Australia - Six states..and that funny little island.

[JulieCM]

Hi everyone....

Im in Warrawong.....near Wollongong NSW. I have 3 chickens & one Roo.
Ive raised the chicks since they were 3 days old. 2 black one brown bantams. Dont know the breed as of yet. Just plain lookn chooks.
The roo is a chinese silky. Got him from RSPCA & he's great...love him sooo much. Hes so cute & fluffeh!! You can carry him round, clip his feet, trim the
feathers over his eyes...truly amazing.

Glad the weather hasnt got too hot as yet, I love these cool days. Wind went wild earlier & cool, but now its raining. Have to keep chickies inside there coop.
Im really enjoying having them as pets.
Love the chick pics.....how about we post pics of our coops/runs?? Mine is one I bought online. I just made a little fence around it for a 'run' & covered some
of it with shadecloth. I now have straw on the floor cos it gets very wet during rain.

Hello, I'm just around the corner from you in Berkeley!

 

[satay]

Hi everyone,

I'm from Wollongong NSW and I was adopted by a stray hen 5 weeks ago.
She was identified as a Rhode Island Red. Started laying eggs daily around 2.5 weeks ago.

 

[Suzalorp]

Hi everyone,

I'm from Wollongong NSW and I was adopted by a stray hen 5 weeks ago.
She was identified as a Rhode Island Red. Started laying eggs daily around 2.5 weeks ago.

Welcome Julie, Congratulations on your new chicken mum.

 

[Sparky74]

I would reconsider the use of petroleum on the legs. Anything you apply to the skin or legs will ultimately end up on the surface of the porous egg shells and in turn in your food chain. It will also more than likely end up in the organs of the birds.

I'm curious as to where you found this advice . Petroleum jelly is commonly used , but never heard of petrol.

I have to agree with you some of the stuff around here the old farmers use is not what i would choose. Granted they have been doing it forever but for them chickens etc are purely for eggs and meat, Mine are pets as well so their well being is more important to me.
I would definitely be worried about burning their already sore legs with petrol.

OK, I managed to find the very informative video I watched about using petrol (or "gasoline") to treat Scaly Leg Mite:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/leg-mites-on-fosters.1216830/page-2#post-19432065

Here are another couple of links that talk about it:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/using-gasoline-to-cure-scaly-leg-mites-on-silkies.1121659/

https://www.omlet.co.uk/guide/chickens/chicken_health/scaly_leg_mite

The new chooks don’t seem to be suffering any ill effects from the petrol treatment. I think a few of them could do with their "toe nails" clipping though. And one old girl (11 years, I was told) has dreadful feet - only stubs of toes... I'll post some pics at some stage.

The birds are definitely run down. Not sure if this is because of the mites or if they were more susceptible to mites because they were run down. Anyway, a bit of TLC and they’ll improve, I’m sure.

 

[Fancychooklady]

Hi everyone,

I'm from Wollongong NSW and I was adopted by a stray hen 5 weeks ago.
She was identified as a Rhode Island Red. Started laying eggs daily around 2.5 weeks ago.

I grew up in the suburbs of Wollongong. Welcome.

 

[Fancychooklady]

OK, I managed to find the very informative video I watched about using petrol (or "gasoline") to treat Scaly Leg Mite:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/leg-mites-on-fosters.1216830/page-2#post-19432065

Here are another couple of links that talk about it:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/using-gasoline-to-cure-scaly-leg-mites-on-silkies.1121659/

https://www.omlet.co.uk/guide/chickens/chicken_health/scaly_leg_mite

The new chooks don’t seem to be suffering any ill effects from the petrol treatment. I think a few of them could do with their "toe nails" clipping though. And one old girl (11 years, I was told) has dreadful feet - only stubs of toes... I'll post some pics at some stage.

The birds are definitely run down. Not sure if this is because of the mites or if they were more susceptible to mites because they were run down. Anyway, a bit of TLC and they’ll improve, I’m sure.

I hope they come good, but please when you are researching treatments for your chickens look for science based remedies not personal blogs or YouTube flicks. Anyone can post these.

 

[Sparky74]

I hope they come good, but please when you are researching treatments for your chickens look for science based remedies not personal blogs or YouTube flicks. Anyone can post these.

Sure, however this treatment is recommended by multiple sources.

I’m going to quote from The Chicken Chick's Guide to Backyard Chickens by Kathy Shea Mormino.
“Dr Michael Darre, poultry professor and Department of Agriculture Extension Service specialist at the University of Connecticut advises...dipping the affected legs into a container of gasoline. The gasoline penetrates the scales, killing the mites and suffocating the nits. Don’t rub in the gasoline or brush it on - dip the legs into it. Allow the legs to dry, and then slather them with A&D ointment to soften the scales and promote healing. On day 2, apply only the A&D ointment. On day 3, repeat the gas dip and ointment application, which completes the course of treatment."

With all due respect, I’m yet to find a scientific basis for not using this treatment.

 

[Fancychooklady]

Sure, however this treatment is recommended by multiple sources.

I’m going to quote from The Chicken Chick's Guide to Backyard Chickens by Kathy Shea Mormino.
“Dr Michael Darre, poultry professor and Department of Agriculture Extension Service specialist at the University of Connecticut advises...dipping the affected legs into a container of gasoline. The gasoline penetrates the scales, killing the mites and suffocating the nits. Don’t rub in the gasoline or brush it on - dip the legs into it. Allow the legs to dry, and then slather them with A&D ointment to soften the scales and promote healing. On day 2, apply only the A&D ointment. On day 3, repeat the gas dip and ointment application, which completes the course of treatment."

With all due respect, I’m yet to find a scientific basis for not using this treatment.

Gasoline contains benzene and methane which are dangerous hydrocarbons. Exposure can cause dermatitis at the least and organ damage at the worst. I'm not here to argue with you , just a word of caution . Anything you put on the legs of your chooks will ultimately find its way into your food chain. There are numerous studies on the impact of petrol on human health. People still go around recommending sump oil too but honestly unless you can invisage yourself spreading it on your toast in the morning or adding it to your tea , why would you slather it on a food producing animal ?
In the end they are your chickens and you can treat them with anything you choose, but backyard keepers need to remind themselves of why they decided to keep chickens in the first place. For me it was therapy coming out of a chronic illness and the knowledge that my eggs would be safer to eat than those purchased at the shops.

 

[platypusGold]

Hi from the northern suburbs of Melbourne. Picked up my first 3 day old chicks on the weekend. Everything going well so far.

 

[Sparky74]

Hi from the northern suburbs of Melbourne. Picked up my first 3 day old chicks on the weekend. Everything going well so far.