Poorly chicken

[mullethunter]

I don’t handle most of my girls that often because they won’t let me. But Snap is broody as of yesterday, and when I lifelted her out just now I noticed the scales on one of her ‘ankles’ (I know it’s not actually her ankle) looked different to the rest. I’ll try to get a better photo later but do you think this is scaly leg mites?

[Cat tails]

If it is, it’s very early on into an infection. As the chickens I have seen with it looked A LOT worse.

[Hippie Chick]

I don't think it is scaly leg mite, although I can't be definitely sure so that's only an opinion!  I'd say your girl is moulting her leg scales or is starting to do so.  It scares me every time I see this on mine but nothing ever develops from it.

[mullethunter]

Oh thanks Hippie Chick - I didn’t even know that was a thing! Every day’s a school day 😊👍🏻

[Lewis]

How old is she? Looks like an older girls legs to be but you're right to keep an eye on her  

[The Dogmother]

I agree with Lewis, looks like hornier, looser scales that you see on an older bird. If she has scaly mites, then you will see a crusting under the leg scales. There are various sprays you can use to treat it if this is the case, the Nettex one also works as a preventative, but by far the best preventative is to use a non-licensed spot-on containing Ivermectin, which you can get from your vet. Use this on all your birds. I do mine quarterly.

[mullethunter]

Thanks Lewis and DM but she’s only in her first year. I’ll keep an eye on her.

[mullethunter]

It’s MUCH worse today. I think it is scaly leg. Will clean everything out with virkon and ground sanitiser and get some ivermectin for them all (should I treat them all?). Is it just 1% ivermectin that I need? And then I’ll also treat her with he Nettex spray.

[mullethunter]

And if I get ivermectin 1% what is the dose for bantams?

[Cat tails]

I use Iverquantel, which contains ivermectine and praziquantel. Dose according to the box is 0,2 mg per kg bodyweight. It contains 0,4 mg ivermectine per mL of oral drop, which measures up to about 0,4% per mL. But these are oral drops (which I can really recommend! My vet prescribes these for my chickens)

[Blackrocksrock]

You can buy this over the counter - it says 1 drop per 500g bird,   I used to use this every 6 months between flubenvet worming every 3 months.   You will need to withdraw egg

consumption though.

http://www.chickenvet.co.uk/shop/view/index.aspx/product/ivermectin-1-spot-on-38

 

[mullethunter]

That’s what I’ve ordered - thanks. House has been stripped down, pressure washed, virkoned, sprayed with total mite kill, put back together and then I put a buzz bomb in. I’ve also liberally shaken ground sanitising powder over all the wood chip in the run. 

I’d forgotten but I had a small vial of ivermectin that I got when Bernadette was poorly 12 months ago. Because the new stuff won’t be here until at least the end of the week we’ve given Snap one drop of that on the back of her neck and brushed some olive oil on her leg and foot.

 

[The Dogmother]

Hope that you get it sorted HM

I sprinkle Buz Busters powder in the nest too (as well as int he rest of the housing) they squiggle in it when they go in to lay.

I have probably mentioned, but my vet (farm practice) prescribes (OFF LICENCE) Ivomec Eprinex for my lot... it's a cattle pour-on, so I only need a small amount, but the 200ml bottle lasts me an age! I haven't had scaly leg mites since using that, but if treating it in other birds, I suggest using a child's toothbrush to gently work the scaly leg remover up under the scales; it suffocates the mites and also works as a deterrent..

[mullethunter]

Yep, thanks DM - I’ll be picking some scaly leg remover up tomorrow to do that too. Going all out to get rid of it!