Hen's middle toe splayed out - but not limping? Scaly leg mites?

[manoa_moa]

Hi there,

I was taking a look at the feet of my 3 y/o Buff Orpington, Marilyn, recently. Last year, I had treated her for scaly leg mites due to the presence of raised scales; however I discontinued this after showing my vet some photos as she believed they were actually old scales. Well, it looks like she still has these raised scales, and her middle toe is splayed out to the side and noticeably thicker than her other toes. Marilyn is though acting completely normal and does not limp (and I don't remember a time seeing her limping). When she places her foot down, the middle toe just naturally goes to the side, which looks uncomfortable to me personally... Anyway, I am wondering if 1) do we think this IS SLM and 2) should I be concerned about the weird angle of her toe?

Thanks!

 

[swamphiker]

I'm not an expert, but that looks like scaly leg mites to me. I believe scaly leg mites can lead to issues with joints, so perhaps that is what is causing her strange toe. If it were my chicken, I would treat for scaly leg mites and see if symptoms improve.