Permethrin Spray for Scaly Leg Mites?

[Gammond]

Will spraying chickens' legs with a permethrin spray kill scaly leg mites?

 

[Shadrach]

Will spraying chickens' legs with a permethrin spray kill scaly leg mites?

No. Or at least not the way most people would apply it. If you made a foot bath of it, it would probably work but that's an expensive way of killing SLM!
The problem then would be the eggs. You would need to bath the legs at least once more after a couple of weeks.

 

[Gammond]

No. Or at least not the way most people would apply it. If you made a foot bath of it, it would probably work but that's an expensive way of killing SLM!
The problem then would be the eggs. You would need to bath the legs at least once more after a couple of weeks.

What would you suggest for killing them? I've tried a lot of things! Keep in mind, I have 50 chickens.. I'm to the point where I might have to try Ivermec once egg production slows down.

 

[Shadrach]

Rubbing alcohol.
Whatever method you choose you're going to have to catch and handle the chickens.
Make a foot bath of Rubbing alcohol and dip the chickens legs in it right up to the feathers.
They need to stand in it for a few seconds to drown the mites. It's the fastest, least messy and cheapest method I know that is chicken friendly. The alcohol evaporates off the legs very quickly. You could while you've got the chicken at hand smear some Vaseline on the legs after.
Petrol, Diesel, motor oils are all carcinogenic and stay on the legs and the first two burn so don't use those.

 

[LeggyLeghorn]

scaly leg mites and vaseline. search BYC for this topic you will find many approaches for application.

 

[Compost King]

I mixed permethrin (powder, livestock dust) in Vaseline and applied it to the legs.

I also suggest spraying down the roosting bar very well with permethrin spray... top bottom and underneath. Cleaning out the coop bedding and spraying the entire coop down doesn't hurt and after that apply live stock dust to the new bedding so those pests who hatch later have something to kill them too. It can get expensive to go that far so I am not going to say you must do all of that but its what I had to do with with well over 100 chickens and 20 plus coops. Very wet winter I was infested with more than just scaly mites.

 

[aart]

Rubbing alcohol.
Whatever method you choose you're going to have to catch and handle the chickens.
Make a foot bath of Rubbing alcohol and dip the chickens legs in it right up to the feathers.
They need to stand in it for a few seconds to drown the mites. It's the fastest, least messy and cheapest method I know that is chicken friendly.

Huh, never heard of this one before.
Makes sense, but might sting like hell if any broken flesh under the scales,
which could make for an exciting bath time.

 

[lutherpug]

I had a rooster with scaly leg mites and I gave him Ivermectin. 2 doses, 1 week apart. He was a new rooster and in quarantine so egg withdrawal wasn't an issue. The challenge I had is that it takes so long for them to look healed that you don't get the satisfaction of knowing whether or not what you've done was effective. That is true of anything-vaseline, Ivermectin, etc. I know there are people who don't like to medicate and prefer "natural" treatments but I am not wired that way and had no problem giving him what I thought had the highest chance of being successful. Ultimately that rooster got culled after a month in my main coop so I never got to see that project to its full conclusion BUT.....none of my hens have scaly leg mites.

 

[Folly's place]

Ivermectin is fast and easy, and works very well for this.
I recently treated a rooster with Baytril injections for bite wound infection, knowing that he's never going to lay an egg, and won't leave my farm, or be served for dinner.
Sometimes it makes sense to me to do what's best medically, even if it's not 'kosher'.
Mary

 

[aart]

I had a rooster with scaly leg mites and I gave him Ivermectin. 2 doses, 1 week apart. He was a new rooster and in quarantine so egg withdrawal wasn't an issue.

How did you apply and what formulation of Ivermectin did you use?
Curious too about how old was bird and how bad was infestation?