Questions about SLM treatment

[mf1sh]

Hiya chicken friends!

Yesterday, I adopted a new chicken from my Aunt and Uncle. Their flock has gotten smaller over time, until there were only two. Bianca disappeared a few days ago and poor little Golden was all alone. My Aunt asked me to adopt her so she wouldn't be lonely.

Golden is about 3 years old and is a blonde sexlink (at least, that's what my Aunt said). When I brought her home I set up quarantine and gave her a good exam. Unfortunately, her feet and legs are suffering from scaly leg mites. I took Golden to the local chicken vet for a wellness exam and they confirmed she has SLM as well as tapeworm. We are treating SLM with Ivermectin drops topically - one drop per foot, once a week, for three weeks. The tapeworm will be handled by Praziquantel taken orally.

I've dealt with tapeworm in the past, so I'm sad Golden has it, but feel pretty confident in our treatment plan. I've never had scaly leg mites in my flock before so I've got more questions. Hopefully you wonderful chicken people can help me out!

-In addition to the Ivermectin drops, should I use vaseline or vitamin E oil?
-Should I soak and scrub?
-Should I quarantine for the entire treatment period (3 weeks)?
-What's the withdrawal time for Ivermectin? I hate tossing eggs!
-Protocol for keeping her temporary quarantine area clean to avoid re-infection? (Should I clean every day and put fresh shavings and hay every day?)
-Can humans get bit by scaly leg mites? I'm itchy but not sure if it's just in my head!
-How long til her legs start looking better and new scales grow in?
-How bad would you rate this case of SLM?
-Signs of comb infection?

If you have any advice for a worried bird mom, I'd so appreciate it!

Me and Golden both thank you all for your help!
Miranda

PS. If you have any ideas about her breed, let me know! We aren't entirely sure she's a sexlink, plus that's so not specific haha.

Golden in quarantine

Her little feet look so bad

Scaly leg mites

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hiya chicken friends!

Yesterday, I adopted a new chicken from my Aunt and Uncle. Their flock has gotten smaller over time, until there were only two. Bianca disappeared a few days ago and poor little Golden was all alone. My Aunt asked me to adopt her so she wouldn't be lonely.

Golden is about 3 years old and is a blonde sexlink (at least, that's what my Aunt said). When I brought her home I set up quarantine and gave her a good exam. Unfortunately, her feet and legs are suffering from scaly leg mites. I took Golden to the local chicken vet for a wellness exam and they confirmed she has SLM as well as tapeworm.

We are treating SLM with Ivermectin drops topically - one drop per foot, once a week, for three weeks. The tapeworm will be handled by Praziquantel taken orally.

I've dealt with tapeworm in the past, so I'm sad Golden has it, but feel pretty confident in our treatment plan. I've never had scaly leg mites in my flock before so I've got more questions. Hopefully you wonderful chicken people can help me out!

-In addition to the Ivermectin drops, should I use vaseline or vitamin E oil?
-Should I soak and scrub?
-Should I quarantine for the entire treatment period (3 weeks)?
-What's the withdrawal time for Ivermectin? I hate tossing eggs!
-Protocol for keeping her temporary quarantine area clean to avoid re-infection? (Should I clean every day and put fresh shavings and hay every day?)
-Can humans get bit by scaly leg mites? I'm itchy but not sure if it's just in my head!
-How long til her legs start looking better and new scales grow in?
-How bad would you rate this case of SLM?
-Signs of comb infection?

If you have any advice for a worried bird mom, I'd so appreciate it!

Me and Golden both thank you all for your help!
Miranda

PS. If you have any ideas about her breed, let me know! We aren't entirely sure she's a sexlink, plus that's so not specific haha.

Golden in quarantine


Her little feet look so bad


Scaly leg mites

I would soak her legs in some warm epsom salts to soothe and promote healing. Apply some vaseline, coconut oil, A+D ointment, etc. to the legs. The scales will most likely loosen and fall off in time. SLM can take a while to heal, so you will need to stay on top of it.

Consult your vet about withdrawal times for Ivermectin.

You are asking about signs of comb infection? To me her comb looks fine in the photo - is there something on the other side?

http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2013/03/scaly-leg-mites-in-chickens.html

 

[mf1sh]

Hi @Wyorp Rock,

Thanks for your response. I was just curious what to look out for in regards to comb infection. I don't think Golden has any problems but wondering what to look for.

Do you recommend I keep her quarantined for the entire 21 day treatment period? I hate to have her all alone but can't risk infecting my other girls.

Thanks for your help!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hi @Wyorp Rock ,

Thanks for your response. I was just curious what to look out for in regards to comb infection. I don't think Golden has any problems but wondering what to look for.

Do you recommend I keep her quarantined for the entire 21 day treatment period? I hate to have her all alone but can't risk infecting my other girls.

Thanks for your help!

The most common things to look for in issues with combs would be Fowl Pox or Favus.

Fowl Pox is spread by mosquitoes, so is fairly common. There are 2 forms of Fowl Pox - dry form and wet form. Dry Fowl Pox looks like scabs (raised pox) on the comb and wattles. The scabs are dry (don't exude/drain pus) and will generally resolve on it's own in several weeks. Wet Form of Fowl Pox the pox scabs look fluid filled and can affect the eyes, mucous membranes and inside the beak - they look more like raised, fluid filled lesions. Wet Form is more serious and usually you would need to treat the chicken if they form lesions in the eyes or inside the beak. Most birds that recover from either form of Pox build an immunity. Warm months of the year Pox is more prevalent (more mosquitoes).

Pecking scabs can sometimes be confused with or look like Dry Fowl Pox, one tell tale sign would be Pox usually covers the comb and wattles while pecking wounds would be sporadic.

Favus is a fungal infection of the comb and looks like white powder or fungus on the comb. This is usually treated with antifungal cream (athlete's foot cream) and heals fairly well. Dry combs or combs that have had some type of injury can also be a little white when healing so distinguishing from those can be a little tricky, but Favus is usually a fairly thick "coating" where as, dry comb/injury would be thin and easily remedied with some vaseline, coconut oil, etc.

Ideally you should keep a new bird quarantined for at least 3 weeks so you can observe their health, then start the process of integration. Scaly Leg Mite can be transmitted to other birds and tapeworm could be too. So at least make sure you have a handle on both before you begin introducing her. The 3wk period also helps to see if she may have any other problems. Stress from moving to a new place could bring symptoms of illness to light to a waiting period is a good idea.

Here's more info on Fowl Pox with some good photos:
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2015/07/fowl-pox-prevention-treatment.html

There's a photo of Favus in this article:
http://www.merckvetmanual.com/exoti...-diseases-in-backyard-poultry?qt=favus&alt=sh

Info on quarantine and bio-security:
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2016/08/biosecurity-for-backyard-chickens.html
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/12/quarantine-of-backyard-chickens-why-and.html

 

[mf1sh]

Golden's new quarantine pen is pretty luxurious if I do say so myself!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Golden's new quarantine pen is pretty luxurious if I do say so myself!

Very Nice!

When it's time to start the integration process, if you are able to let your flock out - let them come to her. Sprinkle some scratch or goodies near her fence line (give her some too

). This will let them "interact" while keeping her safe from potential attacks. If you have a large flock, you may want to place one or two of your most docile ladies in there with her (supervised), so she can hopefully make a buddy or two before going to the main flock.

There are a lot of threads about integrating a single chicken. Take a look at those and pick out a tip or two that will suit your unique situation.

I hope everything goes well for you. She's a bright and cheery looking hen

 

[mf1sh]

@Wyorp Rock ,
My flock can see Golden in her quarantine pen and get close enough to touch her through the fence, if someone sticks their heads through. Unfortunately, there's already been some fussing on both sides of the fence! Everyone gets fluffed up and squawks aggressively. There has been some pecking and several girls have small wounds on their combs. I'm glad they are separated by a fence right now. I'm hoping by the time Golden's ready to come out, the girls will have accepted her into the flock and they won't fight. Will keep you posted!

Besides the SLM and tapeworm, Golden got a clean bill of health from the vet. Vet said it would be OK to have her outside as long as they are physically separated. The coop is 30+ feet away from Golden's quarantine pen so probability of transmittal of SLM is very, very low. I'm cleaning her pen daily so there's no poop piling up to prevent tapeworm transmittal.

Just curious, in regards to scale re-growth time, you said "The scales will most likely loosen and fall off in time. SLM can take a while to heal, so you will need to stay on top of it." Do you have an idea how long it'll take for them to fall off and regrow? Once the 3 week treatment period is over, there's no risk to the rest of my flock, even if her damaged scales are still attached, and fall off at a later date... right??? Please advise!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

@Wyorp Rock ,
My flock can see Golden in her quarantine pen and get close enough to touch her through the fence, if someone sticks their heads through. Unfortunately, there's already been some fussing on both sides of the fence! Everyone gets fluffed up and squawks aggressively. There has been some pecking and several girls have small wounds on their combs. I'm glad they are separated by a fence right now. I'm hoping by the time Golden's ready to come out, the girls will have accepted her into the flock and they won't fight. Will keep you posted!

Besides the SLM and tapeworm, Golden got a clean bill of health from the vet. Vet said it would be OK to have her outside as long as they are physically separated. The coop is 30+ feet away from Golden's quarantine pen so probability of transmittal of SLM is very, very low. I'm cleaning her pen daily so there's no poop piling up to prevent tapeworm transmittal.

Just curious, in regards to scale re-growth time, you said "The scales will most likely loosen and fall off in time. SLM can take a while to heal, so you will need to stay on top of it." Do you have an idea how long it'll take for them to fall off and regrow? Once the 3 week treatment period is over, there's no risk to the rest of my flock, even if her damaged scales are still attached, and fall off at a later date... right??? Please advise!

LOL there will be some fussing, so that's to be expected. Hopefully most of it will be just blustering and show.

I'm glad that the vet gave her a clean bill of health! Looking at your photos of the feet her scales look like they are loosing a bit. There's no way to know exactly when they will fall off, it depends on how fast the "new" scales and tissues underneath grow and heal. Keeping up with soaking once a week and applying ointment/oil will help promote healing and decrease inflammation. Since you treated with Ivermectin, then the risk of the mites spreading would be minimal at best. There's always a possibility, but it looks like the legs are pretty clear and just need time to heal.