Help! Cochin cockerel limping - abscess(?)

[EggPlant Mama]

Good morning. I am in need of help with my 19 1/2 week old Cochin cockerel, Luna Roo.
I noticed Luna Roo limping yesterday. I examined his foot and noticed some red swollen areas on the top of his left foot and minor ones starting on the right. Last night at bedtime he couldn't seem make the jump up the ramp to the coop (Not sure why he didn't walk up), after watching him make several failed attempts, I intervened and assisted him onto the ramp. Not sure if this is related, but he recently started crowing and the last week he has barely crowed at all. He has also been coming out of the coop later and later each morning. Unfortunately, I don't have a walk in coop and this morning he was at the farthest point in the coop so I couldn't even reach in to assist him off the roost, until finally, just before 9am he moved closer to the door. (Definitely a design flaw. In hindsight, I should have brought him in for the night )

My 2 hens don't exhibit any of these symptoms, wondering if it has something to do with his feathered feet. Not sure of any sort of trauma.
I observed him eating and drinking several times throughout the day yesterday and as soon as I was able to help him out of the coop, he had food and water. I have my flock on medicated starter feed, and poultry grit with a variety of treats, e.g., cooked eggs and cooked eggshells, frozen watermelon, blueberries, mealworms, etc. Yesterday he ate the fresh blueberries I offered. I also put apple cider vinegar and a dash of sugar in their water supply.
Yesterday I bathed him in J&J tearless baby shampoo with a cool blow dry and applied plain Neosporin. I am thinking about an epson salt soak, but I don't want to make things worse if that's not the best treatment for this type of problem.
I put down D.E, PDZ and pine shavings on the coop floor/bedding. I have 2 poop boards on top of the pine shavings that I put a thin layer of D.E and thicker layer of PDZ (sorta like a litter box board). You can see a the setup in the picture above of Luna Roo on the roost.
Below is a close up picture of the bottom of his left foot.

This one is the top of the left foot.

The picture below, with both feet, has the right one seems more pronounced, but it's the left one he is limping on.

Thanks for any insight or guidance you can offer.
EggPlant Mama

 

[EggPlant Mama]

Hi there. That looks like scaly leg mites to me. I've never dealt with them before but, I know you can use petroleum jelly or even castor oil to smother them. Do this daily, although some people say once a week, washing off the old stuff and the dead scales first. Continue until new scales have grown in. You should also treat the coop and replace bedding and the sand in the poop trays under the roosts.
http://www.poultrydvm.com/condition/scaly-leg-mites

Poor guy, I hope he feels better!

Thank you for the information, I have read many articles and watched some videos about the topic. I'm a new chicken mom, so possible I'm wrong, but I don't think it's the scaly leg mites/lice or bumblefoot, the legs and feet are smooth, top and bottom. There's no dropping or signs of bugs, behind the neck or under the wings. The areas are very pink and clean.
I soaked his feet in Epsom salt today, rubbed coconut oil on the area and brought him in the house for the night or two or three. I had to help him onto the coop runway last night and then off the perch in the coop at 9am this morning, I may have mentioned this in my earlier post. I didn't want to risk him having additional injuries.

In reference to the poop boards, I use a thin layer of D.E and a much thicker layer of PDZ Sweet; should sand be used in addition to these two products?
Thank you again for any advice you have for me and my Luna Roo.

 

[igorsMistress]

Thank you for the information, I have read many articles and watched some videos about the topic. I'm a new chicken mom, so possible I'm wrong, but I don't think it's the scaly leg mites/lice or bumblefoot, the legs and feet are smooth, top and bottom. There's no dropping or signs of bugs, behind the neck or under the wings. The areas are very pink and clean.
I soaked his feet in Epsom salt today, rubbed coconut oil on the area and brought him in the house for the night or two or three. I had to help him onto the coop runway last night and then off the perch in the coop at 9am this morning, I may have mentioned this in my earlier post. I didn't want to risk him having additional injuries.
View attachment 2245776
In reference to the poop boards, I use a thin layer of D.E and a much thicker layer of PDZ Sweet; should sand be used in addition to these two products?
Thank you again for any advice you have for me and my Luna Roo.

I wasn't sure what you were using, no need to add sand. Interesting that the scales are smooth as they don't appear that way in the pic. I have no idea what it is then but I hope the coconut oil helps!

 

[EggPlant Mama]

I wasn't sure what you were using, no need to add sand. Interesting that the scales are smooth as they don't appear that way in the pic. I have no idea what it is then but I hope the coconut oil helps!

I wasn't sure what you were using, no need to add sand. Interesting that the scales are smooth as they don't appear that way in the pic. I have no idea what it is then but I hope the coconut oil helps!

I feel the same about the look and feel. As does just about everyone else I ask.
Thank you for your reply.

 

[EggPlant Mama]

I still suspect some sort of mite. Here's a link to the Merck Veterinary Manual that offers info about various types that attack chickens.

https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poultry/ectoparasites/mites-of-poultry

Thank you very much, I truly appreciate your help with this.
One another possiblity a family member told I should consider is Feather Follicle Cysts. Ever hear of that? Any thoughts? Here's the link he sent me:
http://www.poultrydvm.com/condition/feather-follicle-cyst
Truly appreciate your persistence to help me.

 

[igorsMistress]

Thank you very much, I truly appreciate your help with this.
One another possiblity a family member told I should consider is Feather Follicle Cysts. Ever hear of that? Any thoughts? Here's the link he sent me:
http://www.poultrydvm.com/condition/feather-follicle-cyst
Truly appreciate your persistence to help me.

I hope I'm not being obnoxious! I just hate to see any animal in pain and truly want to help. I've been that person that asked, then had to figure it out on my own and have lost birds as a result. Not fun.

I knew there was something that affects the feather follicles but couldn't think of what it was, probably still thinking mites! I think the cysts could make sense, I noticed a few feathers on his feet were broken and looked like they were bleeding at some point. You see all the symptoms, what do you think?

 

[EggPlant Mama]

I hope I'm not being obnoxious! I just hate to see any animal in pain and truly want to help. I've been that person that asked, then had to figure it out on my own and have lost birds as a result. Not fun.

I knew there was something that affects the feather follicles but couldn't think of what it was, probably still thinking mites! I think the cysts could make sense, I noticed a few feathers on his feet were broken and looked like they were bleeding at some point. You see all the symptoms, what do you think?

OMGOSH absolutely NO, I don't think you are obnoxious. I am so, so grateful to have someone who is persistent. I am well, sometimes a bit hardheaded , so I appreciate you wanting to help and make sure my Luna Roo is good. I just wasn't convinced that it is the mites, and after reading about the cysts, it makes sense that's what it is. The red swollen areas look like cysts, maybe not as much in the picture as in person.
I think I mentioned I have a flock of three, Luna Roo being one of them; obviously. Anyway, I checked them yesterday and today saw no indication they have mites.
But those little tiny black spots on Luna Roo's legs, they concern me so I'm second guessing the mites as a condition.
I am not exaggerating when I tell you I spent the last two days asking for help on forums, facebook pages, reading old threads, asking everyone I know that knows anything about chickens, about both conditions and honestly, I decided that there's not much I can do for cysts other than some Epsom salt soaks and comfort for treatment when it happens, until that doesn't work anymore. But, I"m also going to treat the coop and my chickens for mites, 1st thing tomorrow(it was too late today when I made the decision to take everything out to disinfect). Before I brought Luna Roo in the house late yesterday, I did soak his feet in soapy water, then Epsom salt soak and rubbed them down with coconut oil.
Before he went to perch for the night I put plain Neosporin on his legs. He definitely felt better this morning. I repeated the Epsom soak plus coconut oil this morning and the Neosporin this afternoon.
I am totally with you about animals being in pain. Just watching Luna Roo limp rips my heart out.
Truly, I appreciate you for taking the time to circle back and make sure I am doing the right thing.
Thank you for your kindness.

 

[igorsMistress]

OMGOSH absolutely NO, I don't think you are obnoxious. I am so, so grateful to have someone who is persistent. I am well, sometimes a bit hardheaded , so I appreciate you wanting to help and make sure my Luna Roo is good. I just wasn't convinced that it is the mites, and after reading about the cysts, it makes sense that's what it is. The red swollen areas look like cysts, maybe not as much in the picture as in person.
I think I mentioned I have a flock of three, Luna Roo being one of them; obviously. Anyway, I checked them yesterday and today saw no indication they have mites.
But those little tiny black spots on Luna Roo's legs, they concern me so I'm second guessing the mites as a condition.
I am not exaggerating when I tell you I spent the last two days asking for help on forums, facebook pages, reading old threads, asking everyone I know that knows anything about chickens, about both conditions and honestly, I decided that there's not much I can do for cysts other than some Epsom salt soaks and comfort for treatment when it happens, until that doesn't work anymore. But, I"m also going to treat the coop and my chickens for mites, 1st thing tomorrow(it was too late today when I made the decision to take everything out to disinfect). Before I brought Luna Roo in the house late yesterday, I did soak his feet in soapy water, then Epsom salt soak and rubbed them down with coconut oil.
Before he went to perch for the night I put plain Neosporin on his legs. He definitely felt better this morning. I repeated the Epsom soak plus coconut oil this morning and the Neosporin this afternoon.
I am totally with you about animals being in pain. Just watching Luna Roo limp rips my heart out.
Truly, I appreciate you for taking the time to circle back and make sure I am doing the right thing.
Thank you for your kindness.

Those black spots are what concern me too, that's why I thought the mites were the problem. If not scaly leg, maybe feather mites? The problem with pictures is they sometimes don't show all the detail, or the issue looks different in person from what you can find online. I would start with coconut oil myself and monitor until I could figure it out. I hope he's feeling better soon.

 

[EggPlant Mama]

Those black spots are what concern me too, that's why I thought the mites were the problem. If not scaly leg, maybe feather mites? The problem with pictures is they sometimes don't show all the detail, or the issue looks different in person from what you can find online. I would start with coconut oil myself and monitor until I could figure it out. I hope he's feeling better soon.

thank you

 

[igorsMistress]

Hi there. That looks like scaly leg mites to me. I've never dealt with them before but, I know you can use petroleum jelly or even castor oil to smother them. Do this daily, although some people say once a week, washing off the old stuff and the dead scales first. Continue until new scales have grown in. You should also treat the coop and replace bedding and the sand in the poop trays under the roosts.
http://www.poultrydvm.com/condition/scaly-leg-mites

Poor guy, I hope he feels better!