scaley leg mites

[OHhappychicks]

I have a featherfooted bantam that I think has scaly leg mites. I found a picture of what it looked like on your website (only one I have found!). He has had trembling and weakness in legs and lose of balance for about 2 weeks. Other than these symptoms, he has been fine. He eats and pecks around, crows and chirps. He just doesn't run around like he used to. No one seemed to know what was wrong. I've been putting antibiotics and garlic oil in his water the last couple of days until I found this site this evening. I tried the vinegar and Murphys oil soap soak and applied vaseline tonite. His legs looked pretty raw on his upper shanks. Should I keep this treatment up or get the ivomec? Have I let it go to long? I have 17 hens and none of them have any lameness although I haven't checked all of their legs yet for signs of the mites. I plan on doing that tomorrow nite. Also does anyone have any suggestions for cleaning the coop without using harmful insecticides? I am so glad that I have found this site! This is the first year we have ever had chickens and they have been doing so well. Thanks for any help!! Its been very frustrating!!

 

[Guinea Goonie]

Next time you catch 'em. Look at the legs from feet to the shank where the feathers start.

Even if he has a raw area you can use WD-40. Just spray a liberal amount on and wait a few days. I usually spray a few times, but then stop for a long while. Do this in a very open, well ventillated area.

I also us "pine tar" instead of vasoline. The Vasoline is much to messy and the pine tar goes away pretty quickly.

You can not use the WD-40 after you have used the vasoline, but you can with the pine tar.

I have a little roo that had leg mites pretty bad when I found him. Now, he seems much better and his scales are actually getting renewed.

It is never too late to treat an infected chicken. Their legs may never really heal, but at least they will not get worse.

Use DE in your coop as soon as you can. The sevin stuff is questionable unless you use it directly on the birds.

Mites, lice and scalely leg mites are a part of chicken ownership.

Keep a eye out for these with freqeunt bird examinations.

I pick up one bird every morning and look them over. It takes but a few minutes and can save you from a major infestation.

 

[Glenda L Heywood]

one needs to clean where the mites live
basically the oil treatment is best as the oil smothers the mites and heals the sore legs

I would put olive oil on the whole leg and then stick the leg in seven 5% dust and it will heal the leg and sores

then you need to get the mites where they live
take a gallon can and put 1 pt of cooking oil and 1 pint of keroseen and paint the roost poles
and all the cracks in the wood of the building
especially the knot holes if any are in the wood
these areas are where the mites live and breed
when not sucking the blood out of the chicken an making sores on its legs
then I would clean out the beding and start fresh by putting
a good layer of sevin 5% on the bare floor now put the new bedding back in the building

this will get rid of the mites and any lice living in the building
always do this so you can leave a window cracked that night
so fumes will escape

 

[dlhunicorn]

apply a diluted ivermectin or ivomec Eprinex directed onto the affected areas after washing the affecting legs > I use an antibacterial solution for this and then "scrub" the areas with a paintbrush or soft toothbrush) and let airdry before apply the ivermectine or Eprinex.... let it soak in and then apply mineral oil (you can put it in a pot and just dip the leg in).... once should be enough if it is not too bad... if not, then repeat after 5 days.
Feather legged breeds are notoriously difficult to treat for scaly leg and this is the only truly effective method IMHO which works in a fairly short period of time.

 

[OHhappychicks]

to dlhunicorn, what type of ivermectin do I use and is it safe for the layers? How much do I use since it is not for use on chickens? Can it be mixed and dip the legs in it? I want to treat the rest of my flock before it hits them like it did him. Poor little guy!!!

I like the idea of the mineral oil. Tried the vaseline last nite and was a bit messy. I really appreciate the help I have received. We are new to this and it helps having someone to talk to. Glad i found this site

[We are from sw ohio, 3 children, 5 grandchildren

 

[koiman]

Look go to Wal Mart or any pet store. You can buy a mite and lice spray for cage birds. We have a spray bottle of it and it will work over night. Also clean your coops and spray with a insecticide. Let it dry and let your birds back in. We had one hen come down with mites. I used the spray I keep it for doves . The hen was normal the next morning.

 

[dlhunicorn]

.2% dilution (a vet has this for guineapigs, chinchillas and such ) > many have ivomec eprinex for worms at home > if you have never wormed I suggest you do so as weak birds (worms) are more susceptible to mite infestation). You will need to replace all bedding clean out your coops and treat with appropriate insecticide (ensure no food or water is near and keep your birds away while it is ventilating after) ... for the birds with minimal affected areas (often this will appear a a white powdery sheen or upraised scales) simply washing with the antiseptic and then dipping in the mineral oil daily for a couple weeks will be sufficient.

 

[Glenda L Heywood]

Here is the low down on Ivermectin and epernix
Ivermectin does take 10 days not eating the eggsepernix is no with drawel time

Here is some information on the use of Ivemectin Products. I just wanted to help you out a little here.
From Nathalie Ross a friend of mine

First, despite what people advise, any pour on
ivermectin product shouldn't be used in
water. It's designed to be weatherproof for cattle and soak into external skin. It also needs to be given in a precise dosage so that you're getting what you pay for.

Both Ivermectin pour on and Eprinex-
Ivomec pour on are used the same, tho some people use Eprinex at a higher dosage with sucess. Eprinex of course is the 0 withdrawal product by Ivomec.

If you go with Ivermectin injectable, you'll also need
to buy propylene glycol to use with the injectable. By the time you do this, you've spent the same amount of money as the pour on with what I feel isn't the same level of effectiveness honestly, but some
people have access to injectable and not pour on so
it's an option.

For the pour on Ivermectin (not Eprinex) the dosage I
use is as follows:
1 drop - OEGB sized small bantam female
2 drops - OEGB sized small bantam male
3 drops - average bantams
4 drops - large bantams, small commercial fowl
5 drops - most commercial fowl, small giant hens
6 drops - giant breeds of chicken

I always use a 3 cc syringe that I just fill to about 2 cc's with a 20 gauge needle. The needle WON'T be injected into the chicken, but does make it easier to dispense a controlled correct sized drop. It also is easier to get in there between the feathers.

For location, you'll want to find an easy to reach
spot with as little fluff as possible. I've had the
best luck with the back of the neck when I am by myself. I just pick up the chicken in my left
hand, ruffle around the feathers with my right hand until I find a nice clear spot, then rotate the syringe around to dispense the drops exactly on the skin.

If you hit the fluff, it will soak in before
you can do anything and will be wasted. That stuff soaks in like lightening (which I discovered to my horror when I accidently got about 1 cc of it on me from the bottle - I'm worm free now!)

While you have the bird up, look them over. This is a great opportunity to nip things in the bud! Take advantage of it.

Generally I like to recommend that first time wormers use Piperazine (Wazine being the most common brand) before using Ivermectin the first time. This is a common practice with most livestockmen and women.

You use a less effective, less broad spectrum wormer first just in case there's a high load of roundworms. If there is a high load of roundworms and they're all killed at once, you risk either impaction or the bird having a reaction to the foreign proteins that the dead/stunned worms become.

The best way in my opinion of doing this is to worm with Piperazine in the water first - full strength 24 hours, then instead of following up in 10 days with piperazine, use the Ivomec Ivermectin or better yet Ivomec eprinex (for 0 withdrawal time).

Using this program, I worm once a year. Once I have wormed with ivermectin, I don't use piperazine again unless I do a second worming during the year or have
reason to suspect they've encountered a heavy level of parasites. In fact, I worm once a year almost exclusively.
I use tramisol as my second wormer if I have to (which is rare for me, even her in parasite ridden Texas).

Some people like to use a daily preventative like DE
between wormings. Some confusion comes when people call DE (Diatomaceous Earth) a wormer; it's not. It's an aid to preventing small dosages of worms, the small batches that your birds will pick up daily. It's not good at killing larger batches of worms however.

BUT it's natural and, if you use the codex food grade DE, it's quite effective and can even be spread in the bedding and on the birds to help ward off mites and feather lice.

It won't hurt anything if the other animals pick it up, either. You just use it less than
2% in your feed, or in the free choice box for your usual oyster shell, etc.

I hope this has helped you to understand a little
about ivermectin and how to get the most out of it.
It's a super wormer and will do
right by you if you keep its proper use and design in mind!

Good luck with your flocks!
Nathalie Ross, Houston, TX

 

[dlhunicorn]

If you do not already have ivermectin or ivomec Eprinex then order here:
http://www.firststatevetsupply.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=23&products_id=192

(there are several "ivermectin" products > most under the brand name of IVOMEC < of which several are NOT suitable for poultry (dosage too high or not suitable for other reasons) > use the above product or ivomec EPRINEX (there are several posts on the dosage for the Eprinex which is applied as a "spot-on" to the skin) > I do not recommend the ingestion method but the absorption (spot-on)