Scaly leg mite

[kirsty b]

I have noticed raised leg scales on my Light Sussex hen. She is the only one affected, and some poultry sites I have browsed have suggested Ivermectin as a treatment to kill the mites and smearing vaseline all over the leg.
One site said to cull the affected bird
Has anyone else had experience of this problem and what would be the best way to treat the affected bird and prevent it spreading to the rest of my little flock?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Kirsty

[JILLY JACKSON]

hi Kirsty ,yes ive had this problem.Ionly have 3 hens though.I put surgical spirit into a jamjar and dipped the hens leg as far up as it would go ,,you may need a taller jamjar,your birds are bigger than mine.I did this once a week for five weeks,it worked.You have to do all your hens though as they may all get it.the vaseline works too.Surgical spirit doesnt cost much,so i still have some which i'll use on them from time to time to make sure.Hope this helps.

[kirsty b]

Thanks Jilly
Got both vaseline and surgical sprirt in the cupboard so will start treating them today.

EDIT: Cor! she didn't like it. Squawked like a goodun the whole time. Had to resort to dipping cotton wool buds in the spirit and liberally coating her legs with it. Will persevere till the bugs are gone though.

[CountryFayre]

If you coat the legs with vaseline after dipping them it will a/ help to clam the legs down and also help suffocate any that are left.

The other option is Scaly Leg lotion by Johnsons which you can get for about £2.

[Birdie Wife]

My poor chooks are plagued by scaley leg mite - it's infectious and annoying for the chicken, but not lethal. It gets bad if left untreated (a bit like dental decay) and the leg scales won't recover until moulted out in late summer.

[kirsty b]

Thanks
none of the others are affected that I can see, but preventative measures are underway. Spirit then a liberal coating of vaseline.
Sussex seems a bit more herself today, appetite has picked up and she's getting vocal again! Why is it the littlest hen is the noisiest?

[Hilary B]

Thanks
none of the others are affected that I can see, but preventative measures are underway. Spirit then a liberal coating of vaseline.
Sussex seems a bit more herself today, appetite has picked up and she's getting vocal again! Why is it the littlest hen is the noisiest?

She's making sure you don't ignore her!
Anyone who has kept 2 or more dogs of different sizes will have noticed that the smaller the dog, the bigger the bark (within the group).