Mites…in winter?! Lots of little black dots on legs too

[Chickylady207]

Hi so I see my chickens everyday to make sure they have food water etc. Recently half of the flock wants to stay in the outdoor area of the coop where there’s wind coverage but doesn’t have the insulation and protection like the indoor part. The indoor chickens have been wheezing sneezing a bit and I was looking at my broody naked neck and her feet just looked awful! Should I Vaseline her up or a bath?? I didn’t think mites lived in winter! I put DE in my shavings when I put fresh stuff in or clean it out but lately I’ve been trying to deep litter best I can.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hi so I see my chickens everyday to make sure they have food water etc. Recently half of the flock wants to stay in the outdoor area of the coop where there’s wind coverage but doesn’t have the insulation and protection like the indoor part. The indoor chickens have been wheezing sneezing a bit and I was looking at my broody naked neck and her feet just looked awful! Should I Vaseline her up or a bath?? I didn’t think mites lived in winter! I put DE in my shavings when I put fresh stuff in or clean it out but lately I’ve been trying to deep litter best I can.

Welcome To BYC

Can you show pictures of the tops of the feet?

Photos of your coop/run are welcome too.

You mention some are staying outside (at night?) The ones in the coop are wheezing and sneezing - how is the ventilation in your coop? Even in very cold weather, a coop needs to have adequate air circulation and fresh air coming in. Do you notice a heavy odor of ammonia inside the coop?

DE can also be a respiratory irritant, perhaps, the coop is a bit dusty from that and is causing some distress(?)

Have you added new birds recently?

I don't see anything that would indicate SLM on the feet. Are the birds having a hard time walking? If it's cold, I would not apply vaseline or oil to the feet/legs until it warms up a bit.