How often are your chicks getting lice, scaly leg mites and bumblefoot?

Farrier1987 · Post by **Farrier1987** » Thu Nov 17, 2016 2:42 pm

I would be really careful with that wood screw thing and the bumblefoot. Just a little too deep and a tendon or joint could be seriously injured. I think I will keep to opening it up and squeezing like a zit, then cleaning and salt water and such.

Jaye · Post by **Jaye** » Thu Nov 17, 2016 2:53 pm

Point taken, Farrier - I agree, you could cause damage if one isn't extremely careful ... but wouldn't there be the same risk if you dig around in there with whatever to remove the plug and infection?

Skinny rooster · Post by **Skinny rooster** » Thu Nov 17, 2016 3:06 pm

Ontario Chick wrote:QR_BBPOST
windwalkingwolf wrote:QR_BBPOST
Is it just me, or does it seem like when we were kids, these things were a non-issue LOL--hens lived unmolested until they died? On the one hand, it was a much simpler time where hens were expected to earn their keep, keep up with the flock, and if they couldn't they hit the stew pot, but on the other hand, we never had a hen that lived and still laid eggs at 16 years old.
My guess would be that chickens have suffered the same problems in the past, it's just that nobody really looked that closely and the one that wasn't feeling very well got picked off by free ranging dogs.....one way to keep a healthy flock.....
...... once we started to use chickens as therapy animals and entertainment, then things started cropping up.

I wonder about this as well, I used to get the hens to sit on my arm or shoulder when I was a kid and they certainly didn't have lice or mites. I never had a chicken get sick, I had sex links as old as nine and they laid nice eggs in summer not those football ones. They did free range more back then. One thing I wonder about, there were no wild turkeys back then and Canada geese were rare plus they wouldn't even think of flying low, let alone landing.

Farrier1987 · Post by **Farrier1987** » Thu Nov 17, 2016 5:23 pm

About the bumblefoot, I don't dig around in there. Just incise enough that I am sure I have a passage for the exit when I squeeze. I have had good success that way, others have their ways too that work for them.

Happy · Post by **Happy** » Thu Apr 20, 2017 5:06 pm

Well I've got an old girl with a REALLY bad bumble foot infection that I've been soaking and squeezing and flushing (repeat repeat repeat) for a couple days. Shes been kept inside and clean. The poor girls toe is bent at a really bad angle because the swelling is so bad. Just spoke to a livestock vet that's going to fit me in tomorrow. He does an antibiotic injection directly into her foot which I hadn't heard of. Hopefully it works. He also suggested I pull my perches out and preferably replace or at minimum scrub down with something like virkon and leave in the sun to dry.

Mel.B · Post by **Mel.B** » Thu Apr 20, 2017 6:45 pm

if you take and dip there whole leg right in the blue pour on ivermectin for cattle the scaly leg mites are gone instantly one treatment works great for lice too

Happy · Post by **Happy** » Thu Apr 27, 2017 3:01 pm

Happy wrote: ↑
Thu Apr 20, 2017 5:06 pm
Well I've got an old girl with a REALLY bad bumble foot infection that I've been soaking and squeezing and flushing (repeat repeat repeat) for a couple days. Shes been kept inside and clean. The poor girls toe is bent at a really bad angle because the swelling is so bad. Just spoke to a livestock vet that's going to fit me in tomorrow. He does an antibiotic injection directly into her foot which I hadn't heard of. Hopefully it works. He also suggested I pull my perches out and preferably replace or at minimum scrub down with something like virkon and leave in the sun to dry.

Well it's been a frustrating week.
Big Momma went to the vet and got her bumble foot injected. Vet thinks she may lose a toe from the infection. Came home and pulled perches and

boards out and scrubbed everything down with Virkon as per vets suggestion. A week later and her foot is still not looking great...We may be heading back tomorrow (which is good because I owe the vet eggs lol. That was his fee for the last visit)
Yesterday the damned dog snuck into the fenced in chicken area and when I yelled at him he bolted sideways and ran over my poor little rooster Sherman. Sherman seemed ok at first and immediately ran over and beat up the big rooster 10 times his size (like it was his fault). But about 15 minutes later I noticed him limping. He's still limping and I locked him in the coop with the other gimp to try to rest his leg. I don't see or feel anything broken but his hock joint feels warm. Well I've realized just how much that tiny rooster manages things amongst those chickens. His absence is evident. Now I'm inches away from listing 4 Cochins for sale. Harley has turned into a raging idiot rooster without Sherman to dial him down. He is great with his 3 girls. He's suddenly picking on the barred rock girls badly. So now the barred rocks are happily ripping all of the mulch out of my front gardens so they can get away from the jerk. Then the little broody with her one chick decided today was the day to introduce her baby to the best dust bathing spots which of course are where the mammoth Cochins are hanging out. She's a tough little girl but....
Seriously reconsidering all of this today lol. I'm doing something very wrong.

ross · Post by **ross** » Thu Apr 27, 2017 3:15 pm

How's the NOT smoking going , Happy

?

Happy · Post by **Happy** » Thu Apr 27, 2017 4:36 pm

ross wrote: ↑
Thu Apr 27, 2017 3:15 pm
How's the NOT smoking going , Happy ?

Over 3 months and still counting!
Will take more than a rooster to bring me down lol

ross · Post by **ross** » Thu Apr 27, 2017 4:46 pm

Good for you !!!

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Solved How often are your chicks getting lice, scaly leg mites and bumblefoot?