Scaly leg mites or...?

JacksonPearce

Songster
6 Years
Aug 17, 2016
298
249
171
We constantly have problems with scaly leg mites, and I’ve got a number of chickens whose feet are mainly scar tissue as a result. We treat as best we can, but yesterday one of my Spitzhaubens had these dark marks on her feet. It looks like blood from dryness/mites, but it wouldn’t wash off (and I didn’t want to scrub and risk removing a scab). I cleaned, sprayed with antiseptic, and slathered in Vaseline, but does anyone think this could be something different? If so, any better remedy?

For what it’s worth, we’ve tried every scaly leg mite cure in the books and have had little success— one hen I even scrubbed and Vaseline-d daily for a month. I think that for the most part, the mites themselves are dead, it’s just that the scales are permanently disfigured. 😔
 

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It looks to me that there are no scales on her legs where the dark areas are. I would guess they've fallen off and the tender new scales underneath got damaged as well, possibly by all the constant scrubbing and moisturizing. After scaly leg mites are gone, it takes a while for the old scales to shed and be replaced by new ones. In the meantime, it can be easy to assume the mites are still there.

I don't know all the things you tried. I've only used elector PSP. I used it once and then waited for the old scales to shed. It took many weeks, even up to a couple of months. I would give your girls a break from treatment. Assuming you also cleaned their roots, coop and boxes, my guess is the mites are long gone.
 

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