help with Scaly leg mites ASAP

[blitz1027]

Hey all I've got a D'uccle rooster with a bad case of scaly leg mites and a hen that appears to be getting them as well. I'm looking for treatment options that work fast. I put petroleum jelly on their feet and legs last night but I wanted to know if there was any kind of medication or insecticide I can use to kill them quickly without harming the birds? Any suggestions about products I can pick up at Tractor supply Co. as that is the closest feed store I have. Thanks

 

[Smoky73]

go to the drug store and get some Tea Tree Oil and Mineral Oil. Add a few drops of the Tea Tree Oil into a container with the mineral oil in it. dunk the legs in real good and use a tooth brush to scrub it into the legs. One or two treatments this week and wait another week to see how its doing. You want to scrub it in good so it gets under the scales. They will soften and fall off after a week or so. You might have to retreat depending how bad the infestation is.

 

[Chicken Chat]

I use the ivermectin pour on for cattle. This is the dosage I copied down in my notes from another BYCer: use 1 drop for a small OE hen sized bantam, 2 drops for an OE male to a regular small bantam, 3 drops for an average bantam or very small commercial hen, 4 drops for an average adult chicken or small large-breed hen, 5 drops for a large large-fowl bird, and 6 drops for giant breeds, a large bird. That's the blue "ivermectin" not any other '-ectin'
then it's usually twice a year with ivermectin.

Some people throw the eggs away for 10 days. I read where others go ahead and eat them but not sell them. If you are not allergic to Penicillin it shouldn't be a problem. I eat mine, it kills external pests that bite blood is why it works great with mites, it is a wormer too. Apply with a dropper on the back of the neck like you would a dog, make sure to part the feathers so you drop it onto the skin. If you do the oil treatment of the legs at the same time, it seems to work the fastest.

 

[Louise's Country Closet]

I used the mineral oil trick (without the tea tree oil) and it worked nice, but it was extremely messy! I eventually resorted to using the ivermectin - worked even better!! My birds needed to be wormed anyway and getting rid of the mites was an added bonus. The scales did eventually fall off too, and now they're all nice and smooth again.. I definitely recommend that over the mineral oil.. one time and you're done.

Also, for the days that we had to throw out the eggs, I simply scrambled and fed them back to the birds

 

[blitz1027]

I'm guessing your talking about the Ivomec Eprinex Ivermectin Pour-on cattle dewormer from TSC?


http://www.tractorsupply.com/livest...mectin-pour-on-cattle-dewormer-250-ml-2207307

 

[MuranoFarms]

Quote:
I use this one:
http://www.tractorsupply.com/livest...0-milli-litre-cattle-dewormer-pour-on-2207454

 

[blitz1027]

And that should cure the scaly leg mites right?

I'm sorry I know I sound stupid but this is my first time dealing with something like this.

 

[MuranoFarms]

Yes. I'd still rub the vaseline into the legs to soften the crud so it will flake off easily.

 

[Chicken Chat]

I use the same one that MuranoFarms uses. It needs to be the 5mg concentration. I bought mine at TSC as well, they had a smaller bottle there, I think I paid maybe 15.00 or 16.00 for it. (It will look like the blue glass cleaner stuff.) I get an eyedropper and fill it up as I go. The best time to do this is when they go to roost. That way, just work your way down the line. I wear one of those lights that is attached to a band that you can wear around your head, that way I am hands free to work in the dark. It seems to keep them calmer than turning on the overhead light. I usually end up worming myself as well because I always manage to spill a drop or two on my fingers I am using to part the feathers.

 

[purpletree23]

You also have to clean the heck out of the coop. Take everything out that is removable. Remove all the litter. Sweep own the walls and ceiling and especially make sure everything is out of the laying boxes. Then dust the corners of the coop and along the floor with Sevin dust. Dust the roosts especially where there are any cracks where the mites might be living. Dust the nest boxes well also. Again in corners and where 2 pieces of wood meet.

Refill the coop with fresh litter. Clean all waterers and feeders with soap and water and rinse in 2 gallons of water with 2 tablespoons bleach added.

Just to be on the safe side I would dust everyone with Sevin dust....wait a week and do it again.