Scaly leg mites?

[BantamBre]

I just took in a chicken that someone needed to rehome because she lived in an apartment. I noticed the front of her legs looked slightly calloused? I wasn’t sure if this was due to being inside or if she has scaly leg mites?
Thank you

 

[debbier98]

Judging by the pic, it could be leg mites. I personally wouldn't take a chance. I would treat your new chicken, especially if you have other chickens-you wouldn't want to take the chance of infecting your flock. On a relatively minor infection I would dip her legs in coconut oil (or a similar oil) from her toes all the way up to her feathers, ensuring her legs are completely soaked. Do that every 2 to 3 days until her legs look smooth again (i.e. no more signs of scales). Leg mites in chickens can cause serious harm to the chicken, even causing her to go lame, if not treated.

 

[BantamBre]

Judging by the pic, it could be leg mites. I personally wouldn't take a chance. I would treat your new chicken, especially if you have other chickens-you wouldn't want to take the chance of infecting your flock. On a relatively minor infection I would dip her legs in coconut oil (or a similar oil) from her toes all the way up to her feathers, ensuring her legs are completely soaked. Do that every 2 to 3 days until her legs look smooth again (i.e. no more signs of scales). Leg mites in chickens can cause serious harm to the chicken, even causing her to go lame, if not treated.

Thank you, I wasn’t sure. I want to make sure to catch it in just the one, because I don’t want to have to treat the whole flock if it turned out to be. Do I need to be concerned about the spot in the yard she was pecking around at ? I had her in a fence to get her used to the area, thankfully my birds were up in their run.
I soaked her feet in warm water and rubbed castor oil all the way up her legs afterwards. Is castor oil good or should I also do the coconut too? And do they transfer from clothes at all?
Thank you

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I just took in a chicken that someone needed to rehome because she lived in an apartment. I noticed the front of her legs looked slightly calloused? I wasn’t sure if this was due to being inside or if she has scaly leg mites?
Thank you

I soaked her feet in warm water and rubbed castor oil all the way up her legs afterwards. Is castor oil good or should I also do the coconut too? And do they transfer from clothes at all?

Castor oil is very good to use for SLM.
Hard to tell if it's actually SLM or possible injury or even just coloration of her legs, the raised spots look almost identical to one another. Interesting.

You are planning on quarantining this hen correct?

Photos of all of her?

IF this hen has been indoors in an apartment all her life, then I'd slowly introduce her to grit (crushed granite) and give her a pan of dirt from your yard where your chickens roam or from their run (sifted) along with a bit of sand. This will hopefully introduce her to some of the pathogens that she will encounter once outside full time.
After about a week, I'd consider giving her a round of Corid.

 

[debbier98]

Thank you, I wasn’t sure. I want to make sure to catch it in just the one, because I don’t want to have to treat the whole flock if it turned out to be. Do I need to be concerned about the spot in the yard she was pecking around at ? I had her in a fence to get her used to the area, thankfully my birds were up in their run.
I soaked her feet in warm water and rubbed castor oil all the way up her legs afterwards. Is castor oil good or should I also do the coconut too? And do they transfer from clothes at all?
Thank you

Castor oil is fine. The use of oil is it suffocates the mites and they die. I wouldn't be to concerned about the area where she had been pecking. The usual rules apply, i.e. keeping chicken areas clean etc. For my flock, in their yard I usually once a day sprinkle a lite dusting of food grade of diatomaceous earth on the ground since they spend most of their day roaming around the property. Also, when I clean their coop in the morning, I dust their nesting boxes and roosting area. Your new member of the flock will be fine in a few days. Just remember to wash and cover her legs again in a day or two and continue that until her legs look smooth again.

 

[BantamBre]

Castor oil is very good to use for SLM.
Hard to tell if it's actually SLM or possible injury or even just coloration of her legs, the raised spots look almost identical to one another. Interesting.

You are planning on quarantining this hen correct?

Photos of all of her?

IF this hen has been indoors in an apartment all her life, then I'd slowly introduce her to grit (crushed granite) and give her a pan of dirt from your yard where your chickens roam or from their run (sifted) along with a bit of sand. This will hopefully introduce her to some of the pathogens that she will encounter once outside full time.
After about a week, I'd consider giving her a round of Corid.

I am currently quarantining her inside, because I don’t want to risk infecting the rest of my flock or having her go into shock with the freezing temps. Yesterday she had some outdoor time.
Thank you, I had asked what food she had been on, but the response was very vague, so I have her with a layer feed with scratch and grit. Should I offer the grit in a separate dish?
How long would you recommend quarantining?
I was thinking of treating with corid just in case. I also have been taking pictures of her fecal to track. To make sure I don’t introduce anything viral to the rest of my birds. Today we are getting snow, right now I have her in our basement. I want to try to help her acclimate to cooler temps, but right now it’s freezing so I figured the basement is the safer start.
Today her feet look less raised so I think the castor is helping. I will keep everyone posted on progress. I need to figure out how to trim her nails, because it looks like she’s never gotten to use them for digging they’re growing out kinda twisted.
She’s an extremely sweet hen, definitely used to being inside. I don’t know what the complete history is with her exposure outside, so I’m trying to err on the side of caution.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Thank you, I had asked what food she had been on, but the response was very vague, so I have her with a layer feed with scratch and grit. Should I offer the grit in a separate dish?
How long would you recommend quarantining?
I was thinking of treating with corid just in case.

Do provide the grit free choice in a separate dish.
I would also limit the amount of scratch, just offer it as a small treat and let her focus on eating the layer feed for the majority of her diet.

She's a Cutie!

For nails, I just use a pair of dog nail clippers. She has light colored nails, so if you take a strong light, you should be able to see where the quick it and avoid cutting too much. I usually just trim a little at a time.

I would want to introduce her to dirt/pathogens found on property before treating with Corid. So that's why I suggested a pan of dirt when possible. This is what I do with brooder raised chicks, give them dirt so they get introduced slowly to their environment. Once she's been exposed to the dirt for about 5-7 days, then you can give Corid. Make sense?

Ideally, quarantine should be 30 days. Some folks go with a 2 week observation period.
She could still carry something and be asymptomatic or she could pick something up from your existing flock, there's always a risk when bringing in new birds regardless of how long quarantine periods are.

And you're right, if she's been kept in an apartment, then going out to cold temps would be a shock and stress to her. Very wise of you to work on getting her acclimated to cooler temperatures.
I think she's a very lucky lady for you to have taken her in

 

[BantamBre]

To everyone, thank you for the advice. She is doing great now. I kept her quarantined for 2 weeks and kept castor oil on her legs and feet and now her legs look clean and clear. The coloring went away, so I am assuming those must have been injured scales. She just started laying (I’m assuming again because they are large eggs) a few weeks ago! She’s definitely a lap chicken, she comes up and pecks on my leg for attention. Thank you all for your help and advice!!!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Isn't she sweet!

I'm glad to hear things are going well!
Thank you for the update