Skin condition

[Ben henderson]

hi i have a light sussex bantam cockerel when I got him he had scaly leg and mites. I struggled organically for quite a while then when it was getting serious I switched to a chemical. cleaned him right up but his skin has never recovered. flaky yellowing dry chunks up his legs and on his rear. not on his back or under wings. does any one have a reason or a solution or both

 

[Wyorp Rock]

hi i have a light sussex bantam cockerel when I got him he had scaly leg and mites. I struggled organically for quite a while then when it was getting serious I switched to a chemical. cleaned him right up but his skin has never recovered. flaky yellowing dry chunks up his legs and on his rear. not on his back or under wings. does any one have a reason or a solution or both

Hi

Welcome To BYC

Can you post some photos of the legs and rear end (whole cockerel too) we love photos

May I ask what you used to treat organically and them used chemically?
What type of food/treats do you feed?

You mention Scaly Legs Mites, but then he also has a problem with his bum - did he have a lice/mite infestation (whole body) as well?

If his legs have dry yellowing chunks of dead skin/scales, then this will usually take more than one time to treat. Soak his legs in a warm tub of soapy water or add some epsom salts to the water. After he has soaked around 10-15min. gently scrub the legs with a soft brush (soft toothbrush) to help loosen any dead skin, scales, debris.

Pat the legs dry then apply some type of ointment/oil - castor oil, A+D ointment, coconut oi, etc. Personally I would prefer a thick type oil/ointment so I would go with castor oil or A+D ointment, these seem to stick/stay on longer. Apply your oil/ointment daily. Giving his feet/legs a soaking/cleaning about every 3 days for a couple of weeks. Hopefully this will start the healing process. I may change my mind after I see photos, but until them, this is what I would do.

For the bum - depending on where it's located, you can soak it in epsom salts, gently scrub away any loose skin/debris and apply the same ointment/oil that you use on the legs.

Mites/lice can be draining if the infestation is heavy. So consider nutrition as well. Offer some poultry vitamins in his water or direct dose him with something like Poultry Nutri-Drench (1cc per 3lbs.) once a week. Cockerels/young birds can benefit from extra protein, so give him some egg, tuna, mackerel or meat in addition to his normal feed. A small amount of sunflower seeds may help with feather condition and some fresh greens, veggies, apple to pick at for treats are always welcome as well.

Let us know how he's doing.

 

[Ben henderson]

Hi,

I will post some photos tomorrow,. He had a full body infestation almost 6 months ago now. Organically, I dipped his legs in castor oil after cleaning obvs, i also coated in petroleum jelly after that. He was treated with organic delousing powder and after that pure demitrius earth. These treatmenst were daily for about 3 weeks until I became too concerned for his well being,Loosing feathers lethergy wait loss and comb wither also was just miserable. (I also cleaned living area daily treating with housing spray and washing and changing bedding witch i changed to shavings for the duration of his infestation). . I then treated with ivermectin. 3 doses 0.01ml i recall over 21 days. Cleared up after 7 but eggs etc. They are fed a mix of mixed corn, suet, fine oyster shell and meal worm. ( i used to use layers pellets but ive spoiled them too much so they were just leaving them)They have a non pasturised apple vinegar added lightly to their water, a seperate covered dust bath with grit sand and deimistrius earth, With daily treats of the kitchen scraps including egg shell and meat, minus onion family, night shade family, citrus based and raw potatos. They also have a 28 by 4.5 meter enclosure over hung by hawthorn and in the summer lined by wild rasp and brambles. I truly thought he would of bounced back but it really hit him hard, pics to follow. thank you good info

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hi,

I will post some photos tomorrow,. He had a full body infestation almost 6 months ago now. Organically, I dipped his legs in castor oil after cleaning obvs, i also coated in petroleum jelly after that. He was treated with organic delousing powder and after that pure demitrius earth. These treatmenst were daily for about 3 weeks until I became too concerned for his well being,Loosing feathers lethergy wait loss and comb wither also was just miserable. (I also cleaned living area daily treating with housing spray and washing and changing bedding witch i changed to shavings for the duration of his infestation). . I then treated with ivermectin. 3 doses 0.01ml i recall over 21 days. Cleared up after 7 but eggs etc. They are fed a mix of mixed corn, suet, fine oyster shell and meal worm. ( i used to use layers pellets but ive spoiled them too much so they were just leaving them)They have a non pasturised apple vinegar added lightly to their water, a seperate covered dust bath with grit sand and deimistrius earth, With daily treats of the kitchen scraps including egg shell and meat, minus onion family, night shade family, citrus based and raw potatos. They also have a 28 by 4.5 meter enclosure over hung by hawthorn and in the summer lined by wild rasp and brambles. I truly thought he would of bounced back but it really hit him hard, pics to follow. thank you good info

This is my opinion. I think if you get him on a balanced diet you will start to see improvement. Proper nutrition is essential for healing and health. Chickens are like all of us - we want the "good stuff" all the time (desert first, anyone?). Commercial poultry feed is formulated to give the nutrition that chickens need. To me, what you are feeding, I consider those "treats" which are to be given in moderation - not as a balanced daily poultry ration. You can feed what and how you want, but consider trying some other feeds and find one that your flock will eat. Personally I use a flock raiser formula - this is 20% protein and lower in calcium than layer feed (I have a rooster). I offer oyster shell free choice for the hens that are laying and they all do very well.

Do a bit of research on nutrition and different ways you can feed your flock - what you are giving makes fine treats in moderation. You may also want to look into fermenting your feed - I've read a lot of good things about it. There are plenty of articles here on BYC and the web - here are a couple to get you started.

http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2016/07/how-homemade-feed-can-hurt-your-chickens.html
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2015/03/fermented-chicken-feed-why-how-in-3.html

 

[Ben henderson]

Hi thank you. I agree with a balanced diet. I should probably of stated the quantity of suet and meal worm is very low in comparison to the corn. I will look at their diet again but looking at the feather quality the eqq quality the comb, general behaviour, all over body condition of the rest of the flock and general well being. I struggle to find a flaw in their rations.thank you for your help will definitely consider my options.

 

[Ben henderson]

whats. The thoughts folks, any help appreciated.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

You mention that you thought he should have bounced back by now, but it seems the lice/mites hit him hard.

What other symptoms are you seeing - is he lethargic, having trouble walking, losing his balance, not eating/drinking well, how is his poop, etc.?

The skin is quite bumpy - is it limited to just the shanks on the legs or does it extend to the thighs as well. How much of the rear end does it cover? Also any other places where the skin is like that - neck/breast, etc.?

It's possible that the mite/lice did that much damage and he is struggling to recover. It's also possible that the lice/mites weakened him enough for an underlying illness/disease to take hold-especially if he is having a lot of problems.

The only thing I can think of to do is continue to apply oil/ointment on the skin and see if it continues to heal or improve. If you have a vet that can take a skin scraping or perform some testing, that would be a good idea.

Just my thoughts.

 

[Ben henderson]

other than the skin, he is showing no real symptons. poop hard, crowing, mating ,mobile, eating well. occasionally I see a leg shake but that's occasionally. it skips his thigh runs about a 2.5 Inch diameter round his anus. basically where the mites were infested this damage occurs. nothing neck or back and even under the wings clean.