[WoodlandsDevon]

I have some cases of scaly leg in the flock. Wondering what the best way is to treat it?
thanks

[HesterF]

Vaseline is supposed to be good if you can be efficient enough to treat daily. I've only had one case and I took him to the vet who gave him two shots of anti-mite stuff (can't remember which - sorry), ten days apart and it cleared up like magic. Didn't even take until the next moult to disappear which I had believed to be the case.

[Eve]

I used a scaly mite spray, from net-tex think.

[Marches Farmer]

Old method was to paint on white spirit. 

[lord flynn]

benzyl benzoate (which is whats in the Nettex stuff) -you can get it in 500ml from the equine section of hyper drug. dilute it 50/50 in water and dunk each leg in it for 30s, weekly for 4 weeks. Scales that drop off will contain mites for 4 weeks so you need to continue treatments for this long. I've also used ivermectin on vets prescription for scaly leg.

[HesterF]

Ivermectin - that was it! Don't use white spirit - supposed to be very painful for the bird.

[devonlady]

Google RUGGLE-IT, it is wonderful stuff. Scaley legged hens, itchy dogs, sweet itchy ponies et al.

[Victorian Farmer]

Get the hen and dip each leg in a cheap sun cream for a week then get a nail brush and skrub each leg .The cream kills the might then treat whith a skaley leg spray .Happey hens 

[ScotsGirl]

Would any of the sheep treatments such as clik or crovect be ok on chickens? Obviously withdrawing eggs for a week or so.

[Hevxxx99]

Either ivermectin: a few drops on the back of the neck, which'll clear up all external and internal parasites, or suffocate the blighters by coating the legs in a thick oil, repeating about once a week until the legs look better.  I've ever seen scales fall off, but maybe they do and I've just never noticed.  I thought they just flattened out again!

[ScotsGirl]

I tried dipping legs in diluted iodine last night. Not sure how much it will help but not much likes iodine and my local gamekeeper sticks it on everything! They seem none the worse for it but no idea if it helped. As they don't seem to produce many eggs I might just bite the bullet and dose them with ivermectin

[chrismahon]

Do not use white spirit or WD40 WoodlandsDevon. Very painful for the bird, in fact they can scream in agony.


We usually use Benzyl Benzoate and brush it up the scales. But the ground is very dry here and it doesn't seem very effective now. So we tried an alternative concoction based on hemp oil with healing oils added and brushed that on. The idea is to suffocate the mites and condition the feet and scales at the same time. The effect was immediate, in that the birds calmed down and were overall noticeably better natured and relaxed. Scaley leg mites must be far more painful than is apparent to us, or can imagine.

[lord flynn]

I've used ivermectin in the past to clear up a stubborn case and I also needed to make sure I didn't move the problem with me last year. worked a treat and I've no more cases since we moved.


I do think its painful chrismahon, I wince at some of the remedies out there-both because the treatment itself sounds sore and also so many are ineffectual.

[Castle Farm]

Sudocrem.

[tizaala]

Any cream or grease will do to suffocate the mites, even udder cream is good , or red biddy.