Normal Feet or Scaly Leg Mites? Please help!

[PrettyChicky25]

Just be sure to provide free-choice oyster shell in a small container she can eat it whenever she wants. That way her body will never run out of calcium (unless she has a genetic issue absorbing it, which is not common). The commercial chicken Layer feed also has enough calcium to support egg production. No need to stop her from laying.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/broody-breaking-ala-aart.77915/

Okay, she has the layer feed now and I will m make sure to buy some oyster shell for her too. Thanks!

 

[PrettyChicky25]

She may attack you out of nowhere trying to establish dominance. I had a guinea do that, and also had chickens rip off my scabs and tried to rip my moles off. Also be careful with her eating jewelry or anything metal or generally inedible. One of mine almost ripped a button off my shirt.

I have an interesting relationship with all of my birds. They all try to establish dominance and then I get mad and then laugh at them and they laugh at me and it's just hysterical. I'll have to see if I can get a chicken in on this dynamic. I am definitely aware though to keep anything (that is not food) that would fit in a chicken's beak away from it!

 

[FunClucks]

I have an interesting relationship with all of my birds. They all try to establish dominance and then I get mad and then laugh at them and they laugh at me and it's just hysterical. I'll have to see if I can get a chicken in on this dynamic. I am definitely aware though to keep anything (that is not food) that would fit in a chicken's beak away from it!

This is another reason I make sure to keep a container of grit available at all times (free choice) as well - to help deal with them eating things they shouldn't. Sharp metal would probably do them in, but my hope is that if they get ahold of small pieces of plastic or something besides sharp metal, that it would eventually be ground up by the grit and pass through. I know mine eat small pieces of the pine shavings and are fine, but I do have grit available in the proper size at all times.

 

[FunClucks]

I've had chicks pick at my scabs too, and try to eat my freckles until they bled (sharp beaks on those week old chicks). Adult hens will do the same thing. Any blood or sight of blood, and they will go after it. It's like a switch flips in their minds. So if anyone in your house hold ever gets bloody for any reason, once you stop the bleeding, be sure to cover the injury or paint it in Blu-kote (blue anti-pecking cream), or isolate the injured bird or something. I've heard sometimes they'll peck themselves, but mainly I've seen them peck others. It's a visual thing to do with the color red and/or the sight of blood.

 

[SmiYa0126]

I've had chicks pick at my scabs too, and try to eat my freckles until they bled (sharp beaks on those week old chicks). Adult hens will do the same thing. Any blood or sight of blood, and they will go after it. It's like a switch flips in their minds. So if anyone in your house hold ever gets bloody for any reason, once you stop the bleeding, be sure to cover the injury or paint it in Blu-kote (blue anti-pecking cream), or isolate the injured bird or something. I've heard sometimes they'll peck themselves, but mainly I've seen them peck others. It's a visual thing to do with the color red and/or the sight of blood.

Yes! Me too! Haha little chicks are good for finding every spot.

 

[FunClucks]

Yes! Me too! Haha little chicks are good for finding every spot.

I was looking at my hand and arm today - they managed to bloody freckles I didn't even realize I had! Long sleeves for me next time I do chick chores. Stinkers!

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

She may attack you out of nowhere trying to establish dominance. I had a guinea do that, and also had chickens rip off my scabs and tried to rip my moles off. Also be careful with her eating jewelry or anything metal or generally inedible. One of mine almost ripped a button off my shirt.

I’ve never had a hen attack me, the worse that’s happened has been a bantam broody who pecked me when I reached into her nest. That didn’t even hurt. I don’t think it’s normal for a hen to attack a person, even if she considers them part of her flock.

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

I know where you are coming from and appreciate your concern. I once found two chickens walking around in a residential neighborhood and went all over the place to try to find the owner. Someone helped me track down him down and when I brought them to his door, I immediately regretted what I had done. It was clear the owner had not missed them and in fact planned to eat them. I was sick to my stomach over it because I realized they had escaped. Over the course of my lifetime I have known many people that had birds (parrots) and almost all of the birds were kept in dirty cages, never let out and were not fed nutritious foods. I don't mean to judge but unless I find some evidence that this bird is missed and loved, I will not go looking to send this bird back to where it most likely got sick. Not when she will be loved and cared for like family here.

Do you have a picture of her full body? Even seramas, being a popular pet breed, can get dumped when people end up with too many due to irresponsible breeding and things like that. I’m very glad you saved her. Tame chickens can accept a person as their flock, just like doves and parrots, and will have much less of a chance of being lonely if they’re getting a lot of human interaction.

Okay, she has the layer feed now and I will m make sure to buy some oyster shell for her too. Thanks!

I would personally recommend a feed with less calcium, since layer is more for very productive laying breeds. The extra calcium in layer feed isn’t as good for less productive birds. I feed my bantam hens flock raiser, though grower and all flock are also good options.

 

[kmk]

Hi everyone! I found a chicken while out running one day and boy has she been through the war. She had an infection that is now clearing up but the only other thing I am worried about is her feet. She is a bantam and I read that their feet are supposed to be yellow. Please see the pics of my chicken and her feet. Do these look normal to you, or is this the beginning of scaly leg mites? I started dipping her feet in vegetable oil after soaking them in an epsom salt bath for ten minutes... View attachment 3397264

She let you soak her feet for 10 minutes!?

 

[PrettyChicky25]

She let you soak her feet for 10 minutes!?

Yes, is this unusual? I hold her with her head facing me and dip her legs into the bath and hold them there for ten minutes or sometimes more since she seems to really enjoy it. She starts to doze off and close her eyes!