Help! Weird Dirt-Like Patches on Hen's Legs and Feet

[GlicksChicks]

Hello, I have a Legbar pullet who was recently moved into a large kennel with her sister and a rooster I got for them. This was when I noticed these weird things on her legs. Though this moving was not the cause of it, because she had them when she went in there.

I had assumed she had some mud stuck to her leg or something, so I ignored it. Fast forward a couple days, it is still there, and it seems like there is more.

The Legbar is young, my calender says she is around 9 weeks (though for some reason I think she is older.)

The hen does not act lethargic and has no issues walking. It does not seem painful to her at all. She acts completely normal.

Before moving to the cage, she was living with 29 other chickens in a large coop and run. I have not seen them get picked on, they were surprisingly accepted into the flock very easily. They eat with everyone else and drink with everyone else. They were not on the bottom of the pecking order. In fact, they were some of the ones sleeping on the top roosts at night.

They are eating chick starter. Golden Oaks. And they get fresh water and shade.

 

[SandyRiverChick]

That looks like ticks or some other kind of bug, flea, mites. I've never dealt with bugs on chickens. Do they have access to a dust bath? How big is the cage?

 

[GlicksChicks]

That looks like ticks or some other kind of bug, flea, mites. I've never dealt with bugs on chickens. Do they have access to a dust bath? How big is the cage?

They do have access to dust bathing areas. I do not know the exact dimensions of the cage at the moment, but it is big enough for a german shepherd.

And the coop she came from had alot of dust bathing areas.

Should I give her legs an epsom salt soak?

 

[GlicksChicks]

Please help! I took closer pictures of her legs and feet.

 

[CCsGarden]

Can you soak her feet in warm water? It looks like maybe mites or dried blood.
Is the stuff hard or soft?

 

[CCsGarden]

Do all of chickens have it or just her?

 

[SandyRiverChick]

I'm sorry that I didn't respond, I've been really confused about the situation when you've said she's in a dog crate but does have access to dust bath... ?? Where are you located? It looks like ticks to me but I have no experience with chickens getting ticks. So maybe it's mites. I would be surprised if not some bug related issue. Maybe more pics of her your set up and more info??

 

[GlicksChicks]

Can you soak her feet in warm water? It looks like maybe mites or dried blood.
Is the stuff hard or soft?

It is hard. I will soak her feet.

Do all of chickens have it or just her?

It is just her, no one else. Everyone else is perfectly fine.

 

[GlicksChicks]

I'm sorry that I didn't respond, I've been really confused about the situation when you've said she's in a dog crate but does have access to dust bath... ?? Where are you located? It looks like ticks to me but I have no experience with chickens getting ticks. So maybe it's mites. I would be surprised if not some bug related issue. Maybe more pics of her your set up and more info??

She had this issue before she went into the crate. It started out in their coop. In their coop they have a dust bath with diatemacious earth and their whole run is dirt, so they like to dig holes and dust bathe in there.
In the crate I will put a container with dirt in it and take it out to refill it and then put it back in.

I don't think ticks though. When I look closely at it, it looks like dark globs of dirt. Not insects, and don't ticks go for their skin, not scales?

 

[CCsGarden]

it looks like dark globs of dirt. Not insects, and don't ticks go for their skin, not scales?

It almost seems like she pulled her scales on something and they bled and dried with the dirt that is stuck on it. soak her feet and see if any of it comes off.