Brahma with scaly leg

[CCUK]

I have a Brahma that I suspect has scaly leg. I have treated other hens with it with vaseline and all that. But I can't really put vaseline or oils on her legs for obvious reasons. Is there a effective way to treat it or will I have to use ivermectin?

 

[azygous]

I have a Cochin and a Brahma. When they've had scaly leg mites, I've dipped their feet and legs, foot feathers included, in castor oil. It's a real yucky mess, but I turn them loose back into the sand run. After a few days the thick oil has all disappeared, feathers are clean again, and the leg mites are gone.

Since then, I've discovered that Elector PSP, a spinosad biological insect control, works splendidly in a single treatment for leg mites. So now all I need to do for leg mites is a ten minute soak in a basin of water with a quarter teaspoon of Elector mixed in and there is no longer any messy oils to deal with.

 

[CCUK]

I have a Cochin and a Brahma. When they've had scaly leg mites, I've dipped their feet and legs, foot feathers included, in castor oil. It's a real yucky mess, but I turn them loose back into the sand run. After a few days the thick oil has all disappeared, feathers are clean again, and the leg mites are gone.

Since then, I've discovered that Elector PSP, a spinosad biological insect control, works splendidly in a single treatment for leg mites. So now all I need to do for leg mites is a ten minute soak in a basin of water with a quarter teaspoon of Elector mixed in and there is no longer any messy oils to deal with.

Thanks for your reply. I've just looked for elector psp. I can only get it imported from the US. And at £200+ a bottle! It's a bit on the expensive side. Do you know what the active ingredient is? I'll see if I can find an equivalent.

 

[April’s Zoo]

Since then, I've discovered that Elector PSP, a spinosad biological insect control.

Looks like the active ingredient is Spinosad.... it’s commonly available as an “insecticide” for gardens. The trick is gonna be finding a formulation where the inactive ingredients are safe for chickens. Maybe check out the full ingredient list for the Elector product (look up the MSDS— Material Safety Data Sheet— if you can’t find the ingredients listing elsewhere) then you can compare the all of ingredients in Elector to other Spinosad products at your garden center.

 

[azygous]

This what I have and where I got it. Completely safe for chickens and humans. https://www.amazon.com/Elanco-Elect...F8&qid=1528376053&sr=8-1&keywords=Elector+PSP

 

[Kristina Moatts]

We just got these chickens. Once I seen them I couldn’t leave them where they were. Most were in a dark coup not even any sunlight while 5 had light but no outside run. Is this the same issue? Also could missing feathers be from the mites and if so how would I treat the entire bird?

 

[azygous]

We just got these chickens. Once I seen them I couldn’t leave them where they were. Most were in a dark coup not even any sunlight while 5 had light but no outside run. Is this the same issue? Also could missing feathers be from the mites and if so how would I treat the entire bird?

Oh my! That one photo of the scaly legs just broke my heart!

If you use Elector PSP, you can dunk the entire chicken in the spinosad solution, but soaking the legs and feet for an extra ten minutes.

You can use permethrin liquid or powder, instead. The permethrin will not treat the scaly legs, though. You would first need to soak the scaly legs and feet in warm Epsom salt to soften the scales, then using a soft fingernail brush, clean the loosened debris out from under the scales. Then dip the entire legs and feet in castor oil. You will need to repeat this process several times to get all the lag mites.

 

[Kristina Moatts]

Oh my! That one photo of the scaly legs just broke my heart!

If you use Elector PSP, you can dunk the entire chicken in the spinosad solution, but soaking the legs and feet for an extra ten minutes.

You can use permethrin liquid or powder, instead. The permethrin will not treat the scaly legs, though. You would first need to soak the scaly legs and feet in warm Epsom salt to soften the scales, then using a soft fingernail brush, clean the loosened debris out from under the scales. Then dip the entire legs and feet in castor oil. You will need to repeat this process several times to get all the lag mites.

Thank you so much for your help we will get these birds treated ASAP. I’ve never in my life seen anything like this. It’s pitiful, most of the little white hens and the big red rooster stay hidden wont come out to enjoy the grass and sunlight. I hope soon they will feel safe enough to explore. These are my other birds of course they are separated from the sick birds but hope to someday let them all enjoy free range.

 

[azygous]

Children's head lice shampoo has spinosad in it. You might look into that. I would use it full strength by coating the legs and feet after Epsom salt soaking, leaving the undiluted shampoo on for a few hours before rinsing off.

 

[CCUK]

This what I have and where I got it. Completely safe for chickens and humans. https://www.amazon.com/Elanco-Elect...F8&qid=1528376053&sr=8-1&keywords=Elector+PSP

Thanks. Thats the one I saw. It is £251! I think I'll have to try with ivermectin. It may take longer but it should still work.

We just got these chickens. Once I seen them I couldn’t leave them where they were. Most were in a dark coup not even any sunlight while 5 had light but no outside run. Is this the same issue? Also could missing feathers be from the mites and if so how would I treat the entire bird?

Oh no. This makes me so sad to see this. Bless you for taking them in. That has to be the worst case of scaly I have ever seen. They should make a full recovery in time. You may want to worm them aswell. But try to do a poop sample first. And treat one thing at a time. Give them some good probiotics and minerals too.