Unsure of new chickens feet

mamabokbok

Songster
5 Years
Aug 28, 2015
136
16
111
Australia
Hi all! We have been looking for ages for these bantam hens which are not common in the area and we finally found them for sale, the seller advertising was clearing out all of his birds as he is going over seas for a holiday and had only two of the types we wanted left, which was a perfect number as I only wanted two or three, he said they would live happily together as they raised from chicks together. They were advertised as 7 month old vaccinated hens (we got one wynedotte and one pekin bantams).. When we arrived there was MANY chickens of different types but mostly Isa browns originally the advertising said there was many of the bantams so I felt lucky that any were left. He had a huge set up and seems to be a genuine poultry enthusiast with good knowledge on chickens and I did look around and really take note of the environment and the birds, all looked healthy and everything seemed legit except for this wynedotte which has very strange looking legs/feet (none of the other chooks there had this) I didn't get a really good look while we were there as he put this bird in the box quickly while I held the other but it was noticeable that the feet were different and questioned him about the feet and asked if it would need treatment and he said no all birds vaccinated from birth and healthy, I figured that I would trust him it wasn't disease but I need to look into it to be sure coz on closer inspection I'm quite concerned. So anyway when we got home I took them out and gave them a really good look over, this one has the most beautiful clear eyes, nose, feathers are all clear of bugs and skin looks healthy etc except for a small patch underneath and these wierd feet the bird looks good. The Pekin looks normal except for being a bit grubby (gonna try figure out how to bath chooks) both are highly alert and eating now in their coop I just took photos of these feet really quick before I put them in so that they could be left in peace.. He said that they grew up together, the Pekin has normal looking feet and they are both generally looking and behaving healthy so I'm really hoping it's not a disease that spreads? Please if anyone can identify this issue and what to do? I will be doing research now as well to try and figure it out too, I really appreciate being able to ask personally as well.
 
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She does look like she might have some scaly leg mites, but that's easily remedied by coating the legs in Vaseline for a few days. It looks like she has 5 toes, the legs aren't yellow, and she's not laced, so she's not pure Wyandotte. The black toes look like it might be frostbite damage.
 
So the feet look swollen/deformed and scaley and are white/grey,
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she is walking around like normal so it doesn't SEEM to be painful to her but clearly they don't look normal, I've never seen anything like it. Also there is that little patch of bald skin which has small yellowish patches that looks somewhat like some kind of dandruff/dermatitis, the photo isn't great to see that but possibly relevant? I couldn't find anything else on the rest of her body.
 
She does have 5 toes but they are very sad and sorry looking
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not very straight and floppy looking it is a shame, I will look up this mite thing, is it contagious/serious? Frost bite could happen here as we get frosts and minus degrees in winter, suppose I better look into how to prevent that too? She is absolutely divine she has big black eyes and all black comb, beak etc, shiny black feathers with golden lacey patter around her neck
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she is the same size as the Pekin too very tiny and adorable, I wonder what she may be x with? The chickens are pets so not overly fussed on the purity of them personally, I just love the little size bantams and colours etc of 'wynedottes' although I was told that the two chicks I have are not pure either here on BYC and were also sold as pure breed from a different breeder just outside of the state so prehaps round here they are not pure at all? I understand the importance of truthfully labeling breeds for what they are because the same thing happens in the aquarium hobby x breeds sold as pure are a threat, the whole species can become compromised and lose the true pure strain, unfortunately hybrids are commonly sold as pure, clearly the same thing happens with chickens
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I'm excited to take photos of them once they have settled in and share though because they are beautiful none the less, appart from this poor darlings feet
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So I soaked and scrubbed her legs which she didn't object to at all, she stood in the soapy water for at least 10 minutes calmly and allowed me to take her out and scrub her legs and the tops of her feet, soak and repeat, then after a rinse soak in clean warm water which she didn't like as much I think the antibacterial was relieving for her! A fair bit of the white crust came off with scrubbing the second time after a good soak and Some parts of her feet underneath started to bleed a bit
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they look a lot better already though. I don't have Vaseline here or pet shampoo etc so I did a dodgy, I really just wanted to make a start on this asap as the coop is brand new
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I am aware of the risk of toxic tea tree oil if consumed, however it's definitely a great antibacterial and pest killer and one thing I do always have on hand, used it to clean around pet bedding without ill effect and also on head lice effectively, so I added a small amount of this to the soapy water, after a rinse and dry I coated her legs with bapanthen ointment (which is an oily barrier cream for nappy rash, highly effective at healing practically any rash, cuts, abrasions, tattoos, sunburn etc) I always have this on hand, I've used this for dermatitis on dog and it's been effective and non toxic when licked, I even put it on my lips and eye lids etc, I hope that it's safe for birds too
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I figured that it would help to heal the sores as well as create a barrier, basically was this or via vapor rub or nothing so gave it a go. Afterwards I put her straight back outside. She handled it like a champ considering she's not at all keen on being picked up or held. I'll get Vaseline tomorrow and apply it daily as well as look for a safe pest fighting oil.. She's got a dose of apple cider vinegar in her drinking water and access to fresh chopped garlic as well so hopefully she won't get run down from all the stress. I wasn't prepared to play vet today, cross fingers all is successful. Here is a photo of her chilling in her bath and the feet after finishing, it is revolting her poor feet
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the photos actually DO justice.
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What a sweet heart., standing so patiently in the tub.

I do think the Vaseline will put her right - I'm just fuming about the seller trying to sneak that past you. And don't they always have some way to brush buyer's concerns away ,as if they were nothing.

You could also put "scaly leg mites," in the search box to see if something else works better or faster.
 
Yeah I am fairly peeved as I did specifically ask about it
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but also I suppose I should have trusted my instincts because I knew it didn't look right, but she is just so adorable we really wanted to take her
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from what I read the idea is to wash the legs thoroughly and then treat with a barrier to suffocate the mites and also thoroughly clean and treat the coop but I have no idea where to start with medicines and pesticides etc if that doesn't work, luckily they only came home today and the coop is clean
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see how we go I suppose.
 

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