Chook Me!

What to use on Poultry for the scaley mite they get on their legs?

this disease makes their scales on their legs swell up, and disfigures their feet

Public Comments

1. I found this for you...Hope it helps... "There are several treatment methods available to control scaly-leg mites. Treatment with Ivermectin® is recommended. In addition, coating the entire leg shaft with petroleum jelly will help to moisturize the scales and revert the scales back to normal in less severe cases." I also found... "Scaly leg can take a long time to correct and the birds legs will never look as nice as if they had never had the problem so prevention is far better than cure. It can affect any bird but is unlikely in waterfowl due to their aquatic nature. It can be treated in the following ways. I usually take the bird to the house and soak its legs in warm water for a while to remove any dirt. You will find that this will soften some of the crusts that may become loose and detach. DO NOT pull at the crusts or they may come away taking the birds skin with it and you end up with a bleeding mess. But any that can be SAFELY removed can be gently eased off. Don't scrub the legs, you would find this painful and so does the chicken! Dry the legs and apply one of the following. Scaly cream: This is available from pet shops for treating budgies with scaly face. This works well for small numbers of birds. rub it well into the legs and repeat every few weeks. For larger numbers of birds benzol benzonate available from chemists can be applied to the legs on a regular basis. As it is caused by a mite a quick spray on the legs with a lice/mite spray will also work, but only to a degree as treatment really needs to get well down under he scales. For the more organic amongst you I have had very good results using Eucalyptus oil. This works like a penetrating oil and after a few minutes of use you will find some scabs becoming very soft and fairly easy to remove. Treat every few weeks. massage well into the legs. I have yet to try Tea tree oil but think that this mixed with Eucalyptus oil would prove useful due to its healing properties. I use Eucalyptus oil as a preventative against scaly leg. and it seems to work. Some old time fanciers still recommend using things like paraffin or old sump oil petrol creosote and other things that today can be considered hazardous to health not just the birds but yours as well. I'm not for a moment suggesting that they didn't work, they obviously did, but there are really far better and less risky treatments available to the Poultry fancier of the 21 century NEW TIP!! Now for a little extra tip, which I have only discovered recently, I've tried this and it really works well. If you buy a bird with really bad scaly leg, get some Protocon ointment. Protocon is a sticky yellow sulpher based ointment sold for use in horses. Slaver this stuff all over the birds legs, work it in well. Then wrap some paper tissue around the birds legs. Then, cover this paper tissue with duck tape, use it as a sticking plaster. (The paper tissue will act to stop the duck tape getting unsticky and is nicer for the bird) leave the bird with the plaster on for 1 week to 10 days. After this gently remove the plaster and tissue, you will find the scabs usually come off fairly clean. You may have to repeat the process but I have been astonished at how well this has worked."
2. i would also recommend petroleum jelly. . . is this a show bird? if so, try to keep it separate from your other showbirds! I've heard it's very hard to get rid of. Good luck!
3. I would get some roost paint from your local vet and dust your birds with 7 dust. Repeat the 7 dust in about 2 weeks.