2nd hand Silkies ~ not sure what to do with them? *pics!*

[redhead83402]

Well, good news & bad news ~ I just inherited some little black silkie hens from a friend who got them & some banties off of freecycle.
Unfortunately, she didn't want them because she said they were nippy toward her new little colored ranger meat chicks.
So I offered to take them. ( who could resist free chickens?)

I guess my problem is this ~ I still have them quarantined in my house, because
#1~ I am afraid they will be nippy with my hens (although I suppose my hens are a little older , as these have just barely come into egg laying, and mine have been laying for a month or better now, plus they are smaller than my standard breed hens)

& #2~ (perhaps the biggest reason) It looks as though these hens have scaly leg mites.

here they are

Here are the footsies in question.
Does this look like scaly leg mites to you folks? Any & all help would be GREATLY appreciated.
Thank you ~
~Red

 

[Smartie_Pants]

Are you sure they are both hens? The one on the left looks a kinda rooish to me.

 

[JennsPeeps]

It does appear to be scaly leg mite from what little I know of it. It wouldn't hurt them to treat them for it in any case, so go for it.

Cuties, though! They'll probably be less nippy once they calm down in a new environment.

 

[redhead83402]

how do you treat for it? I looked up several remedies online, & they all seemed to involve medications ( not even sure where to get them) of some sort or another.

A few of the chicken books I have say that this is extremely difficult to erradicate, as well as being very easily transmitted.... now I'm nervous about even having the same clothes on to touch my own chickens if I have already dealt with these new silkies.
~Red

 

[tiki244]

I know someone who used Aquaphor on the legs and I think they were gone in two or three weeks. It is lanolin and mineral based and can be gotten at Walmart.

Another thing is UdderBalm at a farm store that has lanolin and a little clove oil and petroleum I think. That sounded good to me too.

I think you apply it every two or three days.

 

[tiki244]

To speed up the process you can put the silkies in a bath and use an old toothbrush to scrub the legs and then apply the lotion the first time. Then just reapply the lotion after that.

 

[JennsPeeps]

From what I've read here, any oily treatment is fine. Vaseline would do the trick.

 

[redhead83402]

I wonder if teatree oil would work?

Also, these silkies seem to almost smell like wet dog. Is that unusual?

I never thought different breeds would smell differently, or perhaps its just sanitation, I don't know ~

are silkies normally smaller than standard breeds?
Thank you ~
~Red

 

[JennsPeeps]

I've never had silkies and have actually only been a chicken owner since May. that said, I've learned a lot on BYC.

1. The silkies shouldn't smell any different than any other chilcken. I recommend a good bath. http://www.wikihow.com/Wash-a-Chicken Be sure to dry them with a hair dryer and keep them in a warm room so they don't get too cold. Be prepared to get wet from the flapping bird.

2. Yup, silkies are smaller but lay bigger eggs than do bantams.

 

[UrbanChickenFamily]

I'm new to chickens too, so I'm afraid I can't help with the mites question. However, personality wise, my little silkies are just sweet babies. I love them dearly. We had them in the pen with our Rhode Island Reds, but my big girls can have an attitude and they pecked one of my little Silkies to death. That was a hard lesson learned. We now keep our Silkies separate, in their own little pen. They are terrified of the Reds (you can imagine!) and I've seen the Silkies act the least bit aggressive toward anybody or anything. It sounds like yours haven't been well cared for; they are lucky they found you!