Questions, broodyness and scaly legs!

[Anonymous]

Hi all!

Two questions, my chickens are "mixed race" but the 2 that are predominantly black rock have lost scales off their legs revealing white skin underneath, the 2 welsummer types have not a problem with lifting scales. I suspected scaly leg mites and have been smearing vaseline on (much to the girls' annoyance!) but is it a breed thing? Am I doing the right thing?

Also, Lucie, one of the black rock types is broody and has been for a month. She isn't feeling too happy I fear. Her comb has shrunk somewhat. I lift her off the nest so she gets out and gets a dust bath and she will come out if she hears I am feeding treats to her coop-mates!!! How much longer will this go on, or is now the time to put some ice cubes under her like I read in a book? (I have no way of isolating her or putting her in a cage as I don't have one!) How much longer til she snaps out of it? Or will she??

All advice greatfully received...I am a beginner after all!!

Lem X

 

[Chuck]

She could go on for another few weeks yet. It's natural for a broody's comb to shrink and lose colour.
I've never heard of using ice cubes and don't like the sound of it. I should turf her off the nest as much as possible and shut her out of the nestbox if that's possible for part of the day after the eggs of the others have been laid.

I don't look on Vaseline as a cure for scaly leg, just a help in getting the legs back in condition.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for that Chuck, what do you suggest as a cure for scaly leg? I managed to turf Lucie off the nest earlier and bathed her legs with cotton wool and a tea tree oil solution before re-Vaselining them.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi, 2 of our Wyandottes had bad scaley leg. We tried spray you can buy from pet shops and vaseline. It only got worse. In the end we took them to the vet who prescribed Ivomectin. We have to give them 4 doses spread over 2 months. The only thing is you cannot eat the eggs. Hope this helps.
Broodiness is quite hard to stop. As Chuck says lock them out the house as much as possible, collect all eggs so they cannot sit on them. I haven't heard of ice cubes either though I have heard of people plunging their birds in cold water. I haven't tried this as it sounds horrible.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks Claire, you think it sounds like scaly legg too? The 2 brown hens don't have it, just the 2 black ones!

 

[Anonymous]

If the scales are lifted it most probably is scaley leg mite. Our 2 that had it got red patches where the scales had lifted but I don,t think that is always the case. When we took them to the vet I also took one of my Pekins to ask someting else and although we didn't think she had it the vet said there was some signs that she did although not to the same extent as the others. He also said that most of the stuff you can buy in pet shops etc is not much good.