselves. It seems to me that a thinner density that some of you have would allow a sick or injured bird to hunker down by themselves and not be the object of intense harassment 24/7.

plantoid 1/10/2014, 12:26 pm

cheyannarach wrote:Yes, they peck my hands bad when I open a new feed bag in the coop! It's amazing the things you learn from new animals, even something as simple as chickens! My rooster doesn't even crow anymore, I think the girls are ganging up on him!

Some days ......... I know how he feels Laughing

westx 1/10/2014, 6:11 pm

Instead of using a red heat lamp look into getting a reptile heater. Looks just like a heat lamp but is ceramic and doesn't put out any light. Also look into thermo cubes. These are little thermostats that you plug in an outlet then plug the lamp into it. They come in different temp ranges. They work by turning on the electricity to the lamp at a certain temp then cut the power when it reaches its upper temp range.

cheyannarach 1/12/2014, 2:00 am

plantoid wrote:
cheyannarach wrote:Yes, they peck my hands bad when I open a new feed bag in the coop! It's amazing the things you learn from new animals, even something as simple as chickens! My rooster doesn't even crow anymore, I think the girls are ganging up on him!

Some days ......... I know how he feels

Hahaha! That's funny! I said it's because he figured out what hubby did to the other roosters!

cheyannarach 1/12/2014, 2:05 am

westx wrote:Instead of using a red heat lamp look into getting a reptile heater. Looks just like a heat lamp but is ceramic and doesn't put out any light. Also look into thermo cubes. These are little thermostats that you plug in an outlet then plug the lamp into it. They come in different temp ranges. They work by turning on the electricity to the lamp at a certain temp then cut the power when it reaches its upper temp range.

This is great information westx! Thank you, I will be looking into this!

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