Worried about my chickens leg

faz669

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I have noticed my polish breed chickens leg looking thicker than it did, I have two one of their legs seems normal, but the others seem to have got bigger and crusty like. I have attached some photos, does anybody know what this is and if I should be alarmed?

They are both eating, drinking, laying and running around like normal.
 

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I have noticed my polish breed chickens leg looking thicker than it did, I have two one of their legs seems normal, but the others seem to have got bigger and crusty like. I have attached some photos, does anybody know what this is and if I should be alarmed?

They are both eating, drinking, laying and running around like normal.
Scaly Leg Mites is the problem there. A very painful condition because the mites are under the scales feeding and the cream coloured crusty deposits are the mite poo which builds up and tears the scales off. Ultimately it will become so painful they can't walk.

The vet treatment is a solution of Benzyl Benzoate applied to the affected areas. We have had more success with olive oil. Either way it is necessary to stand the patient in a shallow tray and brush the solution upwards, forcing it under the scales. Use a soft brush and don't apply too much pressure, otherwise the scales will be torn off and the chicken will go crazy. The BB kills the mites and the oil suffocates them. BB needs to be applied and then re-applied a week later, as with the oil. But it takes months to see any results because the damaged scales will fall away and new ones grow. It will be a year, with perhaps several repeated treatments, before the legs have recovered.

It is quite infectious, so treat it now and any others that are beginning to show signs. It's not easy standing a chicken in a tray and keeping it still- definitely a two person job.
 
Just here to say that I've also had good luck with coconut oil instead of olive oil. And I've read that diatomaceous earth can help kill them but I haven't used it myself personally yet.
 
Thanks for your replies, really appreciate. I will ask my brother to help, we have both organic coconut oil and olive oil.
Just want to ask how certain are you from these photos that they are scaly leg mites? Just because as I say they are acting very normal, if anything more energetic and hyper than normal. Just want to be sure before I apply the oil that it could not be something else like just natural growth or whatever.
Thanks
 
You could try taking closer pics for confirmation but the good thing about the oils is that the worst that can come of it is a slightly more stressed out bird with moisturized legs lolol
 
Hi
You can zoom into the second photo and get a really good view of the legs, the thing that confuses me is it has only happened to our 2 polish breed chickens, the other three are fine. So wanted to make sure its not just a case of them having different legs to my other chickens as they grow
 
Your chicken has Scaly Leg Mite.
Some chickens have a genetic predisposition for it.
Most treatments rely on suffocting the mites. Don't bother with DE for this, or anything else come to that.
There are plenty of options to deal with the problem.
The fastest and, depending on the chickens temprement, is to dip the legs in surgical spirit (rubbing alcohol). The legs nee to be submerged for a minute or so.
I've used Vasaline mixed with Betadine (75% to 25%) in the past. The Betadine is anti fungal and antiseptic which helps to clean up the mite shite and prevent infection.
What you do need to be aware of is a single treatment isn't going to cure the problem, maily because the mites lay eggs under the scales and these hatch and the cycle starts again.
Whichever method you decide to use, you will need to repeat the treatment, first 5 days later, then once a week for a couple of weeks.
Do be aware that the scales will not go back to their normal orientation; the chicken has to shed the lifted damaged scales and this can take some months. The legs will only look normal again once new scales have grown in.

I've recently started using this product for SLM. I don't know yet how effective it is but I'm told by people who have tried it that it works well. It can be applied as a preventative/leg maintainance on a weekly basis.
 

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