Scaly leg mites, continued

[SandyM]

Yeah, I've read that too. but gas is toxic and I don't want to use anything that has the potential to make them sick(er). I've read that people use Vaseline or bag balm too, but that's kind of messy because everything sticks to it.
I decided to go with a combination of Ivermectin treatment and applying VetRX or olive oil, vegetable oil or coconut oil on their legs to suffocate the mites, and to promote healing.

Can you get monster jugs of canola oil @ coscto and pour into a bucket and dunk and use a tooth brush to rub the legs while in the oil?
Then rub the other treatments on afterwards? Can you spread the mites up or down the legs if you rub the oils on? Thats why I was thinking of a dunk in the oil. Jeeze! Not a fun time for you.

Keep us (me) posted on the progress so if or when the day comes ill have a clue lol.

[Jaye]

Sandy, I hope that day will never come for you.
I will keep you posted though.

[Jaye]

Scaly leg mites spend their whole life on the chicken (no intermediate host) so after treating all the birds with Ivomec and doing a second treatment 5-7 days later, I would keep a real close watch on any other developments and wait a while before you burn the coop down.
For cleaning up the legs, application of vaseline will soften the "crud" (that's a technical term) and let the scales get back to their original position.
I am afraid the mites usually come from another bird.

Thanks, OC - Good to know. Maybe a wild bird brought it in to the flock, because there haven't been any new additions here since last year.
I went with VetRX because it's what I have on hand. The instructions say it's good for scaly leg mites, so I thought, why not?

[Ontario Chick]

Sounds like a plan :) it can easily take a year to go from couple of lonely scaly mites, to full blown extended family, especially if the birds are otherwise very healthy.

[PAJenn]

We are just treating our birds for leg mites/scaly leg. I like to treat just before freeze-up whether they are showing signs of mites or not - sexy legs are better than scaly legs, right! We have quite a few birds now, and VetRx isn't cheap. So, I make my own salve to extend the 'medicine'. I don't really measure the ingredients. I aim for the right consistency to easily spread, but not run off. I always have the ingredients in my Poultry First Aid Kit, anyway. But, I make enough to bottle it. Sometimes it takes more than a few days to catch each bird.

Polysporin and/or Mecca
VetRx
Glycerine
Mineral Oil

[Jaye]

I only have 6 hens, so even though VetRX is not cheap, it's what I have, and I may as well use it, at least for the the flock's first application.
Thanks for the "VetRX stretcher" recipe - I will try making some when I get low on VetRX. I may switch to olive oil or coconut oil on alternate treatment days, too.
I hear you about catching birds. So far, I've only treated half ... after two, the rest run for the hills when they see me. Even though the returning hens have been spoiled with mealworms during and after treatment. You would think they'd tell the others that it's no big deal.
I about to initiate a surprise ambush shortly: I can pick one off the roost and get her back and settled before lights out. Brushing on the VetRX isn't a big deal for them, but the foot washing sometimes is.

[SandyM]

A year? OMG.

[PAJenn]

We treated about 80 birds this year.

We wait till dark and the girls are settled in. Using headlamps... when everyone is calm/sleeping, we carefully pull each hen off the roost, "treat their feet", put them right back where they were roosting, and then check them off the list. Dead easy!!!

[Jaye]

Thanks for the tip!

[Skinny rooster]

Vaseline is gooey but gooey is good in this situation, often one dose gets the buggers. It's harder to use at this time of year. I also like to apply mineral oil with a soft basting brush, just like painting the legs. I guess wild birds could bring these to you, my neighbour's chickens got them this year and she bought hers as chicks years ago and no new blood in the flock, so the only thing I can see is the wild birds must have carried them in.