red chapped looking feet

[newchicks]

One of my hens has red chapped looking feet and legs. It started last week and while I was gone over the weekend it crept up her legs. What could it be and how can I help her?

 

[mypicklebird]

A photo would be helpful. If your weather is cold or wet- you could be looking at weather exposure- doing your best to provide a dry and warm place to perch & get out of the weather is good. Scaly leg mite will make the scales flaky and lifted & sometimes reddish skin, and later on the whole leg looks thick. Feather footed breeds always have somewhat irritated looking skin around their foot feathers. Roosters get reddish feet and shanks as they mature... breed, age? Others ok? What does the set up look like? Any wounds or blood?

 

[newchicks]

She is a two yr. old Rhode Island Red. I only have 2 hens. They have a whole horse stall, with hay and straw for their laying boxes. Fresh pine shavings just 2 weeks ago. I'm in Kansas so it's been unusualy chilly and damp, but the have a luxury coop which is always clean and dry. They have 2 roosts one is wooden the other is a metal cattle panel, covered in carpet. Their enviroment has been the same since they came. They were probably 4 month old orphans, so I have no other history. The other hen is fine... I forgot, about 3 weeks ago someone thought they were being cute and they put a rooster in the barn with the girls, I had no idea where he came from and no one admitted to it. Could he have brought something with him. He ended up in a friends soup pot!

 

[redhen]

I would try to smother her legs with vaseline..
it wont hurt the dry skin..
AND if its leg mites it will smother and kill them also. (i think..)

 

[newchicks]

Thanks, that's along what I was thinking too. Do you think they hurt her? I just wish I know why it happened, they're such happy girls, and their free range and wander all over, come to the back door for treats etc. Maybe a grass or weed from the pasture has irritated her? Again thank you

 

[tinyfeet]

Did the vaseline help? My Rhode Island Red hen has the same issue. Just noticed it today.

 

[Eggcessive]

Did the vaseline help?  My Rhode Island Red hen has the same issue.  Just noticed it today.

Welcome to BYC. Can you post a picture of the legs, and give a little more jnformation? What type of weather and coop conditions have you been having?

 

[maryamkhan1]

My roosters having a similar problem. It started off with one red patch on his right leg around a week ago. He now has three four red areas on each leg and very dry skin on his legs. The leg scales themselves are not raised or lifted and feel smooth but have little dry flakes. He's otherwise healthy and very active behaving normally eating crowing mating and running around, does not seem to be having any pain. Does not mind when I touch or rub his legs on the red areas. I've been applying oil and Vaseline on his legs but it does not seem to be helping- the redness has increased and so has the dryness. Any idea what this could be? Did not look like scaly leg mites from all the pictures I looked at but I'm unsure. The hen with him has normal looking legs. I keep their area as dry as possible. There has been no rain it is very sunny and hot. There is no feather loss, no mites or lice on his body, comb and wattles are red. No blood or raw skin or open wounds. No other symptoms.
Please help I don't know what could be causing this and why it's increasing and don't want him to be feeling any pain