Parasites: Scaly Leg Mites

Parasites: Scaly Leg Mites 

                Every chicken is susceptible to parasites.  The worst one in my opinion is the scaly leg mites. It’s important to know what these little creatures are, where they come from, what they do and how to get rid of them.  I’m going to tell you what a mite is and what they do and then I’m going to tell you from my experience, the best way to get rid of them.

 

                                              Healthy legs photo from The Chicken Chick 

                                                                at http://www.the-chicken-chick.com

Scaly leg mites are tiny and unlikely seen without magnification. They’re in the environment and picked up by chickens as they scratch the ground.  Once on the chicken, the mites burrow under the scales on the chickens legs.  While your chickens are joyfully foraging for food, the mites are securely tucked away under the scales enjoying a buffet of leg tissue. It can takes months before you notice their existence. By this time they’ve reproduced and your chicken’s smooth legs are now covered with raised, crusty scales. If left untreated, mites will cause pain and stress to your chicken which will decrease egg production and let’s face it, that’s why we have chickens, right?  If they’re left untreated for a long time, the mites will cause severe deformities to the chickens toes and legs.  I have read in the Backyardchicken forums where untreated scaly leg mites were the cause of missing toes.  I don’t doubt that one bit, these little guys are nasty!

 

                                           This is what a bad case of scaly leg mites can do to a chicken.

                                                   Photo courtesy of  Fowlvisions at http://www.fowlvisions.com

Now, what do you do that you’ve seen raised, crusty scales? First of all you’re not a bad chicken parent. It’s nothing you did wrong but it is something you need to address quickly before it spreads through your coop. There are so many different ways according to the internet that you can get rid of these.  Old timers will say things like kerosene and used motor oil work. Some people say to use linseed oil or WD-40. I’ve read about soaking their feed and scrubbing them and covering in petroleum jelly and I’ve done that. I’ve also done the WD-40. None of those worked. Besides, it’s something you have to do every single night. I need something a little simpler.  There is a product made just for scaly leg mites but I’m all about use what you’ve got and I’ve never spent the extra money to see if it actually works or not.  So are you ready for the secret concoction? It’s Seven Dust and petroleum jelly, simple and already on hand around here.

                                                               To prepare for the treatment get your supplies handy

Supplies:              Bucket of warm soapy water

                                Old tooth brush

                                Towel

                                Petroleum Jelly                

                                Seven

                                Surgical gloves

              

            First you want to soak your chicken’s feet. Use the toothbrush to brush up under the scales. This cleans their legs and softens the scales making the application of the petroleum and Seven dust easier.  Dry the legs put on your gloves and mix the Seven into the petroleum jelly. Before you start to apply the jelly, sprinkle Seven on the legs. Now apply the jelly and Seven mixture making sure to push it up under all the scales. Get in good between the toes, around the nail and on the bottom of the foot. Use care to keep it out of the feathers. If you get this in the feathers, it can mat them together and cause the chicken to catch a chill and that could kill them.  After chasing down your chickens all day and working so hard on this, the last thing you want to do is kill them.  

                You’ll want to repeat this in one week for 3 weeks. By then you should see significant improvement. Keep these birds separated from the rest during treatment, unless you’re treating your entire flock. During treatment you may notice scales coming off the feet and legs. This is normal and they will not grow back.  They will always be susceptible for future infestations so keep a watchful eye. You’ll also want to clean the coop completely getting rid of old bedding materials and putting in new. This includes the nest box materials. You can also sprinkle Seven through the coop.

Dusting your chickens with Seven will also kill any other parasites that may be feeding on their bodies.

You want to raise chickens from chicks?

So you think you want to buy some baby chicks? This time of year chicks are easy to come by.  You can have day old chicks mail ordered from hatcheries or pick them up at a local farm equipment store.  Before you go out and pick up some little fuzzy butt chicks there are a few things you need to do first.

             This was a chick given to me by my aunt. It was one of the first 

chickens I raised from a chick.

The first thing you need to do when preparing for the arrival of your chicks is to make them a brooder.   A brooder is simply a place where you raise your chicks.  It can be anything from a cardboard box to a plastic tote.  When chicks are young, they need about a half a square foot of room each.  If you cram too many chicks in your brooder you’ll end up with chicks pecking each other. You need to make sure your brooder is in a location safe from predators and drafts.  

It’s important to keep your brooder clean. Chicks can be very messy so you’ll need something very absorbent. For this, I recommend pine shavings.  Oils in the cedar bedding can cause problems with breathing and newspaper can be hard on little chicks because it’s slippery.  I’ve heard of play sand being used however I have not used it myself so I can’t give an opinion on it. 

Now that you’ve got a brooder with soft pine bedding, you need to add a heat source. When chicks are born, they have no way of keeping themselves warm. A hen naturally keeps her chicks warm by sitting on them. Since you can’t sit on your chicks, you need to provide a heat lamp. There are two different types of lights you could use, one is red and the other is clear. I’ve been told by the old men at the local farm supply store that I should use a clear bulb because it keeps the chicks awake more, which makes them eat more and make them grow faster. That may be fine for some but I feel like that puts unnecessary stress on the chicks.  For that reason I provide the red bulb. Place a thermometer  in the brooder and make sure the temperature is 90 degrees for the first week.  You’ll want to decrease the temperature by 5 degrees each week until you reach normal outside temperature.  It is important to make sure you’ve got the correct temperature in your brooder. If you’ve got your heat lamp on and your chicks are all huddled under the light, it’s not warm enough.  If the chicks are as far away from the heat source as they can get, it’s too warm. The chicks should be scattered throughout the brooder if the temperature is correct. Any variation of too cold or too warm can kill your new chicks. 

So you’ve got a warm brooder full of bedding, what next? Food and water of course!! You’ll need to get a feeder and waterer. These are relatively low cost. A feeder is important because the design keeps the chicks from kicking the feed out and keeps them from pooping in it. There are several different designs you could use. I prefer the small plastic round feeder that you attach a mason jar to but any kind would work. Make sure to fill the feeder with chick starter feed. Don’t use corn, layer ration or scratch because it can reduce their egg laying ability. For water, I prefer poultry water nipples. You can find them online and they make many different kinds.  Chicks can also easily learn to drink from a water bottle for small animals. In my experience these leak, a lot. If you prefer not to order water nipples online, you can get a small plastic water dish that like the round feeder, has a mason jar as the reservoir. 

Once you’ve decide what type of chicken you want, it’s time to get your chicks!