Bad mites, feet hard as rocks-can't move them? Eyes are swelled?

[Smokin Silkies]

Thanks for helping me save this little girls life! What I was doing, was not working as I'm very unfamiliar with these things. Thanks again soooo much!!!

 

[mypicklebird]

Scaly leg mites live in the skin & between scales- the typical bird with this gets thickened toes & skin, the toes don't bend well- but once they are soaked and cleaned down to healthier skin- they shouldn't smell. If you go back and look at the photos- the toes look (at least to me) shriveled and smaller than regular silky toes, and blacker. If the toes were cleaned well enough that they are normal diameter- they should bend now. I think the OP has two problems- or three. Scaly leg mite, some sort of mite they can see walking around (lice or mite), and frost bite. The later photo of the banty is missing all toes except for one on one foot, and even that one is a stub. I have seen bad scaly leg mite enough to lose a few toes- but for all toes to be that damaged? Either there was frost bite as well, or the birds have the worst scaly leg mite I have ever seen- and I have seen many.

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I have never seen frostbite but scaly leg mite will also make the toes hard and unable to bend and they also can smell to high heaven so don't rule it out on that.
sharon

 

[welasharon]

The last two photos are of a bantam hen that I treated...not the original OP"s birds sorry! She is working on silkies. But the damage on that bird was all from scaly leg mites. Before I saw the birds the lady that had them had one whose leg broke off from infection and rot that had set in. It was horrendous!
sharon

 

[MMPoultryFarms]

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I have never seen frostbite but scaly leg mite will also make the toes hard and unable to bend and they also can smell to high heaven so don't rule it out on that.
sharon


you are definatly incorrect if you will scroll this thread you will find a link to welasharons old post all those birds and some I rescued all have there toes missing. it was 100 degrees last summer when those birds lost there toes. so scaly leg mites untreated can definatly cause a severe toe loss

 

[Miss Lydia]

Sharon, after looking at that picture was that little bantam able to walk? That made me want to cry.

 

[welasharon]

Oh she did great. Went back to her home and rejoined the rest of the chickens without missing a beat. She even walks more normally once she got used to her toe nails being a normal length. I am supposed to take some sand out to them tomorrow weather permitting so they don't have to walk in mud when it rains. I saw the guy a couple weeks ago and they are letting them out now to free range.
sharon

 

[Miss Lydia]

So all your hard work paid off, congratulations on a job well done.. do you think these people are taking better care of the chickens since you have helped them? did they have other animals also and what condition were they.

 

[MMPoultryFarms]

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Not trying to anwser the question for you but If i remember correctly they really didnt have any idea what to do and sweet sharon saved these birds life I remember countless nights she treated what had to be hundreds of birds. She is a blessing and I hope she has taught them some of her animal treatment programs we really need more women in the world like this one.

 

[welasharon]

Yes. THey are so nice but just not.....aware??? maybethe best way to put it. I am a take charge kind of person so within 10 minutes or so on here I found out what was wrong with them and how to deal with it. That's just the way we are in my family. She is not like that. When talking to me about them she was wringing her hands and kept saying she just didn't know what to do...so she just did nothing. I intend to keep visiting and checking on them and I think I will do some preventative treatments as well. I have assured her that if there is anything odd to let me know and I can figure it out for her. There are turkeys and guineas but all birds. Nothing else. They are caretakers who live there in exchange for doing things around the place. Mostly just not aware. I told her I would be the chickens god mother!
sharon

ETA: Thank you MMpoultry farms...I was worried they would be offended and agonized over that but I could not sleep for worrying about those poor birds!

 

[Miss Lydia]

I remember when you posted about them but it's been a while and couldn't remember all the details

Thank goodness you were able to help them. I know it was awfully hard on you at the time but look at the how it has turned out and how you have been able to help them.. Bless you for caring.. I hope you haven't minded but when someone comes here about scaly leg mites I always recommend they PM you. you are now the expert.!!