Thoughts on big combed roosters.

[Davinci]

Right now my rooster, who is normally the big man on campus, is huddled inside the hen house all by himself while everyone else is outside in this wonderful sunshine. Why? Because he is in terrible pain because in the recent cold snap we had, his comb froze and now is entering the black scabby stage. I can only imagine his pain!

I believe two things are keeping him indoors. 1) he has to push his head through a curtain of fabric to get through the chicken door and I think it hurts too much for the fabric to touch his comb 2) now that his comb is blackening, the other chickens pick at it, which must be agonizing. My chickens have to go outside to eat and drink, but today he was given food and water indoors, even though the weather outside was gorgeous.

My chickens live in a heated hen house. But they do go out to eat and drink. My theory is that when the big combed roosters brush their combs against the cold metal of the feeders, it promotes freezing. But every large combed rooster I've had, without fail has frozen off at least half his comb. Once the comb has healed, no more freezing occurs the following year.

I have never had a large combed hen with a frozen comb, only the roosters. It is horrible seeing them in this state because you know it has to hurt something fierce. I do not believe in dubbing (cutting the comb off), I think it makes more sense in this Canadian climate to breed for small combs. My tight combed roosters NEVER have this issue.

I hope the poor guy pulls through. I may yet separate him, just to keep him from being picked.

[Sweetened]

I have found that large combed roosters have less trouble if they learn from hens to tuck their heads. Our Chantecler rooster, Al, tucks his head under his wing in the cold, even though his comb is small and perfectly shaped for cold weather. We picked up some leghorns hens at auction, and their combs have all frozen clean off, but we haven't had a picking issue, maybe because it's just more common here and they're all empathetic to the point they won't pick at it and make it worse.

I have heard vaseline helps keep combs from being damaged, but I have found it ineffective. What if you spray his comb with blue kote, maybe they will be less prone to pick?

[Davinci]

I wonder if large combed breeds don't tuck their heads, because it's just too much comb to stuff in an armpit?

I have my doubts of how Vaseline, which is a humectant, could prevent freezing? Now a nice wool touque, that would work.

I think separating him until he's a bit more healed might be the best option. Do not have Bluekote. Poor guy.

[ooptec]

hey,

Never really noticed frozen combs being that painful and never had a prob others pecking on the frozen ones. Maybe my birds spread out further. That said, like was noted once they freeze and die back once it doesn't happen again. Have had rosebud combed roosters freeze some, not much mind you but a little. Definitely the bigger it is, the more of it freezes.

I don't think you're doing your birds any favor keeping them in a heated coop. Birds like everything acclimatize so going from heated to winter outside is kinda rough (IMO)

Other detractions from heating

Respiratory probs due to high humidity. Birds have very sensitive respiratory systems (canary in a coal mine) and cold doesn't bother them .... hot humid coop that breed bacteria from said conditions sure do tho.

Kills your coop by rotting in out in record time.

Costs a lot of money for poor results

You read small farm manuals from back in the day and even for SK some experts recommend only 3 walls in your coop. Well ventilated and no heat.

Cold as this last winter was only lost 5 birds, 2 of which weren't in the best of shape or 2 too young this winter and only 1 that seemed in good shape.

My approx 70-75 various type birds are in a 14 X 20 foot mud chinked log bldg that I nailed up plywood around outside walls and concrete floor but deep litter (straw and wood ash)

[Davinci]

Hi Ooptec!

My coop is heated, but not very.   Humidty is not bad because the water is outside. In the past I used to bring the water inside the coop and that was a disaster! I will never do that again, except for chicks. Also keep the windows cracked and a vent open. I heat mostly to prevent the eggs from freezing. Plus I just feel better knowing I have heat on my birds.

I am convinced it's those monster combs brushing the cold metal feeders that helps them freeze.

Chickens are not a naturally occurring bird in this part of the planet and if you look at our own native birds, none of them are running around the forest with massive headgear. That tells me this climate is just NOT the place for large combed roosters, unless we knit them touques.

Interestingly, Mr. Big Man on Campus, in the last few days of staying inside due to sore head, has been completely demoted to low man on totem pole! I wondered, does the guy with the biggest...uh, comb...have the most status? In the chicken world it would seem that size does matter. I let everyone out to walk around in the ice and snow and he was relentlessly harassed by the other two roosters who wouldn't have DARED to even think of such a thing two weeks ago!

His comb will be 1/3 its former size by the time the healing is done. I would not have kept him this long except his black skin and white feathers made him interesting. But I am going to only keep small combers from now on. This is ridiculous.

[Sweetened]

Highjack!

I'm going to see if I can get black skinned, white feathered roosters with small combs I'd love to see a picture of him if you want to email me a small one. Think he'd fit in the box with the eggs? LOL

[Davinci]

I warn you...don't expect any white feathered birds. I have NO CLUE how on earth out of black hens and black roosters I got a white one!?

THe weather has warmed up here so as soon as it warm up in your neck of the woods, give me the heads up and I'll start egg gathering for you. Las tnight I set more eggs in the waterbator. Why do I do this! I have no room! Ah, it's because I have such poor hatch rates that I have to set 20 eggs to get 2 chicks. Also tis last time between freezing eggs and unfertilized eggs, I had heavy losses right at the start. But the ones that are going seem fine.

Keep me posted as to when you will be ready for bator eggs.

[Davinci]

This does not look good.

I cleaned my hen house yesterday while it was warm and melting. Tossed in fresh cedar bedding. Today when I did chores I should have been greeted by the aroma of cedar, which is quite distinct when it's' fresh. Instead my nose was whacked with the smell of rot. It's coming off that rooster's head!

Sadly, his fate is sealed. His frostbite and now perhaps gangrenous comb have begun to stink. He is ruthlessy harassed by the other roosters and his comb is picked by the hens. He no longer hangs out with everyone but huddles inside all day long. I have been feeding and watering him separately, so he isn't starving, but others come inside and steal his food and water. Then the other roosters come in and beat him up.

When poor health and lousy quality of life collide, something's gotta give. If this boy had a small comb, I'd fight to keep him. BUt his large comb means he is not the best boy for breeding for my purposes. Had he healed and managed, he would be allowed to stay, but his healing smells pretty bad and now the mayhem in the hen house has gotten to be too much. There are 3 roosters out there and I really only need one.

This is the part of animal keeping that I hate.

[Chickenlady]

It's weird that this happened, are you sure it's the frostbite? I have several chickens with frostbite and my rooster too...I never had the impression it bothered them..and the black falls off and they live happy with just a smaller comb.

[Fowler]

I've never had this sort of problem with frostbite either. I've seen points turn dark and fall off but never had any sort of infection with it.

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