Scaly Leg Mites or another problem? photo heavy

[BlueMoon]

We took in two hens that needed a new home - the owner is moving. They're some sort of buff feather footed bantam, a mother and daughter. We added them Tuesday night, into a small pen with a few other chickens with the intention of letting them meet the rest in a few days (78 here).

I noticed Thursday morning they weren't moving much and wasn't sure if they were terrified or sliding too much to move comfortably. On a closer look, I saw the longest toenails ever - spirals. I clipped them back, but am concerned these girls may have scaly leg mites.
Either new toe nails are coming in on top of the old ones or maybe this is a breed problem.

What do you think?

 

[AtRendeAcres]

WOW


I have never seen anything like that!

I have read in one of my chicken books to rub tea tree oil on legs for mites.

Hope someone else with more knowledge comes along for you.

 

[JenniferJoIN]

Wow... I've never seen anything like that either! It sounds like you're giving them a better home than they had before!

 

[speckledhen]

For scaly leg mites, which I believe they have, get some olive oil or mineral oil, add several drops of tea tree oil to that and basically dip their legs in it. You may have to do it several times over a period of a couple of weeks since those seem pretty bad. That will smother the mites. The scales, however, won't automatically go back down afterward.

 

[BlueMoon]

Oh wow, how contagious are these? Should I do anything to protect the one chickens they've been with for the past three days?

Thanks!

Also, that toenail is against my finger, about 1 1/4" long!

 

[Blisschick]

They are contagious, but not highly. I would go ahead and use Vaseline on the legs of the girls they were in with just as a precaution, but keep them separated from the others. I use Vaseline for mine. For a bad infestation, I'll get a nail brush and scrub their legs with soap and water to remove any dirt, poo, etc. Then I dry then and liberally apply it from the tops of their legs to the tips of their toes. I make sure every scale has it under it and pay special attention to the toenails. About every 2 or 3 days, I'll repeat the procedure. This helps remove the old scales and skin that have built up from the infection and exposes the mites that have dug in. Don't be surprised if a few scales come off in the process.

I got a buff polish roo a few months ago that had leg mites so bad, he had big patches of plaque-looking stuff on his legs. We're down to healthy skin now and his scales are finally growing back, but he's still got issues. He lost both 1st toes because of them.

 

[BlueMoon]

I've given the girls a bath and put warmed Bag Balm on their poor feet. I've spent the morning looking at images of scaly leg mites and these are worse than anything I've yet to find.

Also, after I clipped their nails back, my DH clipped back some more. So, three toes are bleeding.

These girls don't move. I want to keep them inside, to monitor and keep putting on the antidotes, but they are terrified of cats and probably the dogs too. I'm putting the ointments all over their feet and legs - hard with all of the feathers. Would it be a bad idea to clip back the feet feathers until this is under control?

They're tiny, but they also don't eat much and i don't think I've seen either drink. Just moved the cats wet food over to them, an apple too, and no interest at all. Also, their pupils are more dilated than I expected.

I don't blame the last owner, I just don't think she noticed their feet.

But I should have known better than to add these two in so quickly.

 

[Blisschick]

They sound terrified of their new surroundings. Give them a day or two to adjust and calm down. They should be fine.

 

[sammi]

unbelievable pictures.
poor things.
sadly, I have seen worse pictures of bad legs.
but haven't seen nails that long.

they have most likely have a hard time walking for some time. it might take some time and, patience and encouragement to get them to walk and move around.

they are stressed out from the new home and your necessary treatment and handling.
it might be a good idea to have them somewhere quiet and private for a few days till they get use to things.
they might eat and drink if they are to themselves.

you could also entice them to eat by adding a little warm milk or water to feed with some cooked chopped egg. not soupy..just moistened to puff the feed.
a little extra protein wouldn't hurt (egg and/or a small amount of canned beef cat food or dry kitten feed).
and some vitamins to help deal with stress.
sometimes a little chopped tomato in the feed will catch their attention.

the others have given you suggestions about oiling the legs, etc.
another product is VetRX.
the bag balm is a good product.

they should also be treated for mites.

you can stop any bleeding from the cut-too-short nails by dabbing with sugar or plain flour.
this might be a situation where the nails will have to be done gradually over time.
cement stepping stones in the pen gives them a place to groom their nails.

good luck with them.

 

[GloriaH]

I have found that if you warm the vaseline so it melts and use a paint brush it goes on pretty easy. Make sure it's not hot just warm. Brush against the scales. My girls seed to like the warmth of it and when it cools it's all under the scales. You can add any meds to it after it melts.