Scaly body mites?

[oakhavenmama]

Hi, I am dealing with something strange. I would swear my hens’ scaly leg mites have spread to all over her body. I have been treating her with Ivermectin, last two doses two weeks apart in October. I have been battling scaly leg mites in my entire flock with some success.

Took her to the vet who thought it was fungal or bacterial infection on her skin. She has sour crop too. Not sure he is familiar with scaly leg mites.

Vet gave her clavamox in addition to the nystatin I had started her on.

I also dewormed with fenbendazole a couple of weeks ago. Mostly a preventive dose because some in flock had a bad case of capillaria worms.

I soaked her in Elector PSP solution last two days for her scaly leg mites. The more I look at the scabs in her body, the more it looks like scaly leg mite crud.

I want to give her more Ivermectin because the scabs are everywhere, but am afraid of over medicating her.

Searches here have turned up only a couple of similar cases and nothing definitive.

Anyone else ever dealt with something similar?

Would like to chronicle this so it might help someone down the road. Will update.

Thanks for any suggestions.

Hard to get good pics because she has dark skin. It’s basically scabs everywhere. One pic shows some of the scabs that came off.

 

[azygous]

This may be simply an excess of secreted sebum, sort of like dandruff on a human head. Or it could be the cutaneous form of Marek's. http://extension.msstate.edu/publications/marek’s-disease-backyard-chickens. I would try getting a bottle of Head and Shoulders shampoo and mixing up a soaking bath with it.

Ask your vet if they might be able to take a blood sample and send it in for a PCR test for Marek's.

 

[Eggcessive]

Oh my goodness, I hope it is not Marek's. But I will ask him to take a blood sample. Thank you.

Here is where you can contact for Mareks testing:
https://www.vetdna.com/application/forms/aviansubmittalform.pdf
If you should lose her eventually, your state vet lab may do a necropsy where they can do further testing. Here is a list of state vet labs:
https://www.metzerfarms.com/poultry-labs.html

 

[oakhavenmama]

Here is where you can contact for Mareks testing:
https://www.vetdna.com/application/forms/aviansubmittalform.pdf
If you should lose her eventually, your state vet lab may do a necropsy where they can do further testing. Here is a list of state vet labs:
https://www.metzerfarms.com/poultry-labs.html

OK, VetDNA has a kit that you order from their web site. Blood is collected by clipping a toenail a little farther up. Send sample off and lab will run test day it is received, with results that day. Pretty simple. 3 swabs and 3 tubes:$18.00. Thanks for the info.

 

[oakhavenmama]

OK, VetDNA has a kit that you order from their web site. Blood is collected by clipping a toenail a little farther up. Send sample off and lab will run test day it is received, with results that day. Pretty simple. 3 swabs and 3 tubes:$18.00. Thanks for the info.

Additional $20 per test per sample. Still less than vet doing blood draw.

 

[oakhavenmama]

This may be simply an excess of secreted sebum, sort of like dandruff on a human head. Or it could be the cutaneous form of Marek's. http://extension.msstate.edu/publications/marek’s-disease-backyard-chickens. I would try getting a bottle of Head and Shoulders shampoo and mixing up a soaking bath with it.

Ask your vet if they might be able to take a blood sample and send it in for a PCR test for Marek's.

Oh my goodness, I hope it is not Marek's. But I will ask him to take a blood sample. Thank you.

 

[Eggcessive]

Do I contact them myself or should my vet contact?

Also another hen is not well, lethargic. I looked up Mareks and saw that they can get it in their eyes? Her pupils are a lighter color. Does that mean she has Mareks?

Thank you!

The iris of the eye may turn gray, and the pupil can become irregular and small. Pictures of the eyes are welcome. You can ask your vet if they can send blood off to a lab for a pcr test Mareks, and in the meantime call and ask RAL about how to go about testing. Tell them you have a vet who may draw blood.

 

[Eggcessive]

The pupil looks dilated and large, and many chickens with blindness have dilated pupils to let more light in. The iris appears light colored. What does the other eye look like?

 

[Onyxflock]

Could it be a reaction to the recent treatments or combination of products? Like humans, could it be she's sensitive to one of them? Or affecting her natural immunity?

Like she said, maybe a good soak in dandruff shampoo to kill mites and topical application like Vetericyn to soothe and help it heal.
Right now I'm trying to treat scaly leg mites + they're ugly. But advice I got was all topical ointments like coating with Vaseline or Nustock. Plus I used Neosporin under those in case of infection. Seems better after a couple of days- but was not as bad as your poor girl.
Fingers crossed it's not that disease.

 

[oakhavenmama]

Here is where you can contact for Mareks testing:
https://www.vetdna.com/application/forms/aviansubmittalform.pdf
If you should lose her eventually, your state vet lab may do a necropsy where they can do further testing. Here is a list of state vet labs:
https://www.metzerfarms.com/poultry-labs.html

Do I contact them myself or should my vet contact?

Also another hen is not well, lethargic. I looked up Mareks and saw that they can get it in their eyes? Her pupils are a lighter color. Does that mean she has Mareks?

Thank you!