Scaly leg mite?

[RebelEgger]

Hey guys I have noticed the scales on my roosters feet like this for a while now, it does not appear to be getting worse, it’s the exact same as when I first noticed it (I apologize I do not remember an exact timeline) and tonight I noticed one of my hens look similar. She has feathered feet so I didn’t notice until today what her feet really look like, and she’s not a fan of being held. She also has crooked toes as you can see.
is this normal looking or am I dealing with a problem? Would they itch at the area if they had mites?

Gwynnie (rooster)

Roberta (hen)

 

[MadamPoofyBrow]

They don’t look terrible, but it could be the beginnings. I’ve only dealt with scaly leg mites on rescues who already had them really bad, so I’m not sure what the beginning looks like.
However, you can smother their legs in Vaseline. This will suffocate the mites if they’re there, and will not hurt the chicken if they’re not. Can’t hurt to be on the safe side.

 

[RebelEgger]

Thanks @MadamPoofyBrow. How many times a day and for how many days should this be done? I’ll even treat the other 2 I don’t notice it on.
I’ve read to clean out the bedding too? And scrub the roost I am assuming. What about their run? I have started DLM in there, it’s a mixture of the old bedding from their coop and I’ve recently began to rake in leaves which they love.

 

[BDutch]

You can treat the the legs after they roost. After sunset they are easy to pick up to take care of the leg mite (small spiders)

 

[MadamPoofyBrow]

Thanks @MadamPoofyBrow. How many times a day and for how many days should this be done? I’ll even treat the other 2 I don’t notice it on.
I’ve read to clean out the bedding too? And scrub the roost I am assuming. What about their run? I have started DLM in there, it’s a mixture of the old bedding from their coop and I’ve recently began to rake in leaves which they love.

I treated them twice a day for a couple weeks, but that was probably overkill. And yes, the coop does need to be cleaned. What kind of coop do you have? I has the option of moving mine to an entirely different coop, so I’m not sure the best way to make sure there are no mites left behind. Hoping someone will chime in.

 

[RebelEgger]

You can treat the the legs after they roost. After sunset they are easy to pick up to take care of the leg mite (small spiders)

If my chickens are infested with spiders (even small ones) I’m going to have to cut them loose. For the sake of their overall well being, let’s just call them mites lol

 

[RebelEgger]

I treated them twice a day for a couple weeks, but that was probably overkill. And yes, the coop does need to be cleaned. What kind of coop do you have? I has the option of moving mine to an entirely different coop, so I’m not sure the best way to make sure there are no mites left behind. Hoping someone will chime in.

We have a small elevated coop.

We are new to chickens as of May, so we don’t have other options for them right now. Is there anything I should spray in the coop?

 

[BDutch]

Whatever you like. Just treat the chickens legs with vaseline to get of them. Once a day should be fine as far as I know.

 

[RebelEgger]

Thanks @BDutch! Do you have any advice on cleaning the coop/run? Do I need to shovel out all the litter in their run as well?

 

[MadamPoofyBrow]

We have a small elevated coop.
View attachment 2378146
We are new to chickens as of May, so we don’t have other options for them right now. Is there anything I should spray in the coop?

I’ve read that you can use a mixture of water, cooking oil, and dish soap to spray the coop.