[Moss]

Hi, I'm a first time chook (8 ISA Warren hens) keeper since August I've had no problems but the last few weeks my chooks have had dirty bottoms and then I noticed that two hens legs look different from the others. I read on one of these posts to check their vents, so I did this morning and I saw a small clear/white bug.
Is this scaly leg? I read that to cure scaly leg one must dip their legs in white spirit but how do I clear their vents of bugs?
Any help gratefully received.

Thanks
Cecilia

[doganjo]

It might be ordinary mites.  Scaly leg shows up as the legs looking much bigger than normally as the scales bulge out with the mites under them.  SLM treatment varies.  I just cured one my mine quickly by spraying her legs with MiteKill (pink nice smelling stuff  )
Mites as a whole need fairly hefty work to shift them - if you see one on a hen it's guaranteed they'll be on the others too and in their nesting boxes and coop.

Buy some Diatomaceous Earth, and a bottle of mitekill. Clear everything out of the coop that is moveable, including perches and floor coverings (I use vinyl).  Clean it all up with hot soapy water, steam clean the shed if you can, spread DE powder all over the floor and sides of the shed when dry, then spray everything with mitekill after you put it back in, particularly at the ends of the perches and corners of the coop.
Good luck!

[shetlandpaul]

its much more likely to be a louse. and there will be more than one. if you can get spot on treat them once with a dose of about 0.5 ml and it will kill any bugs that there are. look for egg clusters and pull them off. it is not scaley leg. if it was scaley lt would appear as raised scales on the leg. you would not see the mites. if you do get it get some scaley leg spray and cover with vasaline. if its mites then you need to treat the flock and housing.

[rip]

echo above comments

[northfifeduckling]

could be a louse egg. We had the problem and I just ordered a kilo of Diatomaceous Earth for a tenner on ebay. if you get a puffer bottle with it you can spray the powder straight on. The pure food grade DE you can also give internally as a wormer, I had no idea!

[goosepimple]

Grab them and throw some mite powder on them then worm them anyway - Flubanvet is good with no egg withdrawal - if my hens get a skitty backside I mash up half a Diocalm tablet in some water in the bottom of a glass and give them a dose with a 5ml dispenser - its easy to do - if you haven't done it get someone to hold the hen while you open the beak and do it (they won't peck, they just give in).  It works a treat and they're back to normal within a day or two with nice healthy poo.  A vet also told me if your hen (or any animal she said - even a cow) has a sore bottom then smear a bit of Sudocreme (nappy rash cream) on it and its fine in a day or so.  Wonder if you would need a big icing bag full of it for a cow.....

[supplies for smallholders]

Hi,

A couple of points from me ...

Mite powder is more of a repellant (unless you use "total Mite Kill" - which shouldnt be applied direct to the birds)
To treat lice you need a louse powder applied to the bedding / nest areas etc, then mite powder in the birds them selves (not Mite Kill). - this will encourage the lice to leave the birds, and the louse powder will kill them.

Using a medicine intended for humans (Diacalm) has a couple of problems 1) What other problem could you be masking ? ie why has the bird got the runs? 2) what effect does this have on the eggs? is there a withdrawl period involved? etc.

Flubanvet.... well as I have tried to point out in the past, very may well have a withdrawl period for commercial use, and if you sell your eggs at the gate or to friends then you are a commercial producer.

Thanks

[shetlandpaul]

two weeks for egg sales. each to there own SFS. i prefer a fast kill(bugs that is) other don't mind a longer term control. What i do know is the sight of the things has me scrating for hours. but i agree most powders don't clear the things properly. If you plan your pest control you can use the same standstill to clear anyother problems.

[goosepimple]

Free rangers pick up all sorts of stuff and now and again you will get a single hen with runs - diocalm can really help if the hen is in serious trouble - obviously other things have to be checked to treat the cause rather than the symptom - but in my 5 years of hen keeping it has saved the life of a few without a doubt.

[northfifeduckling]

I remember this ever so useful link to pictures of chicken poo- lots of them we might find pathological are absolutely normal. I wish I could find it now...

[goosepimple]

How sad I am - I do enjoy seeing a good dollop of healthy poo, it does give me a kind of self satisfaction...ahhh..

[northfifeduckling]

 

[supplies for smallholders]

two weeks for egg sales. each to there own SFS. i prefer a fast kill(bugs that is) other don't mind a longer term control. What i do know is the sight of the things has me scrating for hours. but i agree most powders don't clear the things properly. If you plan your pest control you can use the same standstill to clear anyother problems.

Hi paul,

This old chestnut again ! I have nothing against that wormer - it is a very very good poultry wormer, and I use it on my hens.

What I do have issue with is people wrongly stating that there is no withdrawl period - There isn't for home use but there is for eggs to be sold.

Thanks

[shetlandpaul]

yes it could be dangerous if you don't get the timings right. I suppose there is a small risk of someone eating eggs with a serious alergic reaction to the stuff. but i wonder if the same careful eye is put on chickens that have had antibiotics. Its known that extremly low levels could cause death. I wonder how careful people are even with medicated food. unless the chuck is isolated for the withdrawl period its pretty sure that there will be eggs with traces of meds getting into the food chain.

[Moss]

Thanks guys for all your useful advice. Two definitely have scaly leg. As for the mites/louses I can't find any more. Today I completely washed out their house then scrubbed with Jayes Fluid, put in clean bedding and dusted with mite powder. I also sprayed all their legs with scaly leg liquid. Fingers crossed I'll get it all under control soon.