its winter time here in northwestern PA its 22 degrees out now and it gets in the teens at nite im new to chickens ive only hadem since june this year dont know everything aboutem but i noticed today 1 of my hens also maybe a 2nd one has raised up scales on there legs were the 3 toes start to spread out idk if its leg mites or what do there leg scales raise up when its cold out in the winter time?if theres mites wouldnt they be little white worms on there legs. the scales are raised up alittle and alittle patchy white on the leg but there acting just fine is it no big deal what im seeing?
Pictures would help if you can post some. It does sound like mites, and no, there would not also be worms on them. Mites are tiny tiny bugs.
i dont have anyway to post pics rite now where do mites come from i use hay for beding is leg mites that big of a problem if not touched
what can i put on there legs to make there scales go down and lay flat like normal does leg mites and raised scales come from straw beding?
I am certainly no expert, but I think people on here have said to use Vaseline (petroleum jelly) to coat the legs which suffocates the mites so they die out. I'm sure another poster will know more.
Pics would definitely help determine if they have scaly leg mites. Treatment for scaly leg mites is pretty simple. Coat the legs in some kind of oil- vaseline, Bag Balm, WD40, A&D ointment have all been used here with success. You will need to re-treat as the oil wears away. Keep them coated for a couple weeks. You will also need to treat their roosts with an oil- WD40, kerosene, linseed oil, vaseline. Re-treat the roosts for a couple weeks too. The oil should smother the mites and the birds' legs should start looking better in short order. If the birds have a severe infestation you may need to treat them with an insecticide and do a full coop clean out, but I'd try the oils first as it is much easier to do. Scaly leg mites likely won't kill your birds, they just look nasty and can cause problems if left for a very long time, so you can try the easier remedies first before you pull out the big guns. Good luck.
THe scaly leg mite itself won't kill the chicken but if left untreated the toes will begin to wither and fall off and they can get secondary infections from that and die. It is horrendous. The toes go and then it gets into the leg itself. sharon
Scaly leg mites may not kill your birds but they can loose their toes as a result and can also go lame! I would start treatment immediately, the quicker you get to them the quicker your chickens will heal. They are extremely irriating to the chickens and if left unchecked will only become worse. Here is a website; http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/Health/Dis/scaly.html
