Posted by Elaine Hope on December 7, 2009 at 8:48am
One of our 4 hens has had obvious scaley leg mite since we got them all 9 months ago. The other 3 don't seem to have caught them yet despite very iintimate dust bathing together and 'host' hen's infestation doesn't seem to have got much worse. Is it worth the 'upset' of ridding host hen of mites or should we leave well alone?
Elaine
You need to be a member of ooooby3 to add comments!
Hi Elaine, I'm sure by now you've solved your leg mite problem but just thought I'd add what I know in case it's an easier solution for you. I buy a light cooking oil in a spray can just from the super market. Then when they've hopped up on their perch for the night I get one at a time and totally cover their legs in the oil, this drowns the mite. An application once a month for maybe three months should totally do the job. One of my girls has always had a bit of scale on her legs, she's still laying for me 4 years on...
Gina :-D
Alanna Moore in Backyard Poulty Naturally says to start by soaking the legs in very soapy water that has a little ammonia added- gently scrub white crust with nailbrush- this aids penetration of medicine. She suggests then applying neen extract spray / or cooking oil with a drop of tee tree oil or eucalyptus oil / or commercial head lice lotion for humans- mixed with vaseline and smeared on (that doesn't seem that natural) May need to repeat a few times until all scales drop off. I wouldn't leave it as it must be extremely irritating for them as mites bury under the skin
I have a book and it says that if left untreated the legs may become swollen and crusty and the bird will eventually become lame. Remedies include paraffin and linseed oil or Petroleum Jelly which will seal the gaps in the scales and prevent the mites from breathing, and vets recommend an application of gamma benzene hexachloride. Hope that helps. Janette :o)
I think one of my problems is that I know what leg mites look like & that we've a hen with said pests, but I don't know if they do any harm or are a problem to the bird. So, to answer your question if I had mites, they didn't cause me any distress and the treatment caused anxiety I would leave them alone.
Elaine
Replies
Gina :-D
Elaine