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

[One Chick Two]

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He looks great now! Great job!!!

Did you remove those spurs to give him a little more mobility? They say you can place a piece of potato on the spurs for a day(can't imagine a bird that would leave it on) and then just twist them off with the pliers. Sounds gruesome but I think I'd think about it if my bird's spurs were that large in proportion to his body. Some folks just soak them in warm oil prior to removal, so your bird would already be used to the oil treatment.

They will grow back.

Thanks Beekissed! It was a long process. Great spur removal suggestion.

Yes, we had cut them back awhile ago, to about 1/4" long. We didn't completely remove the spurs as we have a (supervised) freeranging flock (there are sometimes stragglers) and even so, on occasion, there can be sudden or lurking predators.

If we had completely removed the spurs from a different roo of ours, he might not have been able to fight back so well during a sudden vicious raven attack the day before Xmas eve. (I saw him fighting from out a window.) Our boy lost an eye, but if he hadn't fought so well, and I hadn't then run outside and scared it away, he was only moments from being gone. Am very grateful it was only this bad. In a completely covered/caged/ or 100 percent secure situation I would definitely want spurs fully removed.

 

[Beekissed]

Did they bleed? I tried trimming a roo's spurs just a little but couldn't go far before hitting the quick and causing bleeding. My finger nails wanted to crawl inside my fingers when I saw that....I always feel that way when trimming the dog's nails too.

I've never tried the total spur removal for just that reason....I cringe when I think about the twisting, gristly sound of taking off that thing and I know folks say it doesn't hurt, but I've had enough nails ripped off to think otherwise. OUCH. Raw nerves exposed...ick.

 

[One Chick Two]

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Did they bleed? I tried trimming a roo's spurs just a little but couldn't go far before hitting the quick and causing bleeding. My finger nails wanted to crawl inside my fingers when I saw that....I always feel that way when trimming the dog's nails too.

I've never tried the total spur removal for just that reason....I cringe when I think about the twisting, gristly sound of taking off that thing and I know folks say it doesn't hurt, but I've had enough nails ripped off to think otherwise. OUCH. Raw nerves exposed...ick.

Agreed!
That's why we put off trimming for so long- possible pain, so we wanted his legs pretty stable before causing him any more grief on his poor legs. He used to tremble when I would gently rub the oil in his feet and toes, but he was a trooper and tolerated everything without a peep or kicking away the goop. This was a roo with an unknown disposition at the time. He could've made such an oily mess if he'd only realized it. lol

One of the spurs was about 1" and seemed normal, but the other spur was perhaps up to 1/2" longer, but curved oddly outward, which made it look even longer than it actually was in length. DH did the spur trim. Surprisingly, he said there was no blood at all, and the clipping didn't seem to bother him, whatsoever. So this ended much better than anticipated. He must've just passed the quick, luckily. That outward spur especially will always have to be watched I think. I'm planning to do small trims more often rather than large trims less often to lessen the chance of injury.

If you ever do clip, just make sure to have some type of clotting substance, just in case.

 

[Summer98]

Thanks for sharing the pictures. What a cute little guy.

 

[One Chick Two]

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Thanks for sharing the pictures. What a cute little guy.

Thanks Summer98!

 

[Yooper Hens]

I've read through all the "Scaly Leg Mites" posts, think half of our hens visibly have them, and wonder if anyone has a preferred solution when the temps are frigid (0 degrees F to -25 degrees F). My preference is to try neem oil or castor oil with some tea tree oil because the legs can be dipped but maybe a petroleum jelly works better in the cold?? I'm ignorant on this, we're on a learning curve, and my 10 year old son has rescued this hens. I like the idea of dipping the legs so that the neem or tea tree gets on the roost a bit. The temps limit how thoroughly we can clean the coop without creating an ice palace, so we're planning to change the bedding and use diatomaceous earth more heavily than we have thus far. Thanks for any cold weather scaly leg mites tips!

 

[Fancychooklady]

Agreed!
That's why we put off trimming for so long- possible pain, so we wanted his legs pretty stable before causing him any more grief on his poor legs. He used to tremble when I would gently rub the oil in his feet and toes, but he was a trooper and tolerated everything without a peep or kicking away the goop. This was a roo with an unknown disposition at the time. He could've made such an oily mess if he'd only realized it. lol

One of the spurs was about 1" and seemed normal, but the other spur was perhaps up to 1/2" longer, but curved oddly outward, which made it look even longer than it actually was in length. DH did the spur trim. Surprisingly, he said there was no blood at all, and the clipping didn't seem to bother him, whatsoever. So this ended much better than anticipated. He must've just passed the quick, luckily. That outward spur especially will always have to be watched I think. I'm planning to do small trims more often rather than large trims less often to lessen the chance of injury.

If you ever do clip, just make sure to have some type of clotting substance, just in case.

Cayenne pepper will clot blood. I keep a bag of it in my first aid kit.

 

[cookinrana]

I just wanted to let you all know that I appreciate your wisdom and to thank you for sharing your experiences. One of my hens (the tops of her feet looked like she'd stepped in wet concrete and then it had dried) was limping around before I even realized what was amiss! She's a little skittish so catching her to take a look was difficult.
I've soaked her feet, dipped them in vegetable oil and applied a thick coat of Bag Balm two days in a row.....already there's a HUGE improvement!! Best of all, she's walking more comfortably. When I soaked her feet tonight and gently brushed them with a vegetable brush I was amazed at all the stuff that had flaked away! GROSS!
Anyway, I just wanted to thank you all for the support and advice...It feels great to be able to provide good care for my girls.

 

[LPCT]

We have these also... the Vaseline will probably work, I use vegetable oil, dip their legs in it for 3-4 days, once a day. or until it improves. act now because it will kill them. I am hesitant on using any chemicals. like wd-40.

 

[paulina16]

WD40 safe for chickens feet???? My girl has scaly leg mites. I want to try it but doesn't seem safe