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

[Bonnie Gentry]

Quote:
I almost lost my roo to leg mites... he was so sick... I started out with vaseline daily for about a week and he was getting better... then found out about mineril oil mixed with enough tea tree oil to begin to smell... it was easier to dip the legs and I knew I got it in all the cracks. Also someone here at BYC suggested to add some vitimans to his water because I noticed his comb turning black on the tips ( he was getting enimic too) It all worked and he is back in action chasing his hens LOL... he runs everywhere he goes almost like he knows how lucky he is! ... so from my experience mineril oil and tea tree oil are ( in my book) easiest and best, with vaseline a second choice.

 

[Robin'sBrood]

I just noticed the scales on my 3 year old rooster's legs are raised. Guess it's time to treat my flock for leg mites. I wonder if the impossible-to-get-rid-of mouse family living in the coop brought the mites along with them...

I've read this entire thread and I think I'll start with the mineral oil/tea tree oil treatment.

 

[GreatPyrLover]

One of my hens has it really bad...I am really hoping I have caught it in time and nothing happens to her

...I did a lot of reading online and alot of folks use cooking oil..so I got some and have dipped her legs in it twice and put sevin dust down in the coop...with just one treatment she was no different...is this something that needs to be done everyday?

 

[Cuttlefishherder]

I just realized that this post is ancient but Olive oil and Garlic aren't just for cooking the birds! We used Garlic infused olive oil to rub on our chickens legs, the mites didn't like that at all. we cleaned out the coop and haven't had a problem since! We use garlic to cure every thing around here and it seems to be a pretty good cure-all!

 

[24279102]

Do I have to wash the legs in between applications of vaseline or vicks or whatever oil ?

 

[Miss Lydia]

only if the dirt has built up from sticking to the vaseline and oil. then to be able to get to the leg yes you'd need to wash.

 

[bigzio]

Just a quick note to remember....Even after the mites are cured, the raised scales prolly won't return to normal.

~ bigzio

 

[Beekissed]

Yeah, they will.

They will slough off and those legs should look like normal again eventually. They look awful when they slough off but the new scales come in lovely. I have noted that chickens who have recovered from a mite infestation can have a thin red streak on their legs afterwards. If I had known that I wouldn't have taken in some donated hens....they had the red streaks and I thought it was some marking system they had used on the birds. Not until I saw the same red streaks on my roo's legs after his mite recovery did I understand. Anyone else notice red on the legs after a mite recovery?

 

[bunnibird55]

I had a bit of a problem starting with my roo King Strut and with three days of very liberal applications of Bag Balm his legs are looking good and he is running all over and acting so much better. Bag Balm is my choice for a lot of things - it is great for frostbitten combs and wattles too! I am going to keep putting on Bag Balm every other day just to make sure I got everything. It doesn't hurt anything and he acts like he enjoys when I am coating his legs!

 

[chookchick303]

Hi Chicken lovers.. This is my first time keeping chickens and my first post. I know very little about chickens but learning fast. My beautiful man built me a beautiful chicken coop and an awesome run with trees and dirt and protection from the dog. I love my chickens.

In the beginning we inherited an Isa Brown (Lola) and a random breed Rooster (Jonah). I couldn't tell you how old they are. Lola lays great eggs.

They both, I now realize, have this scaly leg mite business and it looks pretty bad. They have practically no scales! I make a point of cleaning pooh every second day, changing hay every weekend. None of the other hens seem to have a problem at this stage.

I have never sprayed anything on the coop surfaces so I will try that next time I clean the coop. The lathering of the feet in ointment sounds like the most common remedy but it will be quite difficult to administer due to the fact that Jonah, the rooster is a maniac! He doesn't attack but I have tried to catch him before and he freaked out like a crazy chicken I am actually apprehensive. He recently has been unable to crow. He tries with all of his might and only squeaks with the occasional stifled crow.

My questions for you experts are:

How do I catch them without freaking them out - particularly the rooster?
What is the best time to do this treatment and how often should it be done and for how long?
Will their lovely scales come back?
Why is my rooster squeaking?