The Call Again Farm Journal

As all of you regular readers of this blog know, we got our first chickens ever this year and been letting them go outside of their coop almost every day. They have such fun, digging under snow and leaves to get at roots and grubs in the soil. I knew that chickens with single combs, like our Javas, get frostbite easier than other chickens. (A comb is the pointy bare flesh chickens have sticking up from their heads. Roosters combs that are much bigger than hens'. Different varieties of chickens have different kinds of comb, such as pea comb, rose comb, and single comb. Single combs are the biggest combs.) However, I figured if it was only a little 32 degrees Fahrenheit and the chickens appeared comfortable, they'd be okay. I was wrong. Our rooster, King Louis XIV, has frostbite. Frostbite can cause a rooster to become sterile for a short period of time, or permanently if the frostbite is serious. The frostbite is only at the tips of King Louis's comb, so I think he should be fine by the time we're ready to start breeding next year. One thing's for sure, though. I'm not letting the chickens outside much until the spring!