High Roost Ranch

Last year, on good faith, I loaned the above bird out to a fellow SCNA member to use, and got him back last week. This is the condition in which he arrived home. In a year, this Serama cock bird went from vibrant and healthy to crippled and on death's door. Scaley leg mite, the worst case I have ever seen in person or in photos. Why??? I cannot help but ask WHY was this bird tossed into a pen to be ignored and forgotten about when he could have been returned to me since it was obvious he had served his purpose. Scaley leg mite to this degree does not happen overnight. This bird will likely loose several toes, but in one week of aggressive treatment, he has made dramatic improvement. His legs are now half the size they were in several places on his shanks and feet. Such a simple thing to cure, to PREVENT getting to this point. People, you cannot just ignore scaley leg mite, it doesn't cure itself!

I have learned a hard lesson, that no one will take care of our birds the way we do. And shame on you, the person who had my bird, and treated him with such disregard. YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE, and I have serious doubts about your integrity over this incident. You may come across great on paper, but this situation tells a different story. I hope for the sake of the rest of your flock that you do the right thing and actually take a look at your birds. IF you cannot do that, have your other family members look. And if that is impossible, perhaps for the sake of the birds, you should get out of the hobby all together if you have no more concern for an animal's welfare than you've shown with the condition of this bird. I am angry, I am shocked, and I am greatly disappointed that you would treat an animal and someone else's property in such a manner.

Never again will I loan a bird out to someone!