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

[chicknmania]

I am getting ready to let him out, probably tomorrow, he looks great, but do you think I should apply any more oil or is once enough? I was gone all day today, or I would have seen if he was fit to go out today.

 

[Beekissed]

I'd let that coat work and just check him in a couple of weeks to see what progress has been made on his scale conditions and then apply more then if you think he needs it.

 

[chicknmania]

OK, I'll try that, thanks.

 

[chicknmania]

He's still quite lame, when he tries to walk on the leg, he sometimes collapses. Not sure what's going on there.

He still has some scales around his one foot. I can't tell if it's pain or a nerve problem that's causing him to not support his weight, but I think probably pain. So, I'm thinking more rest, but also, I want to soak his foot/ leg in Epsom salts and warm water. I assume it would be ok to then apply another coating of the oil. And who knows if it's the mites or something else that is causing his lameness problem. He's been slightly lame off and on, for a over a year. When he was in the small pen with limited room to walk, he looked great, but when I moved him into a bigger pen and encouraged him to walk more, the lameness showed up.

 

[Beekissed]

That doesn't sound like a mite problem unless he was so badly afflicted that his foot became infected and it entered his bone. Sounds to me like he's got other issues. It certainly won't hurt to do the epsom salt soak and another application but I don't know if that will help this other issue....especially if he can't bear any weight on it. Could be a permanent injury of some kind.

 

[chicknmania]

I know, I don't think it's mites either. He's prancing on BOTH legs now..you know, like they do when they have pain in their foot or leg or something just doesn't feel right to them. I've had chickens with worse mite problems than he has, and they didn't act like that. His legs look normal to me except for that one small patch. I'm going to soak him today and then go from there, I guess.

 

[chicknmania]

I'm going to keep treating him for the mites, he still has a couple of spots, and maybe that's what it is. He's stopped the OUCH-ey collapsing thing and now he just high steps.
I soaked him yesterday and re-applied the oil. He's extremely cheerful, crows when he sees me coming, and today I put him in the tractor so he could socialize with his buds through the
wire and he was happy as a clam all afternoon. I figure he can't have too much going on that I can't fix, if he's that cheerful.

 

[gapey]

Does this look like scaly leg mites? I think it looks like a mild case of it. Front of her legs are a different color and the scales seem a little big. BF thinks they look fine so need an expert opinion. I know when in doubt should probably treat it anyway just wondering what you guys think. Am I being paranoid or does it look like it could be?

 

[Beekissed]

Could be, could just be an aging chicken. It's hard to tell from a pic if those scales are raised, but if any are, I'd just go ahead and treat.

 

[149east]

Personally I wouldn't get too excited about that - but you need to weigh it against risks/ likelihoods/ recent changes with your flock. Is this an animal that is new to your flock, who could be bringing this from someplace else? If Yes, then I would begin treating. My experience with Scaly Leg is it doesn't come in without cause or spontaneously - it has to come from someplace. In my experience we have only had it when we've introduced new chickens. If on the other hand, this chicken has been living happily with others and nothing has recently changed, I would be inclined just to monitor it. Treatment (as we didn't use too many chemicals) took a good deal of work over several weeks. I didn't find it as easy as others on this site have said (but we were extremely thorough about it and didn't use anything but vaseline and a little sulphur). Good luck!