Help please - Is this scaly leg mite?

[Egirl]

Please see the attached photos of my white araucana, and especially the photos of her feet and legs. Does this appear to be scaly leg mite? Or might it just be natural scaliness and bumps?

If it is mites, what is the best remedy?

Thank you!

 

[PeepsInc]

That poor girl. I'm no expert ,but I'd say put some vaseline on that.

 

[happytxchick]

I wish I could tell you. I just know that I use vegetable oil and coat my chicken's legs and roosts once a month to keep leg mites away. I also use sevin dust around the perimeter of my coop ever so often.

I'll be waiting for other people to post to your topic to see if it is leg mites...I'm interested to know, too.

Many blessings...

 

[crazy huhn]

Sorry, but it looks like a severe case of scaly leg mites to me. Apply petroleum jelly all over. It will suffocate them and sooth out the scales. Repeat doing this until the legs are smooth again.

You also need to treat the roosts with an insecticide.

 

[kathyinmo]

This information is copied from another thread:

Scaley leg, which is caused by mites living under the scales, causing inflammation and crustiness.

You should check her carefully for mites - at night after they're on their roosts. The mites are just nearly microscopic dots that move fast on the birds - particularly near their vents, under the wings, back of the necks, etc. You should also put your hands on the wood near the bedding at the bottom of walls, on roosts, at night and see if you can't catch them on the wood or on any of your other birds.

Have you wormed her? The best way to treat is with Ivomectin, but if you use the pour-on you don't want to do so without doing a Wazine (piperazine 17%) worming two weeks before if she hasn't been wormed in over 6 months with a broad spectrum or in over 2 months with wazine.

If she hasn't been wormed recently, soak her legs in water to soften. try to remove whatever excess scaliness you can gently. Pat dry. Then use 1% ivermectin injectable and paint that on his legs. Then use a little olive oil on top of that (not vaseline). Repeat the following week.

It wouldn't hurt to dust them all with "permethrin" poultry dust. Be sure the active ingredient is permethrin, not any other 'methrin or chemical. It's usually sold in a shaker can and called "poultry dust", "lice dust", "garden and poultry dust", or "livestock mite and louse dust". The active ingredient listed on the label should always be permethrin.

If you find mites on the birds or wood, you'll want to get the liquid permethrin (Goat lice spray with permethrin as the active ingredient, or livestock spray, or Ectiban EC) and spray the roosts, wood, etc. PoultryProtector is an enzymatic cleaner that cleans mite eggs off of wood and lice eggs off of birds - it can be handy, but treating and then repeating in 7 days as the mites hatch out is the way to go really.

Soak the legs in warm water with some very gentle soap VERY dilute in it (ivory, or better yet - something like Nolvasan antiseptic diluted to a capful per a quarter of water. Scrub the legs with a toothbrush to get rid of the excess scaliness. The scaliness is made both by the gunk coming from mites that are burrowing under the skin (quite like mange mites do) as well as the products of irritation of the skin itself. Pat dry. Then you can use the 1% ivermectin on the legs. Dilute with a little water to get it to soak in. Or you can worm with ivermectin 5% cattle pour-on and you'll get the second worming done and be able to do it usually twice annually with ivermectin thereafter. ONLY use the 'broad spectrum' type wormers on birds over four months who have been wormed with wazine first.

Worm with Wazine.
Get started on working on the legs by soaking and scrubbing. (You can put olive oil on them after the cleansing). repeat the oil part daily until 2 weeks later.

Two weeks later:
Worm with ivermectin pour-on (birds over four months) which will kill the mites and the rest of the worms. (Reworm birds under four months with wazine two weeks from this date).

Continue oil for another week.

Note: Sometimes the scales will bleed after you kill the mites as they dislodge from the skin. Be forewarned. It is normal. That's just an indication of exactly how much damage they do under those scales where we can't see.

The scales might not return to normal, but at least the issue won't be there anymore.

On dusting, permethrin (the chemical you want - check the active ingredient on the label) usually comes in a handy shaker can. Wear gloves, shake some into your hand, and then use your hand to put the powder on the birds - under their wings, under and around their vent, under their bellies, back of neck - use your gloved hand to ruffle the stuff in at each place as you apply it. Try to keep it out of their mouths and eyes. Repeat in 7 days.

 

[Laurieks]

I found a post on a garden forum that highly recommended Adams Flea & Tick Mist with IGR, and said it was safe around eggs. Seems a little strong to me, but maybe ok for a head start while getting ready to do the above treatments?

I have a very feisty mutt hen with a case of it, she pecked the sprayer. I'm wearing coveralls when I treat her.
Thanks Kathy for posting those!