New flock in bad shape

[ChickenOfTheC]

I bought 7 hens and a rooster Wednesday night. 3 bantam hens, 4 regular hens, and a regular size rooster. At first glance (and it was dark) they didn't look to bad. After I got them home is when I saw how bad everything was. The rooster's legs where tangled in string and it had been there so long it was embedded in both legs. His legs where very crusty and scaley. I thought that was bad until I looked at the 2 Cochin Bantams. They are very lethargic and I have never, ever seen chicken feet so bad. I'm sure that it also is painful for them to walk. See the pictures below. It baffles me how somebody can let this happen. I have started treating all there other problems, but what can you do for them when there nails are that long? Hope I can get these guys on the mend so they can have a better quality of life.

 

[Michael Apple]

Good quality feed and some Vitamins Electrolytes Plus might help them overcome lethargy. The poor birds were obviously neglected.

That has to be the worst case of scaly leg I've ever seen. It is caused by mites that burrow under the scales. My Dad had a rooster with a bad case of scaly leg. With regular soaking of his legs and feet in Linseed oil, it eventually crumbled off in a few months. The sprays sold which drip off the scales and don't penetrate under them aren't worth a dime. Rooster Booster makes a product called Sulfur Ointment that I've found works very well on scaly leg. Use medical gloves and massage it gently all over the legs and feet when they first get in to roost at night. I'd do it every other day until you see improvement. Use Ravap, or an emulsified concentrate Permethrin, and spray or brush your roosts with it in addition to the whole poultry house. This should be done after the house is cleaned of all shavings and disinfected with Oxine or a phenol like Biophene. I personally like Oxine better for regular use and disinfect/pesticide my coops every three months after all shavings and dust are removed. Chickens are only allowed in after the housing is dry. The best time to do it is early morning while the birds are outside ranging.

Dipping the legs in a container full of oil seems more difficult. One has to endure a few minutes of holding the bird and keeping it from spilling the container and flapping oil all over the place. If your bird is very docile, you might prefer doing that. Let me know how it goes. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

P.S. Whoever sold you those birds is a reprobate if he/she didn't alert you to the bird's condition.

 

[Michael Apple]

I forgot about the nail clipping. Give vitamin K or Koagulan-D by Dawe's in the drinking water for a couple days. Keep them in areas where they won't snag a nail on something. I use dog nail clippers and keep a bottle of blood stop powder within reach. In bright light, you'll see an interior vein that tapers toward the end of each nail. Starting at the tip of the nail, clip off bits gradually stopping near the tip of that vein. If you see a drop of blood at the end of the nail you've gone too far. Not to worry though, that is what you'll use the blood stop powder for. Dab it on the end of the nail and it will clot. If you don't have blood stop powder, you can use corn starch. Keep them out of muddy or dirty areas after clipping. You can go back and clip the nails once a month until they're at a comfortable length for the bird. Active birds who are allowed to pick and scratch in dirt don't need nail clipping.