Another Scaley Leg Mite threadSo I recently picked up a trio of like bars and I have discovered that

[SCRaveness]

So I recently picked up a trio of legbars and I have discovered that they have leg mites. I have read several of these threads on backyard chicken. I see that one of the methods is dipping in oil and that sulfur can help with the issue. Has anybody ever tried using
Shapleys M-T-G?? It’s an oil based product for horses to help hair grow and skin conditions. Looking at the ingredients does anybody see any problems with using it?
Ingredients: Shapley's Original M-T-G™ contains Sulfur, paraffinic distillates, petroleum distillates, zinc stearate, cade oil, glycerin.
My other question is about ivermectin dosage. I know that ivermectin paste can be given to chickens but in previous threads people only mention injectable 1% ivermectin. Can the paste labeled for horses also be used for chickens for leg mites? If so, what is the dosage?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Do you have photos of the legs?

Wash the legs in warm soapy water, gently scrub with a soft brush to loosen debris. Rinse. Apply some Castor oil, Coconut oil, vaseline, A+D ointment etc. Do this about every 7-10days for 4-6wks. That should take of the SLM unless the legs are very severe and infected.
Which Ivermectin do you want to use? One with Praziquantel like Equimax horse paste or
Zimectrin Gold horse paste? Dosages depends on the product (brand) you choose. I would think the paste would be effective against SLM, but just be aware that Ivermectin is not labeled for use in poultry - you will need to determine a timeline that you are comfortable with for throwing away eggs for consumption - do a little research on that.

 

[SCRaveness]

It’s a minor case. I have had this trio for less than two weeks. I just noticed a few scales on each foot of each bird lifting up the other day. It’s not too bad yet but of course I don’t want to get out of hand and I don’t want it to infect my other birds. They are/have been in quarantine just in case you are wondering. I’m not concerned with egg withdrawl at the moment as I’m only trying to hatch eggs.

 

[Dekum Chickens]

IT COULD BE A FALSE ALARM - I recently thought FOR SURE a couple of my chickens had scaley leg mites. The legs looked just like every picture of it you could google of the illness or find on forums, I mean identical. It even appeared that one of mine had it pretty bad as her legs seemed so changed. So we dipped all our chickens legs in oil and deeply sanitized the coop and run with diatamaceous earth, vinegar spray and fresh hay/bedding as usual. When I read on line I saw that you have to repeat the process to really get rid of it...and some (crazy people in my opinion) were even suggesting gasoline on the legs! I have a 5 month old baby and a Corgi with an injury and I did not have time to deal with dipping my birds in oil and treating all their legs for weeks. So I decided it was worth the money to take my gals into the Avian Vet (we are lucky to have one only 20 mins from our house, being Urban chicken keepers). After running labs, looking at the legs under scope after doing multiple scrapes of the scales - the vet found that is was NOT scaley leg mites, but rather built up dirt from over the winter muddy season. As chickens age their scales become more gray and start to be more prone to dirt and grime lifting them up. The doctor said all too often chicken online resources and blog assure you the symptoms of scaley leg mites are 100% -- when really it's not the case. The doctor further encouraged us NEVER to use oils or harsher substances on the chickens legs, as it irritates them and they will peck at the oil...and the oil can go rancid as it sits on their legs with can screw up their GI tract. If we ever were worried we had mites again (and didn't wanna spend the money to find out for sure)...or simply felt there was dust and grime build up again affecting the scales...she said warm soapy water will do the trick. I know many longterm chicken keepers may disagree, but I'm not gonna argue with the Avian Doctor who looks at our girls legs under a microscope and ran labs on them.

Moral of the story -- use warm soapy water if you can't afford to confirm either way with an actual Vet. Keep a really clean coop and as long as your birds aren't being introduced to birds from other farms on a regular basis, this should be relatively rare.