Scaly Leg Mites - Need Best / Easiest / Quickest Solution - Scaley

chickengeorgeto said:

Vicks salve, Vaseline, caster oil, kerosene, even axel grease are all about as effective as the other in curing or controlling scaly leg mites.
What I never hear anyone mention is that if one bird in your flock has scaly leg then the entire flock is infected to one degree or the other.

Treat for scaly leg at night when it is easy to catch each and every bird, and then keep the treated poultry separated until you can treat all birds that night.
Repeat this treatment every week until cured, then start over in 6 months counting from the first treatment. It also helps to treat your roost poles with Permethrin laced used motor oil, this helps prevent re-infestation. You don't just feed only the malnourished birds in your flock do you? No, you feed the entire flock in kind of a prophylactic treatment against hunger. Mite, lice, and all other parasite treatments are no different.

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I agree, but the oil must penetrate underneath scales. A small amount of kerosene was mixed with neatsfoot/linseed oil by my Dad back in the day, and it worked well. I've had birds that showed signs of scaly leg housed with other birds for years which never showed signs. If birds touch dirt, many will eventually get them, and older birds are more susceptible than young birds, as you likely know. Wherever a wild bird resides, so do Cnemidocoptes mutans.

The main reason effective treatment varies in success rates is due to the vigilance of the flock owner. Treating legs and feet thoroughly and often enough, in addition to housing, makes the difference. Cnemidocoptes mites will never be eradicated in the outdoors, so controlling populations on your premises and birds is all one can do. Lots of folks claim benefits of Ivermectin. Cnemidocoptes mutans does not feed upon blood, so it will not be effective. The only current type that does work is Selamectin, the ingredient in Revolution spot treatment. Selamectin exudes from pores rather than remaining in the bloodstream, killing skin burrowing mites like C. mutans. I personally wouldn't recommend it on birds used for eggs or meat.

Friend,I will add that some breeds of poultry develop very dry hard scales as they mature,example Asils.I agree with the Kerosine old remedy that does work .If it is scaley leg you will see crusty deposits under the scales.Good luck.

Hey I really need help with this roosters feet. This pic is about 2 months old. They look worse now. I've been doing castor oil every few days the past couple weeks. At first I was dipping his feet in melaleuca/ACV mix, but I heard tea tree oil is toxic to chickens. I was going to sell him and 3 hens but he and one of the hens has scaly leg mites, so immediate help would be greatly appreciated! What would be the best way to treat te coop to prevent it in my other chickens?
Btw, the two that have the mites have feathered legs.

Looks like a bad case of it. And I've heard they are tougher to treat on feathered footed birds.

Could you treat her w/ Ivermectin? I had my vet RX it once and treated a bird that way. You'll have to toss eggs for a bit but at least you know you'll have got them.

Ok. I cleaned the coop's bedding out today and sprayed it down with ACV. I put some essential oils in the ACV as well

I have a hen that I just can't get rid or them on one leg. we have conquered them on the other leg, she has lost the nasty scales and is growing in new ones on that leg. But I've been treating her other leg, which is really bad, for almost six weeks. She still cannot walk on it, and the leg is warm. I've been treating her with oil every couple of days and soaking occasionally in Epsom salts.. Yesterday I started her on a course of Baytril, as I thought she might have an infection in it. She's quite cheerful, and eats well, but I don't know what else to do for her. Also, the leg has gotten sensitive to touch, the past few days she squealed and flinched when I tried to massage the oil in. She wasn't doing that before. She doesn't mind if I use a brush to get the oil in between the scales. Where it is sensitive, there is a lump. I'm afraid the bone might be affected there, although she used to have a lump on her other leg too and that one is gone now.

Also, I treated her with Cattle Ivermec, a couple of weeks ago. That did seem to help, but how often can you do that? WE put it on her the way you would for lice...we didn't put it on her legs or give it orally.

Can't imagine using any of the messy oils or old fashioned kerosene, etc. (I care about the pain and suffering of my birds!)
Just one or 2 treatments with Camphophenique (clean, antiseptic) twice in one week, will kill the scaly leg mites if a mild case , another one or 2 treatments will take care of a dreadful case--and not completely ruin the feathered legs. Hold the legs up and drip it down each toe, down the feet and legs to the hock feathers. You won't be a sticky mess, nor will the bird! Can't imagine having the goop of the various heavier oils or greases. Clean and easy is nicer, for you and your bird ! Clear it up and you will not have it again, unless you bring in new birds with the mites--and if so, get them quickly, one treatment will do it!

If you Show your birds, it also cleans the comb and wattles, legs and feet, and you won't bring any scaly leg infection home from the Show!

I'm going to get some today. I hate the smell of that stuff, but we used it before on one of our other birds, in combo with Castor oil, and Epsom salts soaks, and he did clear up faster than our hen is.

fyi, Camphophenique is great for removing imbedded ticks on animals...

JeanR said:

Can't imagine using any of the messy oils or old fashioned kerosene, etc. (I care about the pain and suffering of my birds!)
Just one or 2 treatments with Camphophenique (clean, antiseptic) twice in one week, will kill the scaly leg mites if a mild case , another one or 2 treatments will take care of a dreadful case--and not completely ruin the feathered legs. Hold the legs up and drip it down each toe, down the feet and legs to the hock feathers. You won't be a sticky mess, nor will the bird! Can't imagine having the goop of the various heavier oils or greases. Clean and easy is nicer, for you and your bird ! Clear it up and you will not have it again, unless you bring in new birds with the mites--and if so, get them quickly, one treatment will do it!

If you Show your birds, it also cleans the comb and wattles, legs and feet, and you won't bring any scaly leg infection home from the Show!

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And maybe this is a dump question but the pain relieving chemical Phenol, is safe to use on birds? I know there are lots of topical pain relieving solutions out there that are not okay to use on birds and I'm not finding any info on Phenol.

Or are you buying Camphophenique w/ out pain killer in it?

Campho-phenique? All treatments must be used as directed! It is a "people" product from your Drug Store. Best Scaley leg treatment you will find!!!!!!! Clean, antiseptic, and if applied as a gentle flow DOWN the leg, from each toe to the hock. totally effective in a SHORT time! I used an eyedropper. Your birds will thank you, if they can, certainly will be comfortable. ....... Now, Ivermec for sheep or cattle,will KILL a chicken in just a day or 2, if not used CAREFULLY. (not approved for poultry, but many use it for mites/lice.) And the stuff that sticks to Vaseline or other gooey stuff , when they are on pasture or in their pen, you wouldn't want your bird ingesting. Kerosene, Gasoline, Tar, etc., is downright cruel /inhumane. Works? yes, but painful and harmful to the bird. It is always up to you--you are the keeper of your birds-- and your decision is final! Campho-phenique used to be about $10 for an 8 oz bottle, now is a smaller bottle for that much or more???? But you will use little (unless a good sized flock all need it). Even the smaller bottles will last for years--and you many not need it again, ( I have had no cases for a number of years, but keep it on hand!!!!!!! Scaley Leg mites are not as infectious as the body mites, that can be a real problem spreading without constant vigil, even on roosts. Yes, we all care about our birds!