Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[Shadrach]

Thanks. So no ivermectin needed? Slather Vaseline after treatment? What does debride mean? Just rub? Would you suggest just spraying at first? Clean out the shavings in the coop and spray the coop roosts and corners as well? Anything to do to the run? I’ve quickly looked at the other birds, and don’t see anyone with scales like this.

I would start off with Janiedoe's suggestion bearing in mind the fragility of raised scales.
I'm reluctant to use ivermectin although I have for really stubborn cases. The problem with ivermectin is the mite has to bite/feed to ingest the drug. I much prefer to kill the mites without them feeding any more. It's the biting that irritates the chicken and the raising of the scales. If one can kill the mites without any further bites that's a result in my book.
Of course, if one is trying to treat a lot of chickens then using vasline/oil/spraying or applying permethrin takes a lot of time and gets seriously messy. although they all work.
What you do need to be aware of is the scales don't lie flat again after treatment. The chicken has to shed the scales and regrow new ones before the leg looks normal again.
Also, it seems that some chickens are much more prone to scaly leg mite than others and should you have a chicken that is prone to this mite then treatment is an ongoing affair, even with ivermectin.

 

[Iluveggers]

I would start off with Janiedoe's suggestion bearing in mind the fragility of raised scales.
I'm reluctant to use ivermectin although I have for really stubborn cases. The problem with ivermectin is the mite has to bite/feed to ingest the drug. I much prefer to kill the mites without them feeding any more. It's the biting that irritates the chicken and the raising of the scales. If one can kill the mites without any further bites that's a result in my book.
Of course, if one is trying to treat a lot of chickens then using vasline/oil/spraying or applying permethrin takes a lot of time and gets seriously messy. although they all work.
What you do need to be aware of is the scales don't lie flat again after treatment. The chicken has to shed the scales and regrow new ones before the leg looks normal again.
Also, it seems that some chickens are much more prone to scaly leg mite than others and should you have a chicken that is prone to this mite then treatment is an ongoing affair, even with ivermectin.

This is great, thank you. I’ll try gently brushing her, and then spray her legs and the coop after emptying it’s contents. Should I spray all birds legs as a precaution? I’m sorry to clog up the thread, this is such an informative place to be, so I hope someone reading through finds this helpful as well. I’ll pay my tax later after picking up treatment supplies.

 

[Shadrach]

I'm in love with the bald little naked neck. She reminds me of the punk legend Wendy O Williams. In Ecuador we call them "cariokas." It's a Kichwa word. I have a 4 year old named Cleo, she's my top girl. What is little baldy's name?

View attachment 3478062
Cleo^

I wish Lima was a naked neck but unfortunately she is an Ex Battery Red Sex Link with problems. The back of her head is bare because Henry really like her and when mating he pulls her head feathers out. An added problem is Lima really likes Henry and unlike the other hens, she doesn't tell him no often enough. Henry is quite happy to accept no as an answer to his advances and I've told Lima numerous times to say no and dodge him.

On the face of it one might consider my resistance to seperating her, or him, as poor husbandry but the fact is, the seperation would send Lima into immediate stress and given her heritage, stress is the one thing that is likely to decrease her already short expected life span.
Recently she has been saying no more but she's a happy little hen, super fit, alert and interested in everything around her and as long as there are no wounds as such, she is much better off with her friends than she would be isolated for the length of time it would take for her feathers to regrow.
The probability is she will die this year. She has I suspect Salpingitis which is common in battery hens and she is three years and some moths old now. Most battery hens die at around four years old so she doesn't by averages have that much longer to live. Better die happy with her friends, even if she does look a mess than in isolation, feeling miserable, lonely and stressed.

 

[Ladies-Eight]

Ex Batts good morning one and all!

Temperature is in the 60s.

Have a great day!

 

[HiEverybirdy]

@Shadrach (& everyone else), do my Brahma’s feet look ok to you? It’s so hard to tell with her, compared with my non-feather feet birds.

View attachment 3477787

This doesn't look that different from our Brahmas' feather toes. What I've been looking for is how smooth the non-feathered scales are and any changes year over year. Saw no changes after Ivermectin treatments during our northern-fowl-mite nightmare, so I've declined to put more chemicals on their legs.

Not sure that's the correct decision, and I'm always watching their feet, but it seems like some feather-legged birds may just be beset with ugly toes.

 

[Perris]

Do y'all have crows?

yes, we do, just a couple, and they're a real asset with aerial predators about.

 

[janiedoe]

This doesn't look that different from our Brahmas' feather toes. What I've been looking for is how smooth the non-feathered scales are and any changes year over year. Saw no changes after Ivermectin treatments during our northern-fowl-mite nightmare, so I've declined to put more chemicals on their legs.

Not sure that's the correct decision, and I'm always watching their feet, but it seems like some feather-legged birds may just be beset with ugly toes.

I agree with that. Sometimes the scales are raised with the feather shafts.

 

[HiEverybirdy]

I agree with that. Sometimes the scales are raised with the feather shafts.

And I was just looking at little dinosaur feet and realized I'm not seeing hens with quite as much scale raising, so maybe shouldn't have spoken up The Marans roosters do each have a gnarly outer toe like this. The girls do a little bit, just maybe not as much.

It is odd how feather shafts never look like they can find a place to fit on chicken legs.

ETA: @Iluveggers you know you've asked a good question when replies range all the way from soaks and sprays to wait-and-see Nothing's simple! (And Mercury is in retrograde.)

 

[Iluveggers]

And I was just looking at little dinosaur feet and realized I'm not seeing hens with quite as much scale raising, so maybe shouldn't have spoken up The Marans roosters do each have a gnarly outer toe like this. The girls do a little bit, just maybe not as much.

It is odd how feather shafts never look like they can find a place to fit on chicken legs.

ETA: @Iluveggers you know you've asked a good question when replies range all the way from soaks and sprays to wait-and-see Nothing's simple! (And Mercury is in retrograde.)

Thank you. And thank you everyone for your input. I am going to start by soaking, very gently scrubbing and observing the water. If no mites seen, I won’t do anything else. If I’m not sure, I’ll take a picture of the water & add petroleum jelly.

I have 3 with feathered feet, but my Marans and Faverolles don’t have as many feathers. Her feet have always looked more gnarly to me than the rest, so fingers crossed it is just dirt & my paranoia.

Tax: working on the new fenced in area. We will have 3 areas for them to roam safely after this is done. No free-ranging without supervision unfortunately.

 

[Iluveggers]

Just a quick update. With the assistance of my teenager, I soaked her feet, and applied the petroleum jelly. She knocked most of the water out when I took her out unfortunately.

I did not see anything grey in the remaining water, but it was pretty dirty. I think I’ll wait a few days and repeat, and again this weekend just to be safe. None of my other hens legs look questionable at all. Hopefully it is nothing. After doing this all week, I’m going to replace the shavings in the coop and spray the roosts & corners with permethrin just to be safe. I have ivermectin on hand now in my medical supplies, so if it is needed later I won’t have to worry about getting it.

Thanks, everyone. Fingers crossed!