Every type (classes) of poultry can get scaly leg mites. Treatment is important to maintain good health, well being, and improve the appearance of your chickens. Find out about scaly leg mites, signs, symptoms, treatments, old fashioned treatments, herbal remedies, and how to prevent your chickens from getting scaly leg mites plus watch our featured video about how to get rid of scaly leg mites.

What is Scaly Leg Mite (Cnemidoeoptes mutants)/Itch Mite on chickens?

Scaly leg mite if left untreated can cause feet and leg deformities in chickens and other poultry and can cause the loss of the tips of the birds toes. This mite lives beneath the scales of the shanks and feet. These itch mites also attack the comb, wattles, and neck.

Symptoms of Scaly Leg Mites

The first signs of scaley leg mite infestation are often overlooked which appear as redness and foot irritation but quickly escalates to a easily seen problem as the scales on the feet and legs actually thicken and rise up giving them a rough appearance.

Treatment for Scaly Leg Mites

Scaly Leg Mites photo used under creative commons from iShamba (3)

Traditionally painting the roosts and the use of carbolineums were successfully used for the control of common poultry mites. Carbolineums were "used for a heavy oily substance distilled from an anthracene-oil or creosote-oil fraction of coal tar and used as a wood preservative, disinfectant, or insecticide", as defined by Merriam Webster dictionary. The bird's feet were dipped in this tar like substance to suffocate the mites, thereby killing them. Studies show that excessive use of carbolineums can damage the wattles and combs of chickens, as well as, cause acute hepatic inefficiency (liver problems) which makes this a NOT ideal solution for the treatment of scaly leg mites. However, petroleum jelly does not have this same effect, or there has been no reports of it.
Paint the roosts and any wood surfaces with non toxic paint
Give the bird a bath using Dawn dish soap (original) and warm water. After the bird's feathers are dry, treat with mite and lice treatment.
​Treat all birds in your flock with mite and lice treatment
Sanitize the bird's feet with rubbing alcohol (soak birds feet and legs in a solution of 1 cup rubbing alcohol to 2 gallons of warm water for 10 minutes)
Apply 100% petroleum jelly to the legs and feet of all birds in the flock
Ivermectin (a pour on dewormer and insect repellent)-Many claim that Ivermectin commonly used on cattle will keep scaly leg mites and other insects away from chickens.
Parafin wax-Many people melt parafin wax down to a liquid and as soon as it is cool enough not to burn the chicken they soak their legs and feet in it. The wax will harden and suffocate the mites.
Vegetable oil-Many people swear by cooking oil saying that if they soak their chickens legs and feet in it for ten to fifteen minutes that it will get rid of the scaly leg mites.

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Featured Video: How to Treat Scaly Legs in Chickens

This video describes the old fashioned remedy for treating scaly leg mites in chickens using surgical spirits (a sterilising solution used in salons to sterilize surfaces) and vaseline (100% pure petroleum jelly often used to soften dry skin). She makes a mistake in the video saying the vaseline will suffocate the chickens and kill the mites which she obviously meant the vaseline would suffocate and kill the mites. I personally have not tried this method.

Preventing Scaly Leg Mites in Your Flock By Motherhen

Preventing scaley leg mites in chickens, turkeys and ducks is somewhat time consuming but is definitely worth the effort. Here are some good tips to prevent scaley leg mites in chickens and other poultry:

• Keep your coop and runs clean and disinfected at all times.
• Make sure your birds have access to clean dirt to dust bathe in.
• If you don't have a large flock give each of your chickens a chicken spa day.
• Move your coop and run every six to 8 weeks
• Use Ultraviolet lighting to prevent bacteria and illness.
• Keep your birds in a moveable coop and run so wild birds who carry mites and lice cannot access your birds play area, feed or water.

The easiest way I have found to prevent scaly leg mites is to put a shallow pan of Food grade DE (Diametaceous Earth) inside of my hen house door where the birds go in and out. This forces them to walk through it. Foodgrade DE will kill any mites on the birds and repel any of them that may be hanging around wanting to munch on your birds, I also put 1 cup of Foodgrade DE in every 50lbs of feed and mix it in, the chickens eat it with their feed and don't get worms either. Every Spring I give each bird a warm bath and apply petroleum jelly to their legs, feet, comb and wattles. Spring clean the coop, and paint any wood surfaces with non toxic paint and have had no problems with mites, scaly leg mites, or worms. I don't sprinkle it all over the coop as some people do as the fine particles can cause respiratory breathing problems in my birds.--Motherhen
The fact is no matter how diligent you are at keeping your birds and living quarters clean, disinfected and protected, your birds may still end up getting mites or lice at some point. If and when it happens mite and lice infestations are not as hard to get rid of if you keep your coop and birds well maintained. 

Related Topics (Click links below to view)

Using Ivermectin to get rid of mites

Cleaning and disinfecting your chicken coop, perches, nestboxes

How to Tell if Your Chickens Have Mites or Lice

Chicken Parasites Symptoms & Treatments

Poultry Spray by Premo Guard – 32 oz – Treat Mites, Fleas, Flies, and Lice – Fast Acting & Effective – Chicken, Turkey, Waterfowl, and Birds – Best Natural Protection for Control & Prevention

Durvet Permethrin 10%, 8oz Rapid-kill livestock insecticide concentrate SAFE: Permethrin is highly toxic to insects but not to animals or humans APPROVED FOR USE ON: Dairy cattle, beef cattle, horses, sheep, goats, dogs, swine, poultry, livestock premises and homes. Note: Permethrin is deadly to cats.

​References:
1. https://naldc.nal.usda.gov/download/IND43893801/PDF
2. Video: How to treat scaly leg mites in chickens. ​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Vx3hanjrNM
3, Photo: Scaly leg mites. iShamba. https://www.facebook.com/iShambaLtd/photos/p.536500769847598/536500769847598/