Red patches on legs

[chickenfan]

I am very worried to find a young bird with feathered legs has bright red patches on his legs, as with the older bird I bought in. I have guessed that this is scaly leg mite, but wonder if it could be anything else?

If it is scaly leg mite, I now have spray for this and have ordered flowers of sulphur. I notice Chris mentions using 'healing oils' and I wonder what these oils were Chris? I have bad eyesight, but can't see any raised scales, just the red patches, but they are sablepoots with heavily-feathered legs.

What is the best way of treating the mites in the bedding? Is it safe to put this on the compost heap, or might it then migrate to all my flock? If I wash the houses outside, am I just washing the mites into the environment?

 

[chrismahon]

Our Orpington cocks have red patches on their feet and legs Chickenfan -it's just normal colouration. Those birds that have had scaly leg mite only had raised scales and no red coloration, so if anything yours haven't got them. Our healing oils were an exotic mixture produced by a medical herbalist, so won't be easy to source and would be very expensive if you did. Our neighbours cockerel had bad scaly leg mite and so he mixed up some old kitchen oils and soaked his feet. It was very effective indeed, with the oils soaking between the scales suffocating the mite. I don't know what his mix was but stuff you would find here would be olive, hazelnut and walnut oil.

Bedding suspected of containing mites we put in the dustbin in a sealed bag.

 

[chickenfan]

Thank you very much for your reply Chris. I'll check with the previous owner whether the cockerel had red patches. They are blood-red colour patches, so look alarming. What lovely-sounding oils you have to eat! Thanks also for the logical tip re bedding - I expect the recyling place will take it.