Scaly Leg Mite in Organic Poultry Part Two - The Treatment

Scaly leg mite aka Knemidocoptes mutans is, as previously mentioned in Part One of this topic, an incredibly successful creature. Although it is slow to develop large colonies and in reality should not be a problem because we should see it and deal with it, it is very easy to be taken unawares by its prolific exponential growth. The problem is particularly difficult to spot in feathery footed creatures such as Cochins and if you have these birds then it is important to check them regularly for the first telltale signs of white powdery deposits on the scales of the legs and feet. Rarely mentioned but equally important to prevention and treatment of this mite is the diet of your poultry. If you have not read my initial article on this topic, it might be a good idea to take a look at it, so as to appreciate the importance of diet on external parasite prevention and cure. Topical oil treatment is only a short term solution, the diet of your birds needs to be addressed simultaneously.

As already discussed in the previous article, grain depletes Vitamin A and it is this nutrient which lies at the very heart of the mites' ability to thrive and multiply on your bird. The other crucial thing to remember about treating for any kind of external parasite is that if your bird has become overwhelmed by these mites, there are probably extenuating circumstances. So begin by checking individuals for damaged beaks, depression or stress, which has stopped them from preening or from getting their share of vitamin-rich forages or foodstuffs you have supplied. So even before starting any sort of treatment my first act would be to up those foods rich in beta carotene and make sure by individual feeding that everyone is getting their fair amounts. Above all, as with everything in the forest garden, observation is key, so I regularly sit down and watch my birds just to make sure no one is showing signs of limping or stress.

A quick aside here on Vitamin D₃, as although discovered in 1937 it is only recently that we have began to appreciate the critical role it plays in achieving optimum health. The precursor 7-dehydrocholesterol is stored in the oil of the Uropygial gland and when the bird preens itself the action of the sun's ultraviolet rays transforms this into provitamin  D₃ (Cholecaciferol). When the bird grooms itself it ingests this  provitamin D₃, which is then transformed in the liver and kidneys to Vitamin D₃ (Calcitriol). Thus the evidence of external mites will be a good indication that the pathway of 7-dehydrocholesterol has been compromised i.e. with the blocking of the preen gland by excess keratin and thus the bird may develop all kinds of conditions symptomatic of D₃ deficiency. One of these conditions is, as you may have guessed, keratosis, the over-production of keratin. This is a complex and seemingly for some reason a controversial subject and in the near future I am hoping to present an article that will cover as much research as possible and my own anecdotal material into the importance of Vitamin D₃.

One other Vitamin deficiency also contributing to keratosis is Vitamin K, again a complex compound and which needs an article of its own. To counteract this in your flock, make sure your birds are all getting enough green leafy vegetables and in particular kale.

Having addressed vitamin deficiencies, the next thing to do is to deal with the microscopic spider that causes this problem. Its size and its nature of boring into the skin make this slightly more difficult than other mites. You should also really treat all your birds because it takes a long time to build up colonies of mites that are big enough to cause visible damage, so chances are some other birds in your flock already have the parasite.

The initial idea is to suffocate the mite with the use of a carrier oil, I use a mix of olive and sunflower which I recuperate from the self-service olive jars from our local organic shop. I filter out the herbs and last traces of olive debris and use that. If this is not an option then any (preferably organic) supermarket vegetable oil will do. Organic sunflower oil is cheaper to buy than olive and here in France safflower is even more so. Using an edible organic oil will mean the bird will have no problem with cleaning up its legs once the scales have softened. I also add tea tree essential oil, organic if possible and no more than 2-3 drops per bird (if treating individuals) depending on size, dissolved in one to two teaspoons of the chosen carrier oil.

I use a tooth brush or paint brush to apply this and spread it all over the legs including the back of the hocks up to where the feathers start. If I am treating several birds at once then I use a wide mouth jar or preferably a heavy, glazed china flower pot (cache pot) fill it up to hock height with carrier oil and add up to 10 drops of tea tree. I then mix this well and stand each bird in the pot. If they are bantams both legs can be done at once and with the flowerpot I can accommodate the feet of larger birds too. Cochins and their ilk with feathery feet need to have the oil painted on to avoid soaking their feathers but in extreme cases, I would soak feet and feathers. If this all sounds too difficult then paint each bird's feet and legs with a brush, using the mix from the jar. I know with my own birds some take this treatment as a breeze but others kick up a fuss so putting their feet in a jar is not always the best option!

The birds will begin to preen around the legs and feet the minute they are put back on the ground and as the legs and feet soften up during the day I often see them working with their beaks around the scales. The object as always with this branch of medicine, is to get the bird to heal itself.

In extreme cases (as with a friend's old hen, left), where there are many raised scales and deep layers of 'spongy' excrescences; these usually occur at the back of the legs and on the hocks, then a more radical treatment is needed. I have found that softening the scales overnight in the same mixture I use to relieve inflammation, i.e., a cabbage and lard poultice works wonders. I then make a tentative attack on the tops of the lifted scales often the top layer will come away revealing a harder dryer layer underneath. If you hold the base of these excrescences tightly between finger and thumb, then you can gently remove the top part with your finger nail. I then treat with the tea tree and oil mixture as above but in this case, treat each bird with its full individual dose. If the scales are very badly deformed I will soak organic cotton wool in the oil mix and bandage this onto the leg and keep it on overnight. This of course still respecting the 2-3 drops of tea tree per bird and dissolved in one to two teaspoons of carrier oil dependent on the area to be covered.

Calendula and tagetes infused oil, which you can easily make at home from the common marigold and African and/or French marigold respectively, are also excellent skin softeners and furthermore they repair tissue and reduce pain. Importantly for this case too they are also anti acarian and natural insecticides.  In a later post I will be sharing how I grow the flowers and make the oils. By adding beeswax and extra carrier oil, the infused oil can be transformed into a balm or salve, which can then be smoothed into the raised scales for further deeper treatment. You can also use raw organic coconut oil for an extra deeper moisturising action. ..and now the film...

Thanks for dropping by and if you have enjoyed this piece and found it useful think about sharing it and also maybe about joining this blog and/or subscribing to my Youtube channel or even supporting us on Patreon.

All the very best from Normandie! Sue 

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© 2017 Sue Cross

Lice Menacanthus stramineus - Treatment with essential oils - Prevention through diet.

Here is Garbo getting ready for a treatment. It is best to do this in the evening, if possible and where it is warm and peaceful. This will put your bird in a relaxed state, so that she or he will be much more receptive to being treated. Using an essential oil, which has a pleasant and calming scent also helps! You can find Part 1 of this article on identification of poultry lice here

A few words on essential oils

In a following blog I am going to share in more detail the essential oils I use and the infused oils I make. I have been treating with them for many years, having first provided myself with a good 'textbook' and had numerous conversations with local organic farmers. In fact the oil I am using in this treatment was one recommended by the latter.

N.B. Except for Lavender essential oil and in a case of severe infection, Tea Tree, I would never use a pure essential oil  upon a bird. Oils should be diluted in a suitable organic carrier oil, such as olive, sunflower or coconut. The ratio I use is one teaspoon (5ml) of carrier oil per bird to 1-3 drops of oil. However, when I am treating a lot of birds at once I usually use no more than 10 drops at any one time in a large pipette bottle (100ml)  of carrier oil. In the case of a very powerful oil, such as essential oil of oregano, I would not use more than 3 drops in total for the flock. These are the rules I apply to my own birds and I have found that they work.

Eucalyptus citriodora and how it works on lice.

All the lemon scented essential oils have the effect of disrupting the olfactory receptors, so the parasite can not easily find its host. Furthermore, when you apply any sort of viscous carrier oil to a louse, the spiracles, pores through which it breathes, become blocked and thus its air supply is cut off. You might therefore ask why bother with the essential oil. Well, I have read that in laboratory tests on lice, an hour after being blocked with oil, the spiracles begin to clear and the louse actually revives! Therefore, as a back up procedure we add the essential oil, eucalyptus citriodora, which has the properties of an insecticide. In using this essential oil you thus have the double effect of killing the ectoparasite and discouraging any others, who escape, from coming back.

How, when and where to apply

Because I have been using essential oils for a long time I find it easy to apply them straight from the pipette bottle. These, by the way, you should be able to purchase from your local chemist or on-line. However, if you are worried about the bird moving and spilling it or getting it on sensitive areas, then you might feel happier using a cotton bud dipped in the oil.

First check the obvious areas, remember you are looking both for the lice and their eggs (nits). You do not want to put too much oil on the bird, apart from being limited to how much essential oil you should use, you do not want to saturate the down feathers and risk chilling the bird. On the first treatment I would check all the key areas where the lice congregate. These are mainly those where it is difficult for the bird to reach and groom. Therefore, around the vent, along the spine, under the top of the wing, in the depression at the back of the neck above the wing, on the breast and if they have one, on the crest. Strangely enough I rarely find lice on my Polish birds' crests, you would think it would be a great hiding place but it is also possibly one area really obvious for other birds to notice and groom.

Assess, which areas have the highest concentration of lice and in particular nits and treat them first. You can leave other areas until the next day. Already you will be getting rid of the greater proportion of parasites and making the bird feel better.  You want the bird to remember a positive outcome, rather than for it to feel uncomfortable because you have kept it too long under a possibly stressful treatment. Keep assessing the bird as you treat, if it starts to kick  or make worried noises then stop and take a break. Everything you do now will impact on how easy it will be to treat in the future

Lice move really fast once you expose them to light, so get yourself organised and ready to treat as soon as you move the feathers aside. Having a bird who is co-operative is a real bonus. If you are treating a bird for the first time he or she is obviously going to be a bit concerned as to what you are doing. They will also see the pipette as threatening and possibly try to peck or bite it. Given also the sensitivity of the areas you are treating just be aware of how they will be feeling, so having birds that are tame and who already know and trust you is really a prerequisite of a successful and stress-less experience. If you are not in this position with your birds then having someone to help you hold the bird and keep it calm may be a good idea. As you progress with treatments your birds will soon get to realise that what you are doing is in their best interests.

If your bird has only a few lice, you may have treated the problem within a few days. However, consider the life cycle of the louse, the speed with which it matures and the egg-laying capacity of the female. You will need to keep  checking the bird for 10 days or so after the first treatment, just to make sure nothing has hatched!

Vitamin A - Preen oil -  The multifunctions of the uropygial gland

Apart from the fact that a good and in my opinion paleo, diet should keep your chickens healthy, there is  also a body of research to suggest that this also effects the way in which parasites attach themselves to a specific host. In particular, it has been found that birds with a deficiency in Vitamin A seem more prone to infestation. Given that lice appear to like a very dry environment, it has always been my guess, that this may be one of the links.


Reading around the subject, Vitamin A deficiency does indeed lead to preen gland malfunction, with the gland becoming  enlarged due to the papilla (the projection through which the oil is dispersed) being blocked with a plug. The worse case of lice I ever had in a bird,  was in one I bought from an exhibition. She was a blue Barbu de Watermael, which is a rare bird in a rare colour, she had, I guessed, been exhibited and therefore bathed quite frequently.  In her case the infestation was so bad, it crept up on us both so quickly after I bought her, that I ended up having to put her up to her neck in warm water to get rid of them. I then made sure she was well provided with a good diet and I rubbed coconut oil into the parts of her skin, which were already excessively dry. It is funny that it is often said for children that lice are only attracted to 'clean' heads, it is more probable that they are attracted to over-washed ones! In fact vitamin A deficiency not only causes dry skin but it also has the effect of causing the over-production of keratin in hair/feather follicles Follicular hyperkeratosis - in other words one of the louse's favourite foodstuffs!


There is on-going research to study the complexities of the function of preen oil in birds. So far it has been established that this contains not only antimicrobials, to protect the feathers from deterioration by bacteria but also that it has antifungal properties. However, the oil has insecticidal as well as insect deterrent properties, possibly subject to many factors including age, diet and stress.

Vitamin A and Protein

There is a link between the  storage, transport and utilisation of Vitamin A and the intake of protein. The quality of the protein also seems to have an important role in Vitamin A metabolism, so again think chicken paleo, thus invertebrate protein rather than feeding protein in the form of grains and legumes.

Now if you would like to sit back and watch the second part of my lice film.

I can provide the links for the several scientific papers, I read whilst researching this subject, for anyone who is interested in following them up.

Thanks for dropping by and if you have enjoyed this piece and found it useful think about sharing it and also may be about joining this blog. Please also feel free to ask questions or make comments in the section below.

All the very best,

Sue

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RETURN TO CONTENTS PAGE 
© 2014 Sue Cross