Kitchen Garden Forum

Hi to All
Can anyone help me please How do you deal with scaly leg in Hens, what can I use.


Regards


Kevin

Hello Kevin
One of the simplest treatments is to coat their legs with liquid paraffin. This is NOT the paraffin from the garage that you'd use in your greenhouse heater but a light oil that you can get at a pharmacy. The cheapest version of this is Baby Oil that you'll find with all the baby stuff (where else!) in the supermarket. It sometimes has a trace of perfume added which I'm sure your girls will appreciate!
Treat all the birds even if they don't show any signs of leg problems. Repeat this treatment every few weeks till you see an improvement. The damaged scales are eventually replaced but its a slow process. Last of all don't try to remove the damaged scales as this will likely lead to infected legs. I think that there are various medicinal treatments available but give the oil a go first.

John

Hi John,

Thanks for the info I went to my local Boot's pharmacy to get a bottle, Sorry was the reply when asked, we have not sold that for years, so it looks like a trip to asda is called for, cannot wait for the look on the wife's face when I pick up the Baby Oil .

Wish me luck

Kevin

Dear Kevin, i do hope you have some left for the Chickens.

Hi Oldherbaceous,

Thanks for that I wonder how far a large bottle would stretch

Regards

Kevin

I know Tesco's sell the stuff.

Now OH knows how I keep my hands so beautifully soft and smooth!

John

There are also several other things you can use. A squirt of cat Frontline in the vent area will do the trick - or Ivermectin will work also. 2 drops on the back of the neck for small fowl and 4 drops for large fowl.

An easy method too is to go to the chemist and get a bottle of Benzyl Benzoate and paint onto the chickens legs, once a week for three weeks. I use a small soft paintbrush to do this. It dries very quickly so is very easy to apply.

Surgical spirits can also be used - same as for the Benzyl Benzoate.