Hello All, I have used this site to answer many questions, and now look forward to asking some as well! I have a small flock, 2 hens, 1 rooster, and two ducks (1 male 1 female). When we received the flock, the rooster had a bad case of scaly leg mites. We were told it was frostbite damage, so it was left untreated until I noticed them getting worse. After a couple weekends in the "spa" (Garage), he is on the mend and looking much better. I put him back in the coop after the first spa weekend, he continued to show improvement. I put him back after the second spa weekend and the following day, his feet had been picked at by the hens. He had one open wound on each foot. Not bad at all, but if left in there, they would have kept pecking. He is been in the "spa" for almost an entire week straight now, receiving daily treatments and cuddles, he is truly spoiled now. The wounds are not self inflicted, as they began to heal immediately after we separated him again. He is now getting little blood spots all up the leg, very tiny, always dry when I see it. It appears to just be healing. Can anyone shed some light on this part of the healing process for me? Another concern... his nails are pretty long. Do these need to be trimmed? Other than that, chicken/duck life is good. Not supplementing any heat unless it gets to -20. Still getting eggs from both hens almost daily. Duck just went through molt, so she has been on hold for a month or so.
Hello there and welcome to BYC! Sorry about your rooster. Leg Scale Mites do a lot of damage and the scales take a long time to heal. What I do for them is use Vaseline on the scales. Rub it in as best you can, gently getting it under the scales too to suffocate the mites. But the Vaseline on the scales helps to loosen the crusts and keeps the scales soft. Helps to heal them. So keep using it daily for a few months. You can also use a gentle soap on the legs before you apply the Vaseline too. You can also use Ivermectin Horse paste to kill any mites as well. A pea sized dolup on a tiny piece of bread. This will kill the mites. But daily applications is the key here. And give the scales time to heal. Once they don't look so funky, the hens should stop bothering his legs. Depending on the color of his legs, and this works for dark colored legs, you can spray blu-kote on the legs and this will hide the funky looking scales. I have had good luck with blu-kote on the legs. Good luck and I hope you can get him back to good health soon!!
Oh and about his nails....if they are too long, yes trim them. Use the Guillotine type that you use on dogs claws. Since his are very long, they will no doubt bleed the first time you trim them. So get some corn starch, an alcohol wipe and your clippers. Towel him up and lay him on your lap. Trim off about a 1/16th of an inch. If the claw bleeds, wipe with the alcohol wipe and pack on some corn starch. The corn starch will stop the bleeding. Do each claw like this. After you have trimmed all of them, repack any that are still bleeding. Wait a couple mins to make sure they stop bleeding. Then put him somewhere clean for an hour or so. About a week or so later, trim another 1/16 of an inch off. After a couple trimmings, the blood will back off and by the 4th or 5th trimming, you should be able to trim without any blood. Keep trimming until they are about as long as they should be.
Welcome to BYC! I'm glad you joined our "flock". Two Crows has given you some good advice already! I'm sorry to hear about your rooster's injuries and scaly leg mites. I hope he becomes healthy again soon!
Welcome to BYC. Glad you decided to our flock. My family and I have visited Alaska on several occasions and love it there. ) TwoCrows has given you some excellent advice regarding your rooster. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have. We are here to help in any way we can. Good luck in getting your rooster back to health.
I'm glad you joined us! Two Crows has given you some great advice. Good luck with your rooster! Hopefully, with your excellent care, he'll be perfectly healthy soon.
Welcome to BYC! Please make yourself at home and we are here to help. EXCELLENT advice has been given by Two Crows. Good luck!