Mineral oil treament for potential scaly leg mites

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SusanD

SusanD

Chirping
Feb 20, 2015
348
5
71
Willamette Valley, Oregon
Hi, When I had my chickens vetted, the vet said that she was concerned my Langshan might be developing scaly leg mites (but she wasn't sure because she also had a lot of new feather growth coming in). I noticed tonight that some of the scales on her feet were indeed raised (like I could poke a fingernail underneath them if I wanted to). Nothing dry, ugly looking, or extremely raised though. Does that sound diagnostic? If so, I think I should probably try the mineral oil treatment (If it works, I would rather use mineral oil than an insecticide). Should I do the other two as well? How do I apply the oil to give it the best chance of working (thick coating/immersion)? Should I change their bedding as well? And how long should I give it before checking the scales again?

Thanks,

Susan
 
From what I've read, immersion would be good, work it in under the raised scales rubbing it in with fingers from toes up towards body, then wipe excess off. Do this a few times a week for a few weeks, should smother the adults and emerging hatches. Scales might take some time(weeks) to flatten back out after all insects are killed.
 
I do a preventive leg treatment on my birds when I happen to handle them and every so often… like today. I use Bag Balm, but Vaseline would work as well. I just catch them, tip them on their backs and dip my fingers into the tin and apply liberal amounts, taking time to work it into the shank/toes/etc. It smothers the leg/scale mites, much as I suppose mineral oil would. I use the Bag Balm because it stays on the bird and seeps into the cracks as it warms up to body temp. It is just user preference but for me the 'jelly' is easier for me to administer alone. I get a chair and place the bird in my lap and rub in the light yellow past to suit your needs. I hate the little crawly things of the night…

Best to you and your birds,

RJ
 
HI, I had a followup question. Is it normal for breeds with feathers on their legs (which this particular bird is) to have slightly raised scales? If so, then I 'm not sure she does have mites, as her scales look normal to me except for being raised (and have not changed any despite me putting off the treatment). If it would help, I will try to take a picture of her legs.

Thanks,

Susan
 

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