Anna, my Blue Ameraucana, above and her healthy feet and legs, below.
Scaly leg mites (Knemidocoptes mutans) are microscopic
insects that live underneath the scales on a chicken’s lower legs and feet. They dig tiny
tunnels underneath the skin, eat the tissue and
deposit crud in their wake. The result is thick, scabby,
crusty-looking feet and legs. The longer the mites reside under the leg
scales, the more discomfort and damage they inflict; an unchecked infestation
can result in pain, deformities, lameness and loss of toes.
Scaly leg mites spread from
bird to bird in a flock, therefore when one bird is infected, all should be
treated. As always when external parasites are found in a flock, the coop
should be thoroughly cleaned.
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The safest and most commonly
recommended method for mild to moderate cases of scaly leg mites is a simple,
chemical-free process:
1) soak the feet and legs in
warm water
2) dry with a towel, gently
exfoliating any dead, loose scales.
3) dip feet and legs in oil, (linseed, mineral, olive, vegetable) which suffocates the mites.
4) wipe off linseed oil and slather
affected area with petroleum jelly.
The petroleum jelly should be
reapplied several times each week until the affected areas return to normal. It
may take several months for mild to moderate cases to resolve.
An alternate treatment option
for scaly leg mites is to mix 2 tablespoons of sulfur powder with ½ cup
petroleum jelly- applied daily for a minimum of two weeks.
In severe cases of scaly leg
mite, oral or injectable forms of Ivermectin may be prescribed by a
veterinarian. Per Dr. Julie Gauthier, DVM in Chicken Health for Dummies, the dosage is 0.2 mg/kg per bird, repeated in ten days.
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| Healthy leg scales |
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| Healthy legs and toes on my Easter Egger, Ethel. |
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Kathy thank you for the photos and the treatment options. I have an adopted chicken who arrived with scaly leg mites and I have been painting her legs with olive oil only. It has cleared up some but not totally. I may attack it with your extra three steps now.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the info on how to treat my poor rooster!! I did the soaking in soapy water, apply oil and vasaline one time then I've been painting on oil every other day since. I'm amazed at how fast it's working! Those nasty dead scales are falling off and it's looking so much better!! Not totally there yet but he can walk and run instead of limp and hop like he was!! Thanks again!! And Big John thanks you too!!
ReplyDeletewow. That looks painful. I haven't had to deal with it yet, hopefully I don't ever have to. I think having some of the Vetericyn in the chicken first aid kit would be a good idea though. Thanks for the info. and pics as well.
ReplyDeleteWhat a huge difference between the look of the healthy feet and the infected feet! I'm visiting today from Let's Get Social Sunday. :)
ReplyDeleteWe went through this recently. Wow, what a difference now!
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