Is this scaly leg mites? need help

[Zaxby's2]

So I got two new chickens last weekend and both act normal but the rooster looks like he has raised scales. He has just a tiny bit of feathering (i think) on one leg so maybe it's just from where he used to have feathers but he plucked them out idk. If he does have scaly leg mites then I definitely don't want it spreading to my old flock right now him and his hen are separated but they're in a pen that has lots of straw which i want to use later for broody hens. How can I get the mites out of the pen? Here are some pictures of his legs (which he put up quite a struggle for me to get them

).

 

[Mahonri]

I would spray those feet and legs with Sevin and then PAM cooking oil spray.

 

[MikeGage]

Hello Zax, i currently have a silkie going through scaly mite and i can tell you that the condition that my hens feet are in are quite a lot different looking than your cockerels. His feet looks decidedly 'even' while my girls legs are uneven and extremely misshapen; this could be down to the severity of the infestation though. My advise is to be ahead of the game. The best way is to first place his feet into luke warm water and with a tooth brush clean the legs. Then as a cautionary, at the moment, procedure just smear some vasaline or oil onto his legs so that you smother the mites (effectively suffocating them). I have a silkie now that is quite heavily inflicted so it's best to be safe than sorry even if it isn't mites.

Best of luck.

Mike.

 

[wolfwhyte]

Mites are a common problem with chickens as well as many other parasites. Honestly, the best way to protect your flock is to worm them on a regular basis. For the past thirty years, Ivomectin has saved and protected my flock. You have to buy a hole bottle, but it last for years if kept in the refrigerator. I use the 50ml bottle ment for swine found at your local feed store which usually sells for $40, but you only need 1ml for one hundred pounds of bird. I give one drop orally, and, trust me, it works wonders on every parasite except flat worms. I called the company and it is very hard to overdose.

 

[Zaxby's2]

Thanks y'all for replying. I have been trying to give him away (before I realized he had mites of course), but I can't find a home for him. I can't keep him because he'll fight with my other roosters, and since I don't want to eat him, or deal with mites, I'm thinking about putting him down. (please don't think I'm cruel or anything). So going by this, what can I do with his body so that the mites that were on him don't spread to my old flock? Do I need to clean the pen he was in? And how?

 

[Zaxby's2]

Okay new question. I'll probably try to cure him, and then see if my uncle wants the rooster, (forgot about him). Do scaly leg mites live in the pen? How long can they go without having a host? If I remove the hen and rooster from that pen (which I will eventually do), will I have to clean that pen or will the mites die from not having a host animal? Not sure if this is a dumb question or not.

 

[MikeGage]

Like all mites they can live a fairly long time without the host. You need to completely remove everything from the coop and wash it down with a reputable poultry disinfectant - in my opinion inside and out. Allow it to dry and place fresh straw or sawdust into the pen. Wash everything down, nest boxes, perches - everything. You didn't mention the hen. I'd suggest going through the same curing procedure with her also because she may have the mites at a very early stage. If they are together it's likely.

 

[layalittleeggfo]

I read somewhere that vasaline or pertrolium jelly (sorry if thats spelt wrong) is eective in killing the mite as it suffacates it, dont know if anyone has anyone has done it this way, ive not had to deal with it myself. But it mite help in the future if not now

 

[Zaxby's2]

How do I clean the pen if it was a dirt pen? Same way?

 

[MikeGage]

I would ether move the pen to a new area of the garden, field, or you can dig the top soil out of the pen and replace it with fresh soil. All of my rearing pens are covered with a top layer of bark chippings which i replace bi-annually or when i need to. You could do this but ideally you need to get rid of the effected area first then place a replaceable medium in which you can change.