Scaly leg mite woes

[casportpony]

Okay, here's a current picture of my rooster's feet. Sorry they're dirty. The ongoing vaseline treatment means that any time he digs in the dirt, it all sticks to him. Ugh.

I did notice tonight as I was massaging vaseling into his feet that bits of scales are falling off. That's a good sign, right?
'
Is castor oil better than vaseline? Should I switch?

I've never seen one with scaly mites that looks so inflamed and infected. Her is a close up for everyone:

I don't know, is all that pink skin normal?

 

[Beekissed]

I was planning to get the castor oil, but my husband bought me some giant vaseline tubs for it that I'm still using up... maybe that means I need to treat longer since it's just vaseline? I'll get some new pics.

If you've been using vaseline every day for 6 wks and it still hasn't done the job, logic would be to discontinue the use of it.

I'm just wingin' it here but.....not sure what all that proud flesh is on his feet but it doesn't look normal...a rooster can have reddened feet at this time of the year due to hormones, but the swollen flesh shouldn't be there. The scales still looked raised but I can't visualize any redness between the actual scales...it could be that the edematous flesh beside the scales is what is keeping the scales elevated.

Throw in the feather cyst you have to keep popping, it could be your rooster is suffering from scale mites AND a possible staph infection, or he just has a staph infection to begin with and never had scale mites at all, or he had a scale mite infestation so bad and for so long that it caused keloid type scarring in the affected areas. It's anyone's guess at this point.

I'd soak those feet in a warm, soapy water bath, removing all the Vaseline you can, apply a good coat of castor oil and just leave him be for awhile. If there were mites there, they should have been smothered long ago by that much Vaseline. Could be the castor oil will soothe his feet and take care of any infection going on there.

Time...could be CO and a little time is all that's needed now.

 

[ShrekDawg]

I think my chickens might have leg mites too, I bought some vaseline to use a while ago but only a small thing and never used it but now it seems like castor oil is better? I will have to buy some and start using it. But would you recommend the warm soapy bath to begin treatment for all chickens or just for OP to wash the vaseline off?

 

[Beekissed]

I think my chickens might have leg mites too, I bought some vaseline to use a while ago but only a small thing and never used it but now it seems like castor oil is better? I will have to buy some and start using it. But would you recommend the warm soapy bath to begin treatment for all chickens or just for OP to wash the vaseline off?

I was recommending it to the OP to get rid of the Vaseline. If your birds have a bad infestation that involves gross distortions of the scales and inflamed skin on the feet, I'd tell you to give them an warm epsom bath and a gentle scrub to remove old skin and mite debris from the scales before applying CO. If they just have a simple case of scale mites, it's not needed and you can just massage the CO upwards into the scales and see how they go along.

Yes, in my experience, castor oil far exceeds Vaseline for treating scale mite...it's quicker, often only takes one or two applications, shows a faster scale regrowth and shedding of the affected scales and can ease the pain and discomfort of it all, which Vaseline cannot do.

 

[ShrekDawg]

I was recommending it to the OP to get rid of the Vaseline.  If your birds have a bad infestation that involves gross distortions of the scales and inflamed skin on the feet, I'd tell you to give them an warm epsom bath and a gentle scrub to remove old skin and mite debris from the scales before applying CO.  If they just have a simple case of scale mites, it's not needed and you can just massage the CO upwards into the scales and see how they go along. 

Yes, in my experience, castor oil far exceeds Vaseline for treating scale mite...it's quicker, often only takes one or two applications, shows a faster scale regrowth and shedding of the affected scales and can ease the pain and discomfort of it all, which Vaseline cannot do. 

Ahhh okay. I don't think their scales are that bad but I'm not sure. One of them has it worse than the others I think. I can try to get pictures of their legs tomorrow or Friday. I'm glad the bath isn't necessary because I was worried how I was going to accomplish that haha

Wow I had no idea castor oil was so superior! I definitely want to use that instead then! And I'll save the Vaseline for my dry hands

 

[Amina]

Okay, here are new pictures of his feet. Ugh, I feel terrible that he's so messed up. The scales have really improved quite a bit... they are better colored, less raised, and a lot softer now. But they're still raised more than I think they should be. Like I said, I have tried to treat this multiple times before, and have failed.

As for the redness, I agree it doesn't look normal... but you'll see from the pics that he's got the redness on both feet, not just the foot with the feather cyst, so it seems like if it were from the cyst, it should just be one foot. I've got a son of this guy that doesn't have mites (or at least not enough to show any symptoms on his scales), and his feet are just as red, though they are not puffy like his dad's feet. I really don't know what to make of it.

 

[Beekissed]

Ahhh okay. I don't think their scales are that bad but I'm not sure. One of them has it worse than the others I think. I can try to get pictures of their legs tomorrow or Friday. I'm glad the bath isn't necessary because I was worried how I was going to accomplish that haha

Wow I had no idea castor oil was so superior! I definitely want to use that instead then! And I'll save the Vaseline for my dry hands

Soaking and scrubbing a chicken's legs is easy peasy. Just have your water prepared in a small basin, ease the chicken down into it...most of the time they will like it and sit still for you, but if not, just keep them low in it so they can't get a foot over the edge and tip the basin. Once they've soaked a bit, just lay them on their back or side on a towel, wrap them up like a burrito, leaving the feet hanging out. Then just use a cuticle brush and gently scrub the scurf from the scales and feet. They will stay more calm with this if you cover their heads with the towel so they can't see.

 

[Amina]

Any tips on bathing chickens that tend to projectile poop over and over in the water (or any other time that they're unhappy with you)?

 

[casportpony]

Any tips on bathing chickens that tend to projectile poop over and over in the water (or any other time that they're unhappy with you)?

Wear clothes you don't care about and keep their tail pointed away from you?

 

[Beekissed]

Okay, here are new pictures of his feet. Ugh, I feel terrible that he's so messed up. The scales have really improved quite a bit... they are better colored, less raised, and a lot softer now. But they're still raised more than I think they should be. Like I said, I have tried to treat this multiple times before, and have failed.

As for the redness, I agree it doesn't look normal... but you'll see from the pics that he's got the redness on both feet, not just the foot with the feather cyst, so it seems like if it were from the cyst, it should just be one foot. I've got a son of this guy that doesn't have mites (or at least not enough to show any symptoms on his scales), and his feet are just as red, though they are not puffy like his dad's feet. I really don't know what to make of it.

His scales don't look that bad at all and the swollen flesh could just be from having his feet covered in Vaseline every day for 6 wks...we'll probably never know. I'd just soak him, scrub that Vaseline off so the CO has good contact, apply a good coat and just leave him be for awhile. The CO may actually make those look more red for the first few days as it tends to bring more blood to the area initially. Give him a good month on just the one application of CO and check back on him....it's worth a shot to see if it helps reduce that swelling.