[carolie]

One of our chickens has a crusty skin  forming on her legs what is it  and how can we treat it ?

[Oakdalebirds]

are the scales pushed out ? if so it could be scaley leg which is you can get a lotion for  :happy:

[carolie]

Not sure will have a closer look tomorrow and come back to you Thanks   

[carolie]

yes it does look like that what do I need to buy and what causes it?

[sneezer]

Hello there, if you put 'scaley leg treatment ' into the search engine you will get alot of advice. good luck woth your girls.

[Casey76]

It is caused by a mite which burrows under the scales.  The crusty bits you see are the mites excrement.

There are several ways of treating them, but first of all you need to clean the legs thoroughly (stand hen in a a sink of warm water, and using a soft toothbrush carefully remove as much crud as possible).  You can either use a spray for leg mites - I forget the brand as I've never had a problem, or you can use a topical application of something like Frontline spot on for kittens (this isn't licensed for poultry, so if you buy it from your vet you may need to sign a waiver).

Some people advocate covering the legs with petroleum jelly to suffocate the mites, but it can get very messy.

Even after the mites are dead the scales will remain raised until the hen goes through a moult - DO NOT pick them off, ans this can be very painful to the bird, and leave open wounds on the legs.

[bantam novice]

I just wanted to wish you luck

[carolie]

 Thankyou for all your help