All four of our roosters are messed up. One is in the shop — literally, he’s in Jake’s shop nursing an injured leg — and the remaining three have frostbite on their combs and wattles.
This is very upsetting and deeply concerning.
I’m upset because I ignored my own intuition. I repeatedly ignored my inner voice telling me over and over again, the uninsulated Hen Hut isn’t warm enough for a winter as cold as this one. Instead, I kept listening to all the farmers around here who kept saying, “They’re birds. Birds don’t need special attention. They’re fine. They’ll be alright. They can withstand really cold temperatures.” And lo and behold, the birds are not alright.
See, this is what happens when you assume others know more than you. This is what happens when you let others do your thinking for you. You get roosters with FROSTBITE.
Why just the roosters, you ask? Because hens are smart enough to tuck their heads into each others wings for warmth, protecting their combs and wattles. Roosters do no such thing….probably because they think tucking into each other makes them gay! They suffer all night long, and now all three of the dumbies have combs tinged in black. BLACK. That means the tissue is dead. This is a very painful condition! Adolf kept shaking his head spastically all day, trying in his helpless chicken way to alleviate the pain that I’m sure is burning through the tissue hanging from his cheeks. And now we’re faced with the ghastly decision, do we amputate the infected parts? Or do we let them shrivel up and fall off on their own and HOPE that gangrene doesn’t set in?
In case you’re thinking about getting chickens, know that raising chickens is not, it turns out, all fun and games. (I’ll prove it with photos tomorrow.)
I actually feel kind of sick right now.
Tags: frostbite
first of all, thanks for the chuckle…I don’t know why I find this amusing. I may be wrong, but I don’t think that the necrotic areas hurt- the tissue is dead after all. I guess all you can do is slather on the neosporin and hope for the best. Hope you don’t have to dub the suckers. Although it might serve them right.
ps. I seem to have plenty of eggs coming my way. A good chicken is harder to come by, so I’ll look forward to yours. Though I guess if the timing is right we’lll be funding your phat postpartum wear instead.
Just went back to my homework- reviewing the article “Clinical Predictors of Necrotizing Enterocolitis in Premature Infants” and it hit me…no wonder I find the rooster situation comical. I’m sorry, that’s probably not the best thought antidote for you…yeah
The black stuff will sluff off, and, guess what? Next year you probably won’t have that problem again, because the vulnerable tissue is gone.
I did insulate my hen house, and that helps. I hang a light in the house from September to March–the light ensures that the girls keep laying and the little bit of heat from the bulb helps, too.
Hi Sparrowgrass: Thanks for the wonderful tips! Reading your notes, I realize how much I have to yet to learn about chickens. I’ll try to put some of your tips into action. Thanks again, JK
I am loving your blog!!
I do have some chicken expertise–I work for University of MO Extension, and advise lots of people about chickens. I haven’t found mine to be much trouble at all–and I am all about laziness.
Deep litter, a big water tank with an electric heater for the winter, and a feeder that holds 25 pounds of pellets–all labor savers.