Scaley Leg Mite Advice Please

I recently was given a few leftover birds from another farm. Shortly after getting them home I noticed one hen limping a bit. Well the girl has Leg Mite and BAD!! Must have had it for quite some time. She even has a few spots where the scales have lifted and there seems to be swelling kinda looks like bubbles coming out from underneath?? Sorry, not sure how else to explain the look of it? Anyway, it's awful. So I cleaned her up have been coating her legs in Vaseline, also gave her Ivomec. It has been two weeks, she seems happy, eats and drinks well and the limp is improving. I can see all the scaley stuff on the backs of her legs is beginning to fall off. I read it can take quite some time even after the mites are gone for the scales to go back to normal.

Here are my two concerns. The bubbles coming out from under the scales do not seem to be getting any better or smaller and it looks like she may also lose a toe, it is hard to tell she has so much scaley stuff on there. So should I continue trying to nurse her or cull? Would anyone suggest another treatment of Ivomec?

In hind site I should have culled as soon as I noticed and not thought twice about it. I just wanted to help her, now there has been a bit of improvement and I don't know if I am actually helping her or prolonging the inevitable? This is my first case of leg mite ever.

If anyone has advice or experience to share it would be greatly appreciated!!

I would give another dose of Ivomec, it should work if it is real bad it will take time to clear up, I have seen very bad cases of it and they cleaned right up, I am so glad that I have never had it.

In my experience, leg mites take a long time to improve. Even though the mites might be gone, it takes a long time for legs to look better.

I have soaked chickens in warm water until some of that gnarly, lumpy growth has softened then I've gentley worked it loose. Then slather the legs with some vaseline or oil. This can help them look better a little faster and seems to make the birds more comfortable. At least that's what I imagine.

I put her in another building and kept the other new birds in their own quarantine although they don't seem to have any issues and gave them Ivomec just to be safe. I wonder how one bird could be so bad and all the rest fine? It is good to know there is still hope for her! I will give her more Ivomec and another spa treatment The first time I bathed her the crud was stuck on there good and she was quite uncomfortable being touched. I can see it is all loosening now. For how bad it looked I was amazed she was walking at all.

If her give her Ivomec again today does anyone have an idea of how long until she is safe to go into the coop without risk of infecting other birds?


Thanks!!! Appreciate the advice!

I have had leg mite in my coops form time to time when we have brought birds in. What I have found that works really well is VetRX. I rub it on their legs everyday for about a week and it is gone. It is for pigeons but works well on chickens for assorted things.I hope this helps.

Treating For Lice & Mites
I like this video.

At the advice of people here, I soaked up my birds legs with oil. I chose the once a week for 3 weeks method. There's a significant improvement, but last time I dealt with this, it took a molt to improve their legs. My broody girl, Big Mamma, ended up with one of those bubbles. It eventually 'popped', rather, scaled in on itself and looked like a crater. After her moult, you can still see where it was, but it's nice and smooth now.

It's hard, and sooooooo annoying.

As long as she's up and fine, I wouldn't cull her, but that's me.

I could not watch the whole video yet... our internet is questionable at times

Sooo, gave the hen another dose of Ivomec and a bath on Sunday. Go out yesterday and about a third of the scales on her good foot are gone. Is this normal?? Did I soak her too long or my other thought is maybe she pulled them off herself? I read that the mites can be very itchy but if the mites are gone would she still be feeling itchy? After the bath it looks like the questionable toe will be ok but why in the heck are these scales coming off?

I have a bottle of neem oil in the fridge I plan to use on leg mites should I ever get them.

In my experience, she will lose scales. I have found my Banties get it the worst and I always notice they have it first. My one banty had a really bad patch that was raised and portruded the first time I discovered mites. After treating her with oil, she either pulled it off or it fell off, as there was just clean skin without scales there a few days after.

Sue, I used olive oil as that is what I had on hand.... you had suggested it when I was battling ear mites with Bantams awhile back Why do you choose Neem Oil? Don't think I have heard of it.

Sweetened, do the scales grow back? All of this girl's scales both legs were/are raised and protruded. The poor thing! When I bathed her I was really scrubbing (not too hard) tyring to loosen everything off, I was worried I had rubbed them loose Also wondering were your hens laying while they had leg mite?

KlassyChic wrote:Sue, I used olive oil as that is what I had on hand.... you had suggested it when I was battling ear mites with Bantams awhile back Why do you choose Neem Oil? Don't think I have heard of it.

Sweetened, do the scales grow back? All of this girl's scales both legs were/are raised and protruded. The poor thing! When I bathed her I was really scrubbing (not too hard) tyring to loosen everything off, I was worried I had rubbed them loose Also wondering were your hens laying while they had leg mite?

My hens have laid pretty much without stop, even with scaly, however I have read that many birds will stop laying entirely. Neem oil is, from what I've read, anti-parasitic? Repels pests like mad. Some people rub their legs in neem to keep ticks off because they won't go near it. I believe it's used in Indian cooking quite a bit? I'll be corrected if I'm wrong, hopefully.

I never scrubbed my girls legs at all, mostly because of the weather here I was afraid of not getting them dry enough. I find my girl's nails go out of control. If the scales will grow back, they'll probably do so after a moult, but if the skin is damaged it should heal. I use the cheapest oil I can buy, usually some kind of GMO filled veg oil, and add in a dropper full of Oregano oil to fight off the inflamation. I notice a difference within the first 3 or 4 days.

I have seen people put a little neem on plants to keep the bugs away. You can use it on your hair for the same purpose. I think of it as oil with a little boost of power. I got it at the Indian food store.

Oh, and ideally I would want a thick, sticky viscous oil for legs. Stickier the better.