[Dreich Pete]

Our helpful, and chicken experienced, neighbour identified the possible early stage of scaly leg and gave us (or rather, the hens) some Harker-mectin (ivermectin) to treat it, but I think this morning one of the hens looks like the scales are starting to lift, although the toes don't look any redder.

Does the treatment take a while to take effect or has it not done the job? Could this be affecting their eating habits as mentioned on another thread (only eating from hand, not bowl)?

I know Harker's is stated as being fro pigeons but it's the same stuff and my neighbour is quite well versed in hen care so I do trust her judgment.

[lord flynn]

did you get the dose right? also new scales won't appear until the moult so the old ones may come away in the meantime-scales remain infectious for about a month so in order to really get on top of it, does them again later on. Might also be worth dunking all their legs in liquid paraffin or working in vaseline to help prevent reinfection. scaly leg can be a bugger to get on top of. don't forget the egg withdrawal for ivermectin as well.

[in the hills]

Yes check egg withdrawl period.

You can treat by soaking hens legs in warm soapy water ...... 10 minutes or so if you can. Then smother legs in Vaseline. Repeat every few days for a couple of weeks. We treated a hen given to us in this way. Her legs were BAD. It was very effective. It is contagious. I would coat all their legs with Vaseline even if they look okay. Better to stop it now.

You can still eat the eggs this way and no nasty chemicals on you or your birds 

[chrismahon]

Two other treatments not requiring egg withdrawal. Benzyl Benzoate solution, which is the same as treats scabies in humans, brushed up under the scales. Vegetable oil, Olive, sunflower or the like, which they are stood in for 5 minutes, which suffocates the mites. Both treatments require the feet to be clean and dry and both may require repeating.


We don't use Ivermectin at all for anything.

[Marches Farmer]

I believe white spirit does the job, too.

[lord flynn]

I believe white spirit does the job, too.

would that not sting? I tried all the topical stuff-it didnt really get on top of it although the environment there was to blame. ivermectin is a useful drug-just don't eat the meat of anything treated by it and get advice as to egg withdrawal-especially if you sell/give eggs away. its actually prescribed to people elsewhere in the world to treat scabies, its just here that its not licenced for poultry.

[chrismahon]

I bet it would Lord Flynn. Also heard of someone treating Scaley leg with WD40. Apparently the hen screamed and kept screaming until she had washed it all off with soap and water.

[doganjo]

I use Vaseline and spread diatom earth everywhere - absolutely everywhere. That reminds me I have run out - need more!

[plumseverywhere]

we treated it successfully with sudocrem of all things!  our goldline has beautiful, scale free legs now (well as scaly as a chickens legs should be anyway...)

[landroverroy]

The ivermectin will definitely do the job, but the scales won't regrow immediately.
Don't get too paranoic about the withdrawal period either. If you applied the tiny amount given to a hen, to your own skin it wouldn't hurt you. If you then extrapolate how much is going to be in an egg, it would be negligible.
Obviously to be politically correct, you probably wouldn't sell them within the withdrawal period, but for your own use they would be fine.

[Dreich Pete]

I gather the not eating the eggs for a week after Ivermectin treatment is considered optional by many people. We don't have that decision right now as they have all stopped laying for two days.