bad case of chicken mites

[Carolyn Tearne]

Hi my name is Carolyn..i live in the North Island of New Zealand..I have been rescuing chickens off the side of the road for some years now..people would move to new locations unable to take there chooks..and dump them on country roads during the night..as im heading to work each day..i would feed and water the chooks i see on my way to work..and every so often i would see chickens that just dont do well fending for them selves.eg rode island chooks and bantum chooks are so does ole that they walk out on the rd get run over by logging trucks..so i catch them and taje them home..a few wks ago ii spotted a bantum chook hopping around on one leg..so i stopped and caught her..the poor thing was very thin..and upon her legs and feet the might scabs were the worst case ive ever seen..ive been bathing her legs in a epson salt bath..drying her off..putting on tea tree oil all over her legs and feet..once thats dry..i cover her legs and feet with vasoline..The scabs have gone a black colour..but there is still a few scabs that are creamy yellow colour..i was wondering if im to pull the scabs off and continue with her treatment..or is what im doing helping at all? shes such a sweetheart..and shes so easy going..i think she knows im trying to help her..i change her beding each day..clean hay in her nesting box..as she is unable to get on a perch..shes eating and drinking well..i have even fulled a big container with dry dirt for her to roll in for a dirt bath..but due to her legs being caked with scabs she cant use her feet to roll around..please any advise would be appreciated..i so want this girl to have a life living..as she has been through so much for such a sweet little chook

 

[DobieLover]

Hello, Carolyn, and welcome to BYC! Glad you joined.
Do you have access to Spinosad?
It takes time for a bad case of SLM to heal and it sounds like in her case her scales will fall off and grow back in. You probably have killed off the SLM but her legs still need to heal from the damage they've done. I'd keep applying the Vaseline to her legs.

 

[Pork Pie]

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[TwoCrows]

Hello and welcome to BYC!

Sounds like you are making headway with the mites. However you should never pick at the scabs or scales, but you might bathe the legs daily with soap and gently with a soft brush, brush off the gunk. Then cover the legs with Vaseline. It can take a few months of this routine to get them healed. Leg mites borrow into the bone and can cause lameness. You are doing well with her!!

Good luck and keep us posted!

 

[Carolyn Tearne]

Hello, Carolyn, and welcome to BYC! Glad you joined.
Do you have access to Spinosad?
It takes time for a bad case of SLM to heal and it sounds like in her case her scales will fall off and grow back in. You probably have killed off the SLM but her legs still need to heal from the damage they've done. I'd keep applying the Vaseline to her legs.

Thank you for replying..no i have never heard of Spinosad..what is it..liquid or a powder? I do have other chickens witch i spread lime throughout there coop and dirt bath areas and never had a problem with mites..so ive been keeping Holly the bantum seperate in her own coop..poor little thing trys to get around..but staggers and hops falling over alot..it totally breaks my heart..as she is such a fighter..i will purchase this Spinosad..it sounds like it will help her legs and feet quicker then what ive been doing is going to take..do i remove the scabs or wait for them to fall off by them selves?

 

[DobieLover]

do i remove the scabs or wait for them to fall off by them selves?

No, don't remove them. Keep soaking her legs in warm Epsom salt water. You can gently scrub the scales sideways with a soft bristle tooth brush to remove what is loose but don't pick them off. Dab her legs dry. You can also put permethrin poultry dust into the Vaseline to make a paste and rub that in.
Spinosad is excellent for mites of all types but it is very expensive.
What are you feeding her? I would give her a good quality complete poultry feed that offers 18-20% protein and supplement her with a bit of poultry vitamins and minerals too. Is she laying? Offer her some canned sardines or tuna every three days or so. You are doing a great job caring for this little one!

 

[Carolyn Tearne]

Hello and welcome to BYC!

Sounds like you are making headway with the mites. However you should never pick at the scabs or scales, but you might bathe the legs daily with soap and gently with a soft brush, brush off the gunk. Then cover the legs with Vaseline. It can take a few months of this routine to get them healed. Leg mites borrow into the bone and can cause lameness. You are doing well with her!!

Good luck and keep us posted!

thank you for ur advise..i have sleepless nights worried about this chook..she has been through hell..and not being able to walk to well must be making her so warn out..i think this is going to be part of my daily routine for a long while..those mites make such a mess..i looked on the net..and even the worst case pictured was no where as bad as this girl has..it really frightened me to see hers was worst then the worst picrured on the net..but shes a real fighter..thats why i didnt have her put down..shes the most loviest chicken ive ever rescued..she is a special little girl..

 

[TwoCrows]

thank you for ur advise..i have sleepless nights worried about this chook..she has been through hell..and not being able to walk to well must be making her so warn out..i think this is going to be part of my daily routine for a long while..those mites make such a mess..i looked on the net..and even the worst case pictured was no where as bad as this girl has..it really frightened me to see hers was worst then the worst picrured on the net..but shes a real fighter..thats why i didnt have her put down..shes the most loviest chicken ive ever rescued..she is a special little girl..

I know how difficult it is to see them suffer. I too can loose sleep over my birds if one is sick. It's heart breaking! But it sounds like she has the best Mom in the world caring for her! She knows she is loved.

 

[Carolyn Tearne]

No, don't remove them. Keep soaking her legs in warm Epsom salt water. You can gently scrub the scales sideways with a soft bristle tooth brush to remove what is loose but don't pick them off. Dab her legs dry. You can also put permethrin poultry dust into the Vaseline to make a paste and rub that in.
Spinosad is excellent for mites of all types but it is very expensive.
What are you feeding her? I would give her a good quality complete poultry feed that offers 18-20% protein and supplement her with a bit of poultry vitamins and minerals too. Is she laying? Offer her some canned sardines or tuna every three days or so. You are doing a great job caring for this little one!

thank you..no she isnt laying..but eating well..i was a bit worried about the weight she has put on since i brought her home..i feed her vegies fruit laying pallets grit..and i been giving her small amounts of raw mince..i sprinkle chopped up silverbeet on her floor of her run..so she has some exercise while locked away..i worry shes getting to fat..i try just giving her 200gms of food per day plus greens..thank u so much for ur advise..its after midnight here..i better head off to bed..thanks again..regards Carolyn

 

[DobieLover]

thank you for ur advise..i have sleepless nights worried about this chook..she has been through hell..and not being able to walk to well must be making her so warn out..i think this is going to be part of my daily routine for a long while..those mites make such a mess..i looked on the net..and even the worst case pictured was no where as bad as this girl has..it really frightened me to see hers was worst then the worst picrured on the net..but shes a real fighter..thats why i didnt have her put down..shes the most loviest chicken ive ever rescued..she is a special little girl..

There is a thread by another member who also worked to cure a severe case of SLM. Here is a link to a before and during treatment image of the progress. You may learn something form reading the entire thread.