How to Get Rid of Chicken Mites on the Feet
More and more people are discovering the satisfaction that comes from having a backyard flock of chickens, whether for meat or eggs or both, but they also discover that parasites can sweep through a flock if they aren't careful. Scaly leg mites are one such pest, burrowing beneath the scales on a chicken's leg and even causing lameness or toe loss. Though it's easier to take preventative measures to keep your chickens healthy, it's possible to cure them of scaly leg mites if they do become infected.
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Instructions
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How to Get Rid of Chicken Mites on the Feet
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Diagnose your chicken's disease. Does your chicken have an enlarged, rough leg? Are there crusty deposits underneath the normal scales on the foot? If so, chances are it is suffering from scaly leg mites.
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Measure one part kerosene to two parts linseed oil. Do not substitute motor oil for the kerosene. Most hardware and art supply stores will carry linseed oil; hardware stores, paint stores and some gas stations sell kerosene.
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Combine kerosene with linseed oil in a non-plastic container.
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Brush the chickens' perches with the kerosene and linseed oil every two or three days.
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Brush the legs of the chickens with the kerosene and linseed oil mixture every two or three days, or dip their legs into a container of the mixture. Take care to only treat the scaly part of the leg; this mixture will irritate the feathered portion of the leg.
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Take the petroleum jelly and coat the infected chicken's legs with it on a weekly basis, if the scaly leg mites persist. Be careful not to get petroleum jelly on their feathers.
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Tips & Warnings
If you have a large flock, give an oral dose of ivermectin to each infected chicken. If it is a bantam size, each should receive 5 to 7 drops. If it is a normal-sized chicken, each should receive 1/4 cc.
If your chicken is far advanced in its scaly leg mite outbreak, soak its legs in warm, soapy water first, then brush the scales with a toothbrush before applying the kerosene-linseed oil mixture.
Continue applying the mixture to roosts and chicken legs once a month as a preventative measure. You need to break the mites' life cycle to truly eradicate them.
To avoid scaly leg, keep the chickens' roosts, nests and living quarters clean.
An outbreak of scaly leg mites is more likely in a chicken run with dry, bare soil. You should periodically rotate your chickens onto fresh pasture if possible, both for the health of your chickens and your chicken yard.
Chickens are unlikely to cooperate with these procedures, so try treating them at dusk.
Ivermectin is toxic if given in excess.
If you have an allergy to penicillin, you should avoid the eggs of a chicken recently treated with ivermectin, just to be safe.
