long term mite problems on the mend hopefully

[StephieSky]

So I took my chickens into the vet thursday before last. The vet fixed an ingrown toenail and told me they have leg mites really, really bad. He also removed a bumblefoot puss pocket from one of Liza's toes. So all in all I'm very happy with the vet.
Its just that I've been doing everything he said: Dip their legs in oil at night and when I trim the ones super long nails down on Saturday, wash both of their legs and feet in warm, soapy water then dip them in oil again.
Still it seems to me Gracie's legs and feet are still terrrible.She has the ugliest feet in the world.
This problem was long term before I got them according to the vet. Its pretty bad.How long does it usually take before you start to see some improvement in a badly neglected chicken do you think?
I just don't want to keep thinking it will get better or be too impatient and I just don't know. I'd also rather not pay for another vet visit unless I really need it.
He didn't give me anything to spray on their legs. Just told me to soak them in vegetable oil nightly.

Uploading pictures of what they look like today: I know they are awful! They look worse because they are pink where the scales are turning soft and pink, and still pretty irritated. She doesn't have bumblefoot though Liza had a little one. The vet didn't find anything on Gracie that had puss or scabs other than the mite problem. I inspect every toe and crevice many times myself as I'm handling her twice a day to wash her feet and oil them.. Are they supposed to look like this as they heal up?




^ she had a toenail completely removed as it was imbedding in her toe in a circle. That exposed thingy is the healing skin spot where the toenail was taken out.



Pfft! Liza is being a crab. She doesn't like the camera at all.. I'll sneak up and get pictures of her feet when she's calmer.

 

[Fox]

You might try a couple of things. You could dust her feet with Sevin dust or mist them with Adam's Flea and Tick Spray. I've used both on my chickens before when I found mites had gotten to my chickens. For scaley leg mites, which is what yours appears to have, I have used Vaseline instead of cooking oil. It sticks and smothers better in my opinion although it is a mineral oil/petrolatum product. So depending on how you feel about things like that you might want to try a combination. Mist the feet with the spray or dust with the powder in the morning and then at night slather with the Vaseline so she'll be still roosting and the ointment can stay put longer without interruption. I would not use the spray or dust more than once though... then continue with the ointment for a week's time. It sometimes takes awhile for the scales to shed and new ones to come back on, but the pink can mean that you are in that process. You could continue on with the veggie oil if you prefer, I've just found the ointment to be more smothering than oil. It sticks and stays put longer. Hope this helps.

 

[Katiedid]

Just out of curiousity, what kind of oil do you use? I've never treated feet.

 

[Fox]

I have heard you can use any vegetable oil or plain mineral oil (which you can get inexpensively at the pharmacy area of Walmart) or just Vaseline.

 

[Naked Farm]

You can use diotomaceous earth, instead of sevin if you want an organic method of control. Poor girl! That looks sore!

 

[StephieSky]

Yes the pink spots used to be hard and scaly too. When I first got her I thought it was normal. Both her legs and feet were entirely covered in thick scales and bumps. Liza's aren't so bad but they're not good. Just not so bad they're deformed like Gracies.

I think I'll try the vaseline. You're right about the oil. It doesn't seem to last all day. Once they get out in the dirt it sluffs off pretty quickly.
I'll look for the flea & tick spray. If I can't find that I'll get the Sevin. I should probably pick up a bag of Sevin anyways to have around.

That and I have food grade DE coming in sometime this week via my health food store. However, I'm going to hold off on building a DE bed for the hens. Until their feet no longer have any deep cracks that look raw. I'll put some under their bedding but thats it. ( I think? ) Or maybe I've got that backwards and should be putting it out right away?

As to what to use I do try to be very concious in the way of chemicals around here but I also do whatever is necessary. Especially for the animals. They can't exactly speak up and tell me how it feels.

Gracie is so sweet. She lets me pick her up and turn her over in my lap and doesn't even struggle. She just lays there and growls like she's saying " heyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy I didn't agreeee to thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiissssssssssssssss agaiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnn!
So funny

Those feet look itchy and miserable! If they were mine I'd be realllllllllllllllllly cranky. They make me itchy just looking at them and knowing there were little bugs drilling away all over under their skin! ewwwwwwwww!

Thanks so much for the advice! I'm so glad to hear they look okay to you. I kind of thought it was the healing process but I don't want to be oblivious to something awful going on again.

 

[StephieSky]

Just out of curiousity, what kind of oil do you use? I've never treated feet.

My vet told me to get a jug of 100% vegetable oil. Pour some in a container that I can stick a leg in and dip their legs each night. He said if I use olive oil or anything containing lard or such it will go rancid and possibly invite worse problems. He just wants me to make sure I keep their legs "embalmed". His words not mine! lol so the mites get suffocated out and the scales get softened up. The scales are beginning to sluff off and if they aren't softened first he said they'll be more likely to take chunks of skin with them and leave open sores. Gracie does have one or two raw spots but I'm watching them really close for any signs of infection. I dab them with bacitracin after washing her feet but he also warned me not to wash her feet too much. I guess the trick is to keep them "embalmed" and hope like mad we get lucky If not she'll have to have them wrapped and be confined.
Liza's feet are only crusty on the tops of her toes and the lowest part of her legs. Hers are healing up without the obvious swelling and inflamation. Good thing too. She is very anti pick me up! lol

 

[Fox]

I don't think it will hurt to put out the DE when you get it. I mix mine with some sand (not dirt) because straight DE is very powdery and dusty and it's not good to breath the dust. Some may use it straight, but I've always used mine mixed. I find it helps in time, but if you're trying to wipe out a problem then you have to use something like Sevin. If you get the Flea and Tick make sure it's by Adam's. It's the only one I know that they say is ok to use on chickens. I believe it is the same ingredient as Sevin. You might also consider Ivomec pour on. Good for worming and killing off mites. I just linked this to someone else too. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/426433/ivomec-pour-on-question-help

 

[StephieSky]

Will do! Thank you! I'm making a specific bed in a countersunk kiddie pool for the DE. I put dirt in it once and they ignored it in favor of my bark beds. I think I'm going to try adding a mix of bark and DE and putting it out right off then. I was worried it might make the irritation worse.
I have two cats who don't have an indoor litter box and never will. They use my garden sand pile The sand pile I stopped using ...

 

[Fox]

DE can be a little drying to my skin, but I wouldn't worry with the feet since you're also dipping them in oil or ointment each day. It should protect them from any dryness or combat it really. I've never used bark, so not sure how that works, but you'll see when you get it that it's quite powdery. Don't breathe it in yourself. Mix it with sand or your bark mix until it's not too dusty and floaty in the air. Oh yes... also make sure your bark isn't cedar as the oils in cedar aren't always good for their respiratory system. I've heard some have used it and it's ok, but many say no to cedar. If I've ever used shavings I use plain pine that don't have any scent to it.