The Chicken Doctor is In

Remember Phyllis?

The determined banty hen?

She's stricken.

Nothing too terribly serious.

A darn good case of the scaly mites.

Scaly mites are something that affect chicken's feet.

Their scales start to raise - and if left untreated, they can lose toes, even feet.

I guess it is terribly serious now that I think of it!

Phyllis had this trouble a year or so ago, and I convalesced her here in the house and did have to amputate two of her toes.

Now - this is the stuff you shouldn't think about before getting chickens.  It's just so rare that this stuff happens.

I really try to look over my flock well.  Every morning when I feed and water them, as they are walking around - I always give their feet and bums a good look over.

I look for swelling in the feet, runny beaks, and dirty butts.

Phyllis doesn't roost anywhere with any other birds.  She's taken to the garage.  She roosts up in a beam in the garage roof. 

 She's also the only one that has this problem.

What you have to do is smother the mites.

I like to use Preparation H initially because it also helps with any swelling that may have occurred.

I'm embarrassed to report that poor little Phyllis's legs got pretty bad before they were noticed.

Not sure if you can see here - but even her claws are overgrown because she hasn't been able to scratch.

Now - this might sound a bit sick in a weird twisted way - but I was just kind of hankering around for something to nurture.

Aaron got over the flu - Glen never got it - there was nothing for me to take care of.

: -)

Now I've got Phyllis.

She's sitting here on my lap now all cuddled in.

She's going to require a lot of care.

Darn.

We watched 'Downton Abbey' last night and have been discussing it since.

That Mary!

We both have a crush on Mr. Bates.

Matthew's plight choked our craws right up.

If I'm sitting down, Phyllis is with me.

A regular ole lap chicken.

If you ever find yourself in need of doctoring a chicken up - this is a trick that I learned that works like a charm.

Cover their head.

I was walking all over the kitchen whilst Phyllis just lay there still.

After completely covering her feet and legs in Preparation H, I gauzed them up.

I'll need to do this daily.

I'll also need to exercise her a little since she'll just want to sit with her legs like that.

Do ya blame her?

Danged mites.

After I get the swelling out of her legs, clip her claws and assess things in a day or two, I might take her to the vet - or look into a miticide.  I know the Preparation H and Vaseline worked great last time, so why use chemicals?

I may have to treat her roost though.

This is her new roost now.

Gracious, I love this stinking bird.