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Don't take your chickens inside and plonk them against a radiator or run their feet under a hot tap (yes, I do know someone who did).Don't try to rub or break off the blackened bits of comb, or burst foot blisters, for the same reasons.And infection is far more likely to kill your hens than the cold. You run the risk of injuring the chicken and creating a wound where infection may take hold. Don't, under any circumstances, try to cut off affected tissue.Standing on one leg is normal for chickens in snow, but watch carefully for any signs of limping. See how there's a ring of pale tissue at the base of the tips? The tips themselves are starting to darken, and there's some swelling in the comb itself. And just as you might see your hands becoming paler than usual when they're really cold, so a chicken's comb will also begin to look pale. When frostbite first starts to take hold, it's not always obvious. It's like when you go out into the cold - your hands, feet and nose are usually the first to feel it. So the extremities have less blood to keep them warm and are more likely to be affected. What happens physically is that blood which usually goes to those external parts is sent instead to the chicken's body, to keep vital organs warm. The parts of the bird that are most susceptible to frostbite are the parts that are most exposed and least well protected with feathers: the comb, the wattles (especially on roosters) and, less frequently, the feet.
Ultra red frost bite how to#
How to spot frostbite in your backyard flock.