Scaly Leg Mites - Need Best / Easiest / Quickest Solution - Scaley

[Fancychooklady]

Hey CickyNambia, greetings from oz. depending on the breed of your hens, it is common to see slate/ grey legs. My silver sussex have slate coloured legs.

 

[ChickyNamibia]

Hi Fancycooklady, thanks for that. I was getting worried. They are all dwarf chicken but seems they are from different breeds. I mut ask you something away from the chicken though. We intend coming to oz next year and have not really got a plan what is worth seeing. I am very much into mystical things, nature and animals. So the abos is a must but I would prefer to meet them away from the tourist attractions centre in thier real invironment. Can you give us any tips what is worth seeing. I know we can nt do all in one trip but I do not know if we will be able to do the trip twice, it is hell of expensive to travel from Namibia to other countries since our currency is very week, so what would you suggest is the most must see things. Have a lovely weekend

 

[RoseMarie1]

It takes a good while for scale mites to do that level of damage, so I'm wondering how often you look at the bird's feet? I've noticed others with the same level of damage on this thread and it always begs the question~how in the world did they get that bad before someone noticed?

I know...not constructive, but in a way it is....good husbandry includes checking your flock appearance frequently, even down to the toes. That doesn't mean you have to handle them all the time, a good glance can see something like this from several yards distance.

For feet like that I'd soak, scrub lightly but I'd not be prying off any of that scale until it has been treated and they start to naturally slough off as new and healthy scales grow in underneath. If you can't afford NuStock or do not have a source, castor oil can be found at any drug store and even at Dollar General and is a great and effective scale mite treatment. It's all natural, the correct viscosity to penetrate scale layers, is a great emollient and it has a dual action of smothering the mites and preventing further infestation. It will soften those scales and promote healthy regrowth of the new scales.

I'm very impressed with castor oil for scale mite treatment. For your bird, I'd soak, scrub lightly and gently, treat and wait. In a couple of weeks I'd repeat this and you may get to remove old scales that are lifting and falling off at that time.

Bee, yep it's me again....I always check my chicks when they are on the roost at night, I check their eyes and their feet. Only thing I don't really know what to look for except the scales on their feet and legs being lifted up. How can one catch it BEFORE it gets to that point? Can you say, once a month just put the castor oil on their feet and legs just for precaution sake or not do that? I also need to figure out the best time to check them in their feathers to? And WHERE to look in their feathers?

 

[Beekissed]

Bee, yep it's me again....I always check my chicks when they are on the roost at night, I check their eyes and their feet. Only thing I don't really know what to look for except the scales on their feet and legs being lifted up. How can one catch it BEFORE it gets to that point? Can you say, once a month just put the castor oil on their feet and legs just for precaution sake or not do that? I also need to figure out the best time to check them in their feathers to? And WHERE to look in their feathers?

That castor oil is some whamdoozle stuff that lasts a long time. I'd say once every 4-6 mo. is all you'd need. It simply lasts and lasts and their feet and legs never looked better...supple and bright colors. That way you won't have to worry about getting scale mites at all.

The place I've seen the mites and lice the most are right around the vent...the skin there is where you will see them. And also the eggs seem to be deposited in the feathering there also. In your climate, you probably have a greater problem with parasitic bugs so you might want to dust your birds with Pyrethrin powder at the first sign of any bugs on the birds. Until then, you might place a little of the dust in your nest boxes and on your roosts as a preventative measure. I wouldn't put it on the birds unless you have to. I always say don't fix it if it isn't broken! I wouldn't place any of the Pyrethrin in the litter if you can help it.

Don't confuse Pyrethrin with Permethrin, which is a synthetic chemical compound insecticide that does not have all natural ingredients and does not have quite the same properties as the pyrethrin.


Quote:
The United States Department of Agriculture, as of 1972, has stated that synergized pyrethrum is "probably the safest of all insecticides for use in a food plant" [11] and that " a pyrethrum formulation is approved for use around foodstuffs."[citation needed] All pyrethrins are easily hydrolyzed and degraded by stomach acids in mammals, so toxicity following ingestion by pets is very low. However, pyrethrins are dangerous for cats and fish. Toxicity is usually associated with applying much more of the product than directed.

 

[RoseMarie1]

That castor oil is some whamdoozle stuff that lasts a long time. I'd say once every 4-6 mo. is all you'd need. It simply lasts and lasts and their feet and legs never looked better...supple and bright colors. That way you won't have to worry about getting scale mites at all.

The place I've seen the mites and lice the most are right around the vent...the skin there is where you will see them. And also the eggs seem to be deposited in the feathering there also. In your climate, you probably have a greater problem with parasitic bugs so you might want to dust your birds with Pyrethrin powder at the first sign of any bugs on the birds. Until then, you might place a little of the dust in your nest boxes and on your roosts as a preventative measure. I wouldn't put it on the birds unless you have to. I always say don't fix it if it isn't broken! I wouldn't place any of the Pyrethrin in the litter if you can help it.

Don't confuse Pyrethrin with Permethrin, which is a synthetic chemical compound insecticide that does not have all natural ingredients and does not have quite the same properties as the pyrethrin.

OK thanx! I will have to do them a dusting box inside their pen because we do have 3 cats and 2 of them are very old. So I'll need to get that done shortly on the castor oil because they free range and we have lots of wild birds around here!

 

[Beekissed]

Here's a few pics of Toby's feet this week....5 mo. after initial castor oil treatment. All feet treated with the castor oil show increased healthy shine, suppleness and smoothness for my flock. I think this scale mite thing is finally licked for this old flock.

 

[RoseMarie1]

Here's a few pics of Toby's feet this week....5 mo. after initial castor oil treatment. All feet treated with the castor oil show increased healthy shine, suppleness and smoothness for my flock. I think this scale mite thing is finally licked for this old flock.

nice looking legs there dude!

 

[ChickyNamibia]

Hi guys,

the feet of my chicks got better but there are still some spots on the leg that does not want to get better. Any idea what else I can do. The spore grows into a big lump not like the one of your Toby sweety. I must say the rest of the legs are smooth and well and I am still busy treating them twice a week in order to get the scales away on those spots on the leg. Other than that I will start treating my babies once they have feathers and go roaming in the fruit orchard so that I prevent them getting scales right from the start. At this moment I am more concerned to get my Tweety raised but it seems he is doing fine just lonely because he is alone with me. All his mates are with the mother but I am waiting for good weather to put him in the pen in his own little cage to protect him from attacks. Hold thumbs that it will work soon since he is really lonesome

 

[Beekissed]

Can you post a pic of his before and after scales and tell us how long it's been since the initial treatment and what you've done and how often? It's good to have a visual...

 

[ChickyNamibia]

I'll try and get his feet infront of the camera. Since he is not as tame as my chicks I'll see what I can do. I had pictures of before in the thread already. Since I have started I bath their feet in warm soap water twice a week and brush it lightly with an old toothbrush and afterwards dip it into clear water, dry and than dip into castor oil. Let's see what I can do about the pics