Mud balls on claws

[WelliesAndPyjamas]

One of my hens is always getting huge mud balls on her claws. Always on the same claws, on the same foot. It takes me on average an hour a week to keep her from getting severly disabled by them - if I don't spend time soaking and cracking off the huge bone dry mud balls, she is left unable to move very far. None of the others get it. Quite honestly, I am sick and tired of it (this winter had been awful for mud too) and I have given serious thought to whether there is any point keeping her, whether the time has come to so the right thing by her as she has no quality of life dragging her heavy mud-balled foot around.

Anyone have experience of this, and if so what did you do long term?
Can anyone explain why she is the only one getting these stupid mud balls??

Do you have a grit/sand bath for her to scratch in?

Yes, they have a covered corner with a mixture of sand, ash, grit, diaphonous powder.

Hi have you tried putting Vaseline or liquid paraffin on her feet to stop the mud sticking?

One of mine used to get this, I took them off using blunt pliers and just carefully crushing it avoiding her toes. No soaking required. But it took a while to build up.

I wonder if she might have some kind of louse? Have you looked for pictures on line?

Sometimes they get a louse or mite that affects their legs and causes problems a bit like this. In which case you'll need to get her some medication and that should sort it out.

Vaseline is a great idea, I hadn't heard or thought of that. Will try it.

Pippahotamus, I will look at this again. They did have scaly leg mite in the summer. I treated it at the time, and over this winter I have also been spraying them with the same stuff frequently to be on the safe side. Could it be an aftereffect of this, I wonder? So confusing that it is just this same hen all the time. I use a combination of the techniques you used - soaking first followed by pliers to crack the ball open. Excuse the pun but it is a total ballacher of a job! And demoralising when it reappears within a couple of days.