What could be wrong????

[GreatPyrLover]

My hen who is a mix...always been a big girl...is walking very funny....she will pick her legs up all the way to her body when she walks and her legs and toes look like they are really dry and scaly....she is a couple years old...still lays eggs...eats, drinks...but she doesnt do a lot of moving around when she is out free ranging...its almost like its hard for her to walk....what could be wrong? I noticed yesterday that her toenails are really long. Its like she has callus's all over her legs and toes...its really weird!!! I will post a pic of her below....you really cant see her feet that good.

ETA: add pic

 

[chicmom]

Hello,

That sounds like scaly leg mites, and she's probably walking funny because her lets are very uncomfortable. Just get some Sevin Dust, and mix some of the powder in with some vasceline, and then slather her legs with it....I mean, really rub that stuff in good. It will suffocate and kill those leg mites....Do this twice a day, if you can, or at least every day, and keep doing it until her legs look better.

She will thank you for it!

 

[chicmom]

Oh, yep! For sure it's scaly leg mites.......Little mites that get under her scales........

 

[chickenpiedpiper]

A good dose of pour on ivermectin will help kill em too, with out having to smear poison all over her legs. Be careful to do it at night, with warm ivermectin, so she doesnt try to groom it off, and put it either under each wing, or back of the neck.

Something to keep in mind, if one bird has it, they ALL have it, they may just not be showing the signs yet. Treat them all, and dust your coop really well next time you clean to the boards, then clean shavings all around. I also use an insect bomb that I get at the feed store every fall. This gets into the walls and wood, and kills everything, and they go into the winter as parasite free as I can possibly get them.

every ounce of prevention helps!
Good Luck

 

[chicmom]

Quote:
Not trying to be argumentative, but I like the vasceline with Sevin Dust or poultry dust because it's soothing to the legs. You can put it on your garden vegetables, so it can't be that bad for them.....I would say Ivermectin is probably just another form of insecticide, thus a poison.......

 

[GreatPyrLover]

Thanks for the tips...I will work on her tonight!!!!! Now that I look back she does act like they itch....I hate she has been going like this!!! Can I just dust everyone else with seven or do I need to do their legs the same way? Lord help me...I will get pecked like crazy tonight doctoring everyone

 

[chickenpiedpiper]

Quote:
Not trying to be argumentative, but I like the vasceline with Sevin Dust or poultry dust because it's soothing to the legs. You can put it on your garden vegetables, so it can't be that bad for them.....I would say Ivermectin is probably just another form of insecticide, thus a poison.......

Yes, my bad, I worded that poorly, I meant simply that sometimes putting a chemical like that on already irritated skin can sting or irritate more. Also vaseline can impede the removal of the debris that is under the scales causeing them to be lifted and irritated. before ivermectin and frontline, it was the best solution to scaly leg mites, however, Ivermectin works thru the skin, and kills the parasite where they are crawling and biting, and a good long soak in warm water full of epsom salt will be comforting to her, and aleviate a lot of the nasty crud the bugs have created. It is also relatively inexpensive, and will take care of any other parasites that may be present, from external to most internal worms too.

And Sevin is an insecticide, and while you can put it on your vegetables, I hope you wash them before you eat them. It is good stuff, I use it in the coops every time I clean, to dust all the perches shelves and floor. but I am always careful with it.

Good Luck.

 

[GreatPyrLover]

I dusted their coop last night in sevin dust...while they were out....and then I read last night that you can dip their legs in cooking oil and it smother the mites...it will need to be done several times....it said it was a little cleaner than doing the vaseline...so last night I dipped all of their legs in oil....fingers crossed that it works...it said that after one dose it will make them feel better but I will still need to do it a few more times...this weekend I am gonna clean the coop out and dust it again.