Favorite hen is sick! I think leg mites. PICS

[boykin2010]

My favorite hen isnt acting right today. She can stand but can barely walk. Looking on her feet, i noticed she has what seems to be leg mites. She is mixed with a silkie so she has 5 toes and each toe there are " scales. "

Here is a picture i took of her just a while ago. I have seperated her from the flock into a cage with her own feeder and waterer. She still wont get up though.

I thought she may be egg bound at first but i dont think so anymore. What do you think? Is it leg mites? If so how do you treat it?

 

[boykin2010]

A BYC'er told me about applying vicks vapor rub or vasoline to her leg. I took a toothbrush and applied a coat to her toes and legs.

 

[Sorin]

It looks like mites. First thing is to scrub her legs with soap and water, then coat them with Vaseline. If possible, scrub their roosts as well, the mites like to live there. You may have to treat the legs like that everyday for a week or so. I guess the vaseline suffocates them basically. I think you will want to treat your coop as well. Im not sure what with though. I have never had them on my hens, but I have read many response in other threads about them and that is generally the advice given. Hope this helps and someone else chimes in with more experience.

 

[YYZ]

Your advice sounds good. This may be helpful someday . Hope it helps you Boykin.

 

[boykin2010]

Yes this does help. I took a shovel and scraped all poo and trash out of the coop floor but i didnt do the roosts. I will do that. I am also going to move the coop to fresh grass. My coop is a chicken tractor so i move it whenever they kill the grass.