Langshans foot is bleeding from feather folicles (gross pics)

[sammi]

you don't necessarily see Scaley Leg Mites..
they cause a crust build up under the scales, causing the scales to be raised.(check for crusty material)
either from pecking from irritation (and others pecking once they see the red)..or the mites themselves..causes a staph infection..sometimes a fungal infection...
washing the legs and feet will help.

normally applying any kind of oil or vaseline..(Bag Balm is very good for Scaley Leg) to smother the mites..and help recondition the scales.
but with the infection going there..might be better to apply neosporin..

the feathered legs make it harder to treat because you don't want to get the oil or ointment on the feathers..
using a Q-tip might help.

there is a veterinary ointment called Panalog (brand name)..or Animax (generic)..it has both antibiotic and antifungal meds.
from vet, or online at pet suppliers. (possibly available at First State Vet)

also they need to be treated for mites..
Ivomec works well..

he might also need a systemic antibiotic..such as Pen-G procaine..injectable.
found at most farm/feed stores...and syringes.
or you can order Cephalexin from First State Vet Supply online.

separate the roo on clean soft bedding with food and water, give extra protein, such as cooked egg..or small amount of canned cat food..or moistened dry kitten or cat food.
and poultry vitamins..or Poly-vi-sol liquid baby vitamins..3 drops on beak twice a day for 3 days..then once a day for a week, tapering off for a week.

sometimes feather legged breeds do have feather folicle problems that irritate, get very sore, causing them to peck..and bleed and get infected.
treat as above.
you might also get some suggestions from thread "Lanshan feather follicle infected"

 

[tiki244]

OMG

The original post was 4-10-08 Geesh. What happened.? Well hopefully this will help someone!

 

[warmfuzzies]

I am bumping this... This is exacly what my cochins legs look like, and I havent seen it in any of my hens.

Has anyone figured it out?? I really dont know what to do. If it was mites, wouldnt everyone have it?

 

[PoultryPedia]

My Brahma roos have had trouble with infection at the base of their feather shafts on their legs. It has indeed been related to scaley leg mites in their case. They have a Brahma hen in with them who started to pick up the problem from them. The clean-legged hen in with them has had very little problem.
Treating feather-legged chickens successfully for scaley leg mites is different than treating clean-legged chickens. My recommendations (drawn from info Tiki shared with me, info I found elsewhere on net, & experience):
Put in all-new sawdust at least in areas where the chickens nest or hang out a lot. Dust those areas plus their roosts with Sevin dust.
* Give Moxidectin (sold as Quest dewormer gel for horses) orally. Mites will die when they get a dose of it from the chicken's bloodstream. Moxidectin is supposed to work better than Ivermectin, and have a longer residual effect and a broader range of safety in dosage amounts. Put just a little bit in the chicken's beak. Offer scratch immediately after to help make sure the medicine goes down. Repeat Moxidectin treatment 2 weeks later to take care of eggs that hatch during that time.
*****LATER EDIT: After more experience, I'm not sure that Quest is very effective for mites on chickens at dose I've used. I've had very good success using Frontline flea drops (off-label use for chickens, as authorized by my vet) in treating chicken mites & am trying it for scaley leg mites--I hear it's very good for those, too.
* Soak the chickens legs in Epsom salts & warm water 15-30 mins every day or two. You can let them stand in a bathtub (Mine stay fine if you pull the shower curtain closed). I think this helps drown the mites, as well as draw out any infection and soften up the legs to absorb medicine.
* After soaking, place the chicken upside down in your lap. Use an eyedropper to drip Campho-Phenique on its legs. It will run under the scales & help kill the mites, disinfect the area, and ease painfulness. Do not put the medicine on the feathers--it isn't necessary and Campho-Phenique is pricey (About $6 for a bottle that will do ~4 treatments).
* You can alternately put Neosporin on the legs after soaking, while they are still soft and can absorb medicine well.
* Don't bother to use Vaseline. I don't think it is as effective at suffocating mites amidst feathers.

 

[BlueJayFarm]

Hello,

I know this is an old thread but did anyone find a cause and solution? I'm going to treat my feather legged rooster who has exactly the same thing with ivomec tomorrow and SureSpray (finopril) tonight. His skin is cracked and swollen and the feather follicles look infected.

Thanks.

 

[horselover1999]

I know this thread is old but I have a Cochin rooster with the same problem. It started a few months ago and then I started to catch them picking at his legs. I have put blu-kote on him more than once and the last two times they pecked most of it off by the end of the day. Putting him in isolation is not an option because he is too scared of people. I don't know what to do.

 

[orange tomato]

Have you tried rubbing his legs with Vaseline?
I did once and it seemed to help rooster. It will not harm him so worth a try. Probably mites.

 

[horselover1999]

His scales are not raised. I don't know how it started. I will take pictures when I get home.

 

[BlueJayFarm]

I used Ivomec and SureSpray. Also tried the BluKote but it didn't seem effective so I moved on to the Ivomec and SureSpray (finopril). I also soaked him two or three times in the tub for 15 minutes, with the warm water deep enough to cover his legs. He was surprised to find himself in the water but was happy enough to eat treats while there! I Tried scrubbing/cleaning his scales but it was difficult with all the random follicles in various states. Then I slathered the castor oil on his legs working it into his scales. A week or so later, I repeated it. And then again. It worked! Right away his feathers started growing back and his skin was much less red, even after the first time. To break the cycle though, I kept at it for three times. Of course the ivomec kills scaly leg mites as well.

I wouldn't necessarily say his scales had been "raised" but there were a lot missing and his legs were red and swollen. I think if you're going to slather his legs in something, castor oil is a very good option. It's very sticky so be prepared to have him wrapped in a towel or something to prevent getting it on the rest of him. Good luck. And yes, give us some pictures of him, poor boy!

 

[BlueJayFarm]

Oh, and I want to add that my hens and my non-feather legged rooster did NOT have this problem. I eventually treated my feather-legged hens anyways. But the point is, sometimes it seems to be just the feather-legged roosters who get it since they seem to be more vulnerable with those huge feather follicles. That is my theory. The gal across the road had the same problem too.