3 Steps to Treating Scaly Leg Mites

By Andrew Penn, on August 5th, 2011

Mites are a common problem in the summer, especially if your chickens are free-range for some or all of their day. There are actually many different types of mites that prey on chickens and cause varying degrees of irritation and infestation. If you notice that your chickens’ legs have scales that are irritated, protruding outwards from their legs, your birds may be suffering from scaly leg mites.

Scaly-leg mites are simply mites that live underneath the scales on chickens legs and feet, causing irritation and thickening of the chickens’ scales. The mites can spread quickly from one bird to another, so it’s important to treat the mites properly to avoid a full-out infestation.

To treat and prevent scaly leg mites, follow these three steps:

Suffocate the mites. Scaly leg mites need to be suffocated in order for them to die. Usually, suffocating the mites is accomplished using a topical treatment applied directly to your chickens’ legs and feet. Any of the following may work:

Vaseline (or other petroleum jelly)
Mineral oil
Baby oil
Orange oil
Neosporin
A bath with hot soapy water
A strong apple cider vinegar solution
Vick’s Vapor Rub

Reapply topical treatment until all mites are dead. Apply the topical treatment at least once each day on the affected birds until all mites are dead.
Clean your coop thoroughly. Mites can live in your chicken coop and prey on your birds at night, so make sure that you thoroughly clean your chicken coop. Remove your chickens from their coop, remove—and preferably burn—all nests, litter, and food from the coop, and clean it thoroughly with an animal-safe disinfectant. Be sure to scrub cracks and corners where mites can hide. Painting the surfaces of the coop with kerosene or linseed oil makes it more difficult for mites to live in the coop.