In all of my 22 years, I never once thought I would ever have to rub a chicken's feet.
Yet, here I am on a Sunday afternoon doing that exact thing.
Crazy, and gross, I know.
When we got our beloved chickens last Sunday we were told, "And by the way, they have scaly leg. But don't worry, a little treatment and it will clear right up."
Have you ever googled this junk? Do it. I'll wait. It's GROSS.
Scaly leg is basically the infection of the chickens scales by tiny microscopic mites. When they infect the feet they make the scales raised and irritated, causing the feet to be very sore. If the infection gets bad enough they can lose toes and even their entire foot. Thankfully Captain and the ladies weren't to this point yet, but they weren't far from it.
So, how do you kill this disgusting condition? Vaseline.
My grandmother has always said that Vaseline is good for everything. Got a cut? Put Vaseline on it. Got a bruise? Put Vaseline on it. Dry skin? Put Vaseline on it. You get the picture. It's become a running joke in our family, to the point that we buy her tub after tub for every special occasion.
But it turns out Grandmomma was right, a little Vaseline goes a long way. It actually smothers the mites that are currently living under the scales, kills them, and allows the legs to begin the healing process. After treating our chicken's feet daily with a Vaseline mixture, they have finally begun to heal. I am quite excited about the progress we have made, because let me tell you, this stuff is gross and tough to get rid of. While I didn't think to take any pictures of their poor feet before treatment, I did take one today.
See the nastiness up on top of her pitiful leg?
But would you look at all that new skin forming above my thumb?!
Excited is an under statement.
I was originally told that it would take up to two weeks to see an improvement, but seeing such a vast difference after just seven days speaks volumes. I do believe we're on to something, and it's not just chicken feet.
Crazy, and gross, I know.
When we got our beloved chickens last Sunday we were told, "And by the way, they have scaly leg. But don't worry, a little treatment and it will clear right up."
Have you ever googled this junk? Do it. I'll wait. It's GROSS.
Scaly leg is basically the infection of the chickens scales by tiny microscopic mites. When they infect the feet they make the scales raised and irritated, causing the feet to be very sore. If the infection gets bad enough they can lose toes and even their entire foot. Thankfully Captain and the ladies weren't to this point yet, but they weren't far from it.
So, how do you kill this disgusting condition? Vaseline.
My grandmother has always said that Vaseline is good for everything. Got a cut? Put Vaseline on it. Got a bruise? Put Vaseline on it. Dry skin? Put Vaseline on it. You get the picture. It's become a running joke in our family, to the point that we buy her tub after tub for every special occasion.
But it turns out Grandmomma was right, a little Vaseline goes a long way. It actually smothers the mites that are currently living under the scales, kills them, and allows the legs to begin the healing process. After treating our chicken's feet daily with a Vaseline mixture, they have finally begun to heal. I am quite excited about the progress we have made, because let me tell you, this stuff is gross and tough to get rid of. While I didn't think to take any pictures of their poor feet before treatment, I did take one today.
See the nastiness up on top of her pitiful leg?
But would you look at all that new skin forming above my thumb?!
Excited is an under statement.
I was originally told that it would take up to two weeks to see an improvement, but seeing such a vast difference after just seven days speaks volumes. I do believe we're on to something, and it's not just chicken feet.
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