Pics--does she have bumblefoot AND scaly leg mites?

[hyzenthlay]

My 1 year old Sultan hen has been acting odd and lethargic lately, but not obviously sick or injured, so I gave her a bath today to give her a thorough look over. Her feet had gotten really dirty from her laying around and apparently not preening as much as usual, but when I washed them this is what I saw:

It looks to me like she has bumblefoot AND scaly leg mites--is that right? I've never dealt with either before. And could either of those things have to do with the missing toenails on the one foot? We are planning to try to take care of the bumblefoot first and then treat for mites.

Thanks for any thoughts!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Does look like it has both. I've never dealt with either of them as well. The missing toe nail could be from frostbite during the winter.

 

[Eggcessive]

I agree that it is both. Scaly leg mites can be treated by soaking the legs in warm soapy water once a week, using a toothbrush to gently rub the scales to loosen them. Then after drying the legs, apply an oil,such as castor oil, vaseline, vegetable oil, or other, rubbing it up under scales. Castor oil is probably a little less messy to use.
There are many good threads by searching the forums at the top of this page for bumblefoot surgery and non-surgical treatment of bumblefoot.

 

[KellyChicken]

Definitely both symptoms. Poor girl! Soak chickens legs in dog flea & tick shampoo for 10-20 minutes. This will soften the scales. Use an old toothbrush to clean away the dead scales and get to the critters in between the scales. Dry completely & cover her legs in Vaseline. Continue this process until her legs look normal again .
As for the bumblefoot-there are many links to teach you how to remove the bumble. Good luck and remember to breath during the "surgery." Keep her foot wrapped and clean until she fully heels.

 

[hyzenthlay]

Definitely both symptoms. Poor girl! Soak chickens legs in dog flea & tick shampoo for 10-20 minutes. This will soften the scales. Use an old toothbrush to clean away the dead scales and get to the critters in between the scales. Dry completely & cover her legs in Vaseline. Continue this process until her legs look normal again .
As for the bumblefoot-there are many links to teach you how to remove the bumble. Good luck and remember to breath during the "surgery." Keep her foot wrapped and clean until she fully heels.

Thank you! I did end up treating her for both things. The bumble foot was almost completely healed by the time we found it, but we did the Epsom salt soak and then removed as much of the bumble as was left. The scaly leg mites don't seem bad, but we treated her with ivermectin and gave her and the whole flock the gasoline and A&D treatment as well as a precaution. I also thoroughly cleaned and dusted the coop and made sure all the bedding was clean and dry.

Her feet and legs look pretty good now, but none of this seems to have improved her general issues of lethargy and walking backwards. I started another thread tonight about that.