Winter treatment of scaly legs

[JordanFarm]

I tried to read the 70 page thread on treating leg mites, but did not find the answers to my specific questions so please bear with me.

I have a small flock of 5 hens I got about 15 months ago - they were all laying adults of undetermined ages. 4 Red Stars and one Buff Orpington. One of the red girls had slightly scaly legs which when I first looked it up, thought it might be because she was just an older hen. Somehow mites didn't come up as an answer in my search.

They live in a large 15x20' converted stall in my barn with shavings as bedding and in the summer go outside. But it's NH and it's January, so their interest in the outdoors has waned. I pick their stall daily and strip it every couple of months.

I have been watching the hen with the scaly legs and realized they are getting worse. And now one (but only one) of the other 4 has a bumpy part on one of her feet.

If they don't all have it after 15 months (and they were all part of a much larger flock before that, as far as I know the reds have always been together) can it still be leg mites? And if it is leg mites how can I safely treat them when it is consistently well below freezing? Thank you!

 

[azygous]

Yes, scaly leg mites should be suspected any time you see raised scales. Left untreated, it can develop into something truly hideous and it's very painful. Not all chickens living under the same environmental conditions will get the mites. As a rule, it affects younger chickens the least, older ones being more susceptible.

You can treat leg mites safely in winter with castor oil. It smothers the mites while soothing the pain and helping heal tissue. Treatments a week apart usually get rid of them. I pour the oil in a narrow container and submerse the foot and slather the oil up the leg. Leave the oil on. Do not wipe off.

 

[CCUK]

Use vaseline. Or petroleum jelly. Rub it into and all around the scaly part of the leg. Repeat every other day for about 10 days. Or you can use ivermectin but I'm not sure about egg withdrawn on that.

 

[JordanFarm]

Thank you - I was concerned that putting anything on their legs might affect how the legs cope with extreme cold weather (not sure how bird feet don't freeze but apparently it works). I will try the castor oil and treat all of them just in case some have started and just aren't showing any ill effects yet.

 

[CCUK]

Thank you - I was concerned that putting anything on their legs might affect how the legs cope with extreme cold weather (not sure how bird feet don't freeze but apparently it works). I will try the castor oil and treat all of them just in case some have started and just aren't showing any ill effects yet.

When you clean the coop out use a good safe disinfectant like virkon and sprinkle diatomaceous earth on and around the perches and bedding. The mites live in-between the scales on the hens legs and only come off at night when they can spread to other birds so the diatomaceous earth should clear the rest up. It's best to try and be preventative with any lice or mites as they can soon start causing real problems.

 

[azygous]

Why bird feet don't freeze when they go barefoot all winter long. https://birdnote.org/show/why-birds-feet-dont-freeze

 

[JordanFarm]

Thank you for the advice! While the girls were not enthused by the treatment, it clearly has helped and their legs look significantly better.

 

[snugharbor]

I was advised by a vet in a facebook group not to use vaseline in freezing temperatures as it can cause frostbite. OP, did you use castor oil successfully?

 

[nuthatched]

I was advised by a vet in a facebook group not to use vaseline in freezing temperatures as it can cause frostbite. OP, did you use castor oil successfully?

Any oil will work, make sure the rub it in well.