[Lucy G]

Hello
My first post and I'm hoping someone can advise. My favourite old hen has quite bad scaly leg mite (I think) - she has gone lame in one leg which has a big lump on it. She is 6 and I don't want to put her down as she is still eating and drinking.
Is there a 'spot on' style treatment for the mites?
I have just three hens, one of the others looks a bit like she is getting scaly legs as well.
I bought some spray over the counter but it doesn't seem strong enough.
Don't have a vet in Norwich which will deal with her - plus worried they will want to put her down....
any thoughts?
many thanks
Lucy

[Chookiechook]

Go on the internet and google ivermectin...... p and t poultry used to sell it.... probably still do.

Even if your vet said pts they cant make you ..... they can only advise   Its also unlikely they would as it is their ethic to mend not murder unless its in the creatures best interest

[Pol]

Hi and welcome Lucy,
you can put vaseline on which will cause the mites to suffocate and die, put it on at night so it won't get covered in mud, and do this it for 2 -3 weeks
Regards Pol

[katey]

Hi,
I've had the same problem.
Check out my posts and replies.Don't worry,there aren't many cos i'm new.

[Jane-M]

I am ashamed to say that my flock is quite badly affected. I tried the vaseline treatment which wasn't much help. But I have invested in some Camrosa ointment. It's pricey but is very effective. It is just a barrier ointment so quite safe to use. My girls are quickly getting smart legs again.

 Benzoin ointment was the best treatment ever but you can't buy it now - new regulations If you know anyone who has horses they might still have some benzoin ointment to hand - it is fab against sweetitch and all sorts of mite infestations.

[D]

From what I've read most books suggest using a petrolium jelly (such as vaselline) and lightly covering the legs to suffocate the mites. Failing that, as mentioned there are other treatments.

[Casey76]

A spot on treatment, such as Advantage, or Frontline (for kittens) is a systemic anti parasitic, and will save you the fuss of applying vaseline to the legs.

Please note, that even when the mites are dead the scales will remain raised, and will not be replaced with new ones until the bird next moults.

If the scales look "crusty" this is from the faeces of the mites, and can be removed by standing the bird in warm water, and gently using a toothbrush to scrub away the encrustations.

[Jane-M]

I'm not on commission -  honestly I'm not! but the Camrosa ointment is very effective at softening and removing the old raised scales and nasty crusty stuff. I also use the warm water bath and old toothbrush method once the camrosa has started its work.

Do many people use the kitten Frontline stuff on their hens? I like the idea of a systemic as presumably it will kill any bitey bugs that get on the birds? Any advice welcome.

[didsomeonesayellie]

My chickens have the same problem. We've put vaseline on their legs, even the ones that don't look very infected, however I've noticed that one of my hybrids - the worst affected one - has a cluster of black dots around her eye. Could this be the mites aswell? And how do I treat it?
Thankyou

[Colernehens]

Hi, one of our chickens is currently being treated for this, when we realised she had it, it was a saturday late afternoon, so no time to get anything. However we were advised to spray the legs with WD40 and then smother with vaseline. We did this and repeated the Vaseline only every other day for the next 5 days or so and the difference was astonishing.

We now have some scaly leg spray and are treating the other birds about once a month as a precaution, but they are all getting regular vaseline treatment still.

[bantam novice]

I've read posts from several people who have used frontline (for kittens) on their hens and it has been very successful. 

A vet will not prescribe it without you signing a form as it is not officially for poultry.

If you  type Frontline in the search box in the top right-hand corner you will find all sorts of info about it.

Good luck 

[ManicMum]

We cleared up scaly legs really quickly with vaseline slathered on very generously every other night for a week or so - picked them out of the coop one at a time and popped them back in so their sticky legs didn't get too covered in mud or bedding. 

Not only did it kill off the mite, it softened and loosened the sticky-out scales so they came right off & the girls looked as though they were wearing pink stockings!

Worth treating all of them, though, and scrubbing out coop (the weather's better for that now) and sloshing everything with DE slurry (see Hillfooter's various posts for his recipe)