Limping hen with possible scaly leg mites

[chickentenders_la]

Greetings to this wonderful community! I've read so many posts here on treating scaly leg mites. Our hen started limping and from the look of her legs initially, figured it was scaly leg mites. We are about 8 days in with soaking her in vegetable oil to exterminate the mites in her scales. We were also using Nu Stock but have stopped since it looks like it stopping the oil from getting up in the scales.

Posting a couple photos of her legs as they look now. She is limping with one of her feet and she doesn't seen to be improving. I know it takes at least 3 weeks to completely kill mites and eggs, and even longer for her scales to heal. We have her in crate at night so she doesn't have to out pressure/weight while roosting in the coop. We were crating her during the day too, but complete isolation seemed to be messing with her mental health. We let her free range, so she mostly sits in a single spot and pecks what's around her, gets water, etc. She'll move throughout the day, but not completely free like the rest of her flock.

She eats but has lost some weight, assuming because she has to walk to the feeder. She drinks, she's alert, curious, makes her little chicken noises. And also is not at the bottom of the flock, since she's able to peck at our bottom chickens to keep them in line. She is not laying currently, we assumed because of her external mite issue and the pain resulting

So a few things:
- Can I have the community weigh in on her scales, symptoms to confirm scaly leg mites?
- Should we continue with oil soaks only? Keep going with the Nu Stock?
- Any suggestions on how to keep her comfortable while still being "active?" Anyone have good sling/wheelchair designs that would work in a yard setting with grass/dirt/sand/uneven surfaces?
- Supplements??

 

[Crazy Maizie]

I'm not seeing raised scales. But, she has some pretty long nails that could be trimmed. Have you checked the bottoms of her feet? Sometimes they jump and land wrong causing a limp that usually heals up fine. If you're worried, maybe separating her in a crate where she can still see her pals, but not able to jump, and having food and water available to keep an eye on what her consumption is would be the best option for now until the limping subsides.

 

[chickentenders_la]

I'm not seeing raised scales. But, she has some pretty long nails that could be trimmed. Have you checked the bottoms of her feet? Sometimes they jump and land wrong causing a limp that usually heals up fine. If you're worried, maybe separating her in a crate where she can still see her pals, but not able to jump, and having food and water available to keep an eye on what her consumption is would be the best option for now until the limping subsides.

Nails have been trimmed for over a week and a half now. We have stopped treating for SLM because like you said, it doesn't seem to be the issue. The bottoms of her feet *seem* to be fine, nothing out of the ordinary. She has been in her own crate since the beginning of the month; we feed her and provide vitamins and nutrients in case it's a deficiency. She eats and drinks, poops normally. Still no improvement, although she's seeming a bit perkier these days. Still limping, so not sure where to go from here :|

 

[Crazy Maizie]

Could you possibly get a video of her limping? Also a pic of the bottom of her feet?

 

[chickentenders_la]

Could you possibly get a video of her limping? Also a pic of the bottom of her feet?

Hi, yes! Attaching photo of bottom of foot as well as video of her walking. She mostly just hoovers her right foot as she grazes. Sometimes she uses her wing(s) to balance as she tries to get to where she's going. I have also confirmed that she doesn't have the same grip reflex with her bad foot/leg as the normal one. Unsure if always indicates paralysis?

Link to video: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1sNOtVTFXKOfSHVSlZ6WUVu0HAeZQgnw6/view?usp=sharing

 

[Crazy Maizie]

Have you looked into wry neck? If she's unstable not just limping, it could be a variation of wry neck.

 

[chickentenders_la]

Have you looked into wry neck? If she's unstable not just limping, it could be a variation of wry neck.

Wry Neck has showed up in a list of issues while researching her limp. A distinguishing feature in wry neck is most always a problem with keeping their head or neck in a normal position. Our hen does not have this problem. She is able to eat and drink fine, and there has been no change in her head/neck position since we brought her home as a pullet last June.

 

[Crazy Maizie]

Video is probably best. I only asked about wry neck due to the comment about using her wings to balance. Injuries can take time to heal. Do you think she could have broken her leg at any point?

 

[chickentenders_la]

Video is probably best. I only asked about wry neck due to the comment about using her wings to balance. Injuries can take time to heal. Do you think she could have broken her leg at any point?

Oh! I was unable to attach the video for some reason, so I included the link to the drive location with the photo: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1sNOtVTFXKOfSHVSlZ6WUVu0HAeZQgnw6/view?usp=sharing

I don't think she broke it - we have examined her several times and nothing out of the ordinary, compared with the other "good" leg.

 

[Crazy Maizie]

She's definitely holding it up and not wanting to put any pressure on it. My guess is that it's broken or dislocated. Could be a pinched nerve? Or maybe arthritis, but, I don't think she'd be holding it up like that. If you want conclusive answers, I'd seek out a vet.