Not an emergency, but could use advice

[AJNana]

While handling one of my young chicks today I noticed there were lumpy, scaly looking bumps along the bottoms of her toes. At first I just thought it was dried poop, but after looking further I don't think that anymore. Is this possibly scaly leg mite? She is young and still kept in a box with her sisters
We have older chickens, but we keep them separate to prevent injuries to the younger ones. We take them outside when it's warm to let them get some fresh air and to forage. None of the other chicks seem to have this problem. she doesn't seem to have trouble walking.

 

[nuthatched]

Soak her feet to be sure its not fecal build up, which it looks like.

 

[AJNana]

Soak her feet to be sure its not fecal build up, which it looks like.

Thank you, I was planning on that. Should I put soap or Epsom salt in the water?

 

[nuthatched]

Thank you, I was planning on that. Should I put soap or Epsom salt in the water?

You can but it won't necessarily do much more than warm water

 

[Lillith37]

You can use a washcloth or soft bristled toothbrush to clean the bottom of her feet after she’s had a little soak. Generally poop comes off pretty easily once it’s wet enough.

 

[Eggcessive]

That looks like footpad dermatitis. I would soak the feet once a day in warm Epsom salts water. What are you using for your bedding? Are they getting muddy? Is there a lot of poop in the litter, or an ammonia odor? Make sure they are on dry bedding, and stir it and replace it frequently. Sand can be a good bedding and it drains well.

 

[AJNana]

This is my daughter's coop, and I think she is using pine shavings as bedding. There's no mud, and I have not noticed an ammonia odor. I know that she changes it out at least once or twice a week. How long should I soak her feet?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

That looks like footpad dermatitis. I would soak the feet once a day in warm Epsom salts water. What are you using for your bedding? Are they getting muddy? Is there a lot of poop in the litter, or an ammonia odor? Make sure they are on dry bedding, and stir it and replace it frequently. Sand can be a good bedding and it drains well.

X2 I agree, looks like FPD to me too.

As for soaking the feet, about 10-15 minutes daily to help soften the tissue, but it's important to keep the feet clean and dry so they can heal.

Do you know what the chicks are being fed?

How long should I soak her feet?

 

[Shadrach]

I agree, not scaly leg mite. It looks like a condition such as dermatitis with accumulated gunk.
https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/content/pubs_ext_vt_edu/en/APSC/apsc-191/apsc-191.html

A soak and a clean up as recommended above will help but some chickens much like humans are prone to particular health complaints and these tend to be ongoing throughout their life.
Bandages as recommended in the article above are rarely practicable and are labout intensive. I would try applying a 50% mixture of vasaline and povidon iodine which is both antiseptic and anti fungal.
However you should consider killing the chick if you can't detect any problems in the litter or perches in your daughters coop. There is no one treatment solution and you could find yourself having to deal with this on a regular basis.

 

[Bertie-Merle]

That looks like footpad dermatitis. I would soak the feet once a day in warm Epsom salts water. What are you using for your bedding? Are they getting muddy? Is there a lot of poop in the litter, or an ammonia odor? Make sure they are on dry bedding, and stir it and replace it frequently. Sand can be a good bedding and it drains well.

I would tend to agree ... and I would recommend the Epsom salt soak, then a good towel dry once or twice a day for five days and see if there is a difference. I'm thinking there will be.

Now, there is root cause to deal with. The girls bedding should be cleaned of fresh feces every day, including all wet shavings. (I use fine pine shavings from the feed store.) I use a "kitty litter scoop" for this. I then backfill any areas not at least an inch deep in clean shavings with fresh shaving, then I spray a mixture of 12 drops of both peppermint and tea tree oil to a quart of water in a spay bottle with two drops of dish liquid to make it mix up, and spritz the coop and brood boxes LIGHTLY every day.

I think this will take care of your issues, or at least I hope it will.

Remember that clean and dry feet make for healthy animals, in ALL cases.