Pls, help identify what's wrong with this roo's legs.

AimeePearn · Post by **AimeePearn** » Sat Feb 06, 2016 3:25 pm

Inherited this rooster from an uncle; no idea of breed or age, but the little guy does do a good job. He's even tempered and gentle. Not easy to replace in a rooster, so...

What's up with his legs?

Thanks everyone.

Aim

Post by **WLLady** » Sat Feb 06, 2016 4:15 pm

can you post a photo of the bottoms of his feet? they look swollen which suggests to me maybe long term bumblefoot which is easier to tell from the underside of the foot than the top.
is he getting around okay? not ouchy or limping?

Jaye · Post by **Jaye** » Sat Feb 06, 2016 4:39 pm

Poor thing. Looks a lot like an advanced stage case of scaly leg mites to me. Are the tops of his legs bleeding or just really raw? I had to deal with scaly leg mites about a month ago, so although I'm fairly new to the whole poultry raising thing (two years), those legs look similar to what my hens had. It could also be bumblefoot, as WLLady suggested, but can't see that from the top.
Either way, I'd start with an Epsoms Salt soak, then dry off and coat feet and legs with olive oil or coconut oil - both are soothing. Since he has what looks like open sores on the tops of his legs, I wouldn't recommend VetRX, which is what I used. It contains camphor,oregano oil and rosemary oil, which is great as an antiseptic, but would sting on an open wound.

Post by **WLLady** » Sat Feb 06, 2016 4:48 pm

scaly mite is relatively easy to treat. spray his legs with pour-on ivermectin, or dunk in vegetable oil and work it in. the ivermectin treatment can be repeated in about 2 weeks, while you can repeat the oil treatment more often.

Jaye · Post by **Jaye** » Sat Feb 06, 2016 4:56 pm

I painted my hen's legs with VetRX after washing them and drying them. You could do the same with Ivermection, or vegetable oil. It takes longer than dunking, but it's less messy: you get less oil on the feathers at the top of their legs if you paint it on. I used an small old makeup brush.

madison174 · Post by **madison174** » Sat Feb 06, 2016 5:14 pm

VetRX will work great. Have even heard of using coconut oil? Haven't tried it though. Looks like scaly mites.

ross · Post by **ross** » Sat Feb 06, 2016 5:16 pm

This the rooster of the 2 bantam pic earlier? Agree & spurs need work too . Personally I smear my birds legs / feet with vaseline rubbing in skin & under scales with tooth brush . I use a battery operated one (tooth brush

with my arthritic hands/fingers . Luck

Jaye · Post by **Jaye** » Sat Feb 06, 2016 5:22 pm

I swear by VetRX, IF there are no open wounds.
If you have a shallow dish pan or litter box, add a couple of TBSPs of Epsom Salts to enough warm water to cover up to where there feathers start on his legs when you set him in the pan. Pretty sure he'll appreciate it. Leave him in there until the water starts to cool (10-15 minutes), then dry off his legs and apply whatever you decide to go with, be it vegetable oil, olive oil, coconut oil, VetRX, Ivermectin ...
Oh, and I always reward my hens after treatment with a special treat - hulled sunflower seeds, grapes, mealworms, for example.

WaupoosCowgirl · Post by **WaupoosCowgirl** » Sat Feb 06, 2016 8:16 pm

ross wrote:QR_BBPOST This the rooster of the 2 bantam pic earlier? Agree & spurs need work too . Personally I smear my birds legs / feet with vaseline rubbing in skin & under scales with tooth brush . I use a battery operated one (tooth brush with my arthritic hands/fingers . Luck

Bantam Roo from earlier picture is mine and in a different thread. He only has the one spur and is basically a feral bird I can't catch him for the life of me (amazed I actually got the picture) I figure at this point it offers him some protection form predators.

Post by **WLLady** » Sat Feb 06, 2016 8:27 pm

still curious about the bottoms of his feet....but totally agree on the advanced scaly mites. i just think that there's also some underlying infection in there too making his feet swollen....