How long should you treat for scaly leg? And how long of treatment before it's safe to say it's no longer contagious? These are the only questions I can't seem to find decent answers to.
I would treat scaly leg every few days for at least two weeks. Make sure you also treat the coop by first removing all of the old bedding. Then, spray the coop with a mite/lice spray or dust it with Sevin or another poultry dust. Pay special attention to crevices and the roosts, which is where mites like to hide. I would assume there are still mites living on the leg (meaning the bird is still "contagious") until the two week treatment period is over.
Scaly leg mites can take up to eight weeks to eradicate...first treatment should be to soak the legs of ALL chickens for 15-20 minutes in a warm water and betadine solution and gently use a brush to remove as much of the deposits from the mites as you can...I use a soft toothbrush in an upward direction to ease the yellow deposits from their legs...I use kitchen towel to part dry the legs and then slather vaseline on the legs in an upward direction to ensure I suffocate any existing leg mites...I always go up to where the feathers start on the legs...repeat after two - three days and continue until you are satisfied that they are all dead....new scales will appear and I keep using the vaseline until all traces are gone... I treat the coop with permethryn and change bedding every day...it is a long haul but worth it to see my flock healthy...bear in mind that scaly leg mites can also affect the head area of chickens...I put vaseline on their combs and above the eye areas too Hope this is of some help to you!
X2 on the advice by the above posters. I'll add that you can use mineral or vegetable oil instead of/in combination with the vaseline. There is also a product called Scaly Leg Poultry Protector that is used to treat scaly leg mites. Here is a link to it: http://www.mypetchicken.com/catalog/Chicken-Health/Scaly-Leg-Protector-16-oz-p1134.aspx
Thanks everybody. Fortunately I don't have to do the coop 'cuz it's the new rooster I just adopted yesterday and he's in quarantine, far far away from my girls. Yes I knew he had it, but his personality/disposition is out of this world. They already started the vaseline, today I did it mixed with poultry dust. I'll give him the soak and brushing tonight. He has feathered feet, should I trim those away while we're battling this? He also has one of those metal bands, guess I'll need a Qtip to be sure under there gets it's treatment too.
You should not need to trim the feathers on his feet...a good soak and vaseline will cover the feathers too..it is the scales on his legs that the mites affect... Good luck..and wear old clothing as the vaseline gets everywhere....