Is this scaly leg?

[tlck9]

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...caley-mite.JPG

And if it is how do I get rid....I bought the scaly leg spray and my poor henna has had several sprays on her legs but nothing seems to be shifting it.

Her leg are more rather less swollen and I noticed her limping a little this morning

[Suechooks]

I can't see your picture.
Scaly leg takes a while to clear and I believe the old scales don't drop off till they moult.

[tlck9]

i've updated the photo, sorry couldn't get it to load

[Nicos]

Yes it is.
I lash on Vaseline at bedtime for a few days- and that seems to do the trick without using chemicals.

I have one cockerel which seems prone to it. None of my other 17 birds have ever shown signs of it at all!!!!!

[RichmondHens]

Yes looks like it but it's not very bad, I've seen far worse, some of my rescue cocks had really bad scaly leg and it does take ages to shift.

The only thing I have found to work is dunking in surgical spirit. I've tried sprays with no success, even the Johnsons spray. The mite is so tiny the only way to be really sure you've got it is to suffocate it and you can only do that by dunking in SS or smothering with vaseline. Vaseline is really messy and a right pain if you use shavings as you end up with the shavings stuck to it.

There seem to be two ways of doing it by the SS method: Victoria Roberts says dunk weekly for three weeks. I was told years ago by a farmer's wife to hold the legs completely immersed in the SS for a minimum of 3 minutes, and this should be a one-off treatment. The legs must stay submerged though. Easier with big birds than bantams I find. I use an old wide necked large gherkin jar full to the brim with SS and put each leg in in turn holding the bird so they stand on the bottom of the jar, they seem to be happier standing in it than having the leg actually held down. The SS should come up to hock level, where the feathers start to grow. I usually have a child helper on the stopwatch and also to hold the jar as sometimes the bird will kick out when the leg is withdrawn which can upset the jar! The SS can be used again and again, just put the lid back securely to prevent evaporation. The debris accumulated at the bottom - bits of mud, muck and feather - does no harm at all.

As the mite is very contagious it is advisable to treat all the birds sharing the same house even if they don't have symptoms. And beware broody hens with scaly leg mite - they will pass it onto chicks so it's vital they are fully treated before sitting them.

You will know if you have killed it because you will stop seeing the crustiness appearing - this is mite droppings. The scales will stay raised for many months, you need to wait for them to be moulted just like feathers, but as long as the yellowish crustiness has gone then you have probably eradicated the mite.

Sorry, I always seem to write huge amounts. I must try and find a way of saying something more concisely.

[petal]

DITTO -We have silkies, pekins, brahmas, salmon faverolles- I have a thing for fluffy legged things.... surgical spirit dunked legs- then vaseline rubbed in or sudocreme

[tlck9]

do you use pure SS, or diluted? What about with this cold weather will it harm them in any way, by having wet legs?

[polo]

Absolutely agree with all of RH and petal's advice. I tried vaseline and its very messy and better at the time of year as it doesn't melt of!!

Surgical spirit really does work and its what I have used with best success but you probably wont see nice flat scales until the moult as RH says.

As long as you dont get them too wet above the hock (ie in the feathers) I would have thought they would be fine.

[Nicos]

Doesn't surgical spirit evaporate????

[Scarlet]

Doesn't surgical spirit evaporate????

Yes it does! Screw a lid on the jar after use!
After 3mins or more under the stuff the will to survive weakens although I also put the vaseline on after the treatment because the SS drys out the skin.

[petal]

exactly what i have found- sudocreme is equally good too

[tlck9]

henna absolutely hated the SS, even tipped up the bowl in the greenhouse, now all you can smell in the greenhouse is SS -

[Suechooks]

henna absolutely hated the SS, even tipped up the bowl in the greenhouse, now all you can smell in the greenhouse is SS -

Bet it stings like hell if the scales are open! Poor thing.

[tlck9]

i had to go away on business leaving my friend in charge of henna, i did the SS and vas aline on monday. checked her today and some of the scales av fell off and the swelling has gone down

how often do i need to SS?

so far so good

[petal]

I would dunk the legs in pure ss weekly. when dry, carefully rub in sudocreme or vaseline. Sudocreme is great as its soothing.