Diatomaceous Earth + Petroleum Jelly?

[Aryetheral Waalburgus]

I'm treating some bantams for scaly leg mites, and have decided to go with the petroleum jelly method. They've been isolated getting the petroleum jelly for about a week and I'm getting kind of impatient. I've heard that diatomaceous earth (DE) can be helpful for external parasites, but I've also heard that DE can cause respiratory problems if inhaled, so I'm a little hesitant to use it loose.

I was wondering if it would be
a) harmful
b) helpful
c) useless
to try mixing some DE into the petroleum jelly before smearing it on the legs.

Or, if you have a strong opinion on whether DE is good or bad (I know it's a bit of a hot topic, lol), I am open to being convinced to use it loose or not.

Thanks

 

[getaclue]

DE is useless. A week for scaly leg mites is not long at all. You have to get into all the cracks and crevices of their legs to smother the mites, and smothering them takes some time. The worse the infestation, the longer it takes. A better option would be to mix a little Martin's permethrin dust in with the petroleum jelly. While you're at it, dust the roosts, to prevent re-infestation.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0077CY6V8/?tag=backy-20

 

[Shadrach]

I'm treating some bantams for scaly leg mites, and have decided to go with the petroleum jelly method. They've been isolated getting the petroleum jelly for about a week and I'm getting kind of impatient. I've heard that diatomaceous earth (DE) can be helpful for external parasites, but I've also heard that DE can cause respiratory problems if inhaled, so I'm a little hesitant to use it loose.

I was wondering if it would be
a) harmful
b) helpful
c) useless
to try mixing some DE into the petroleum jelly before smearing it on the legs.

Or, if you have a strong opinion on whether DE is good or bad (I know it's a bit of a hot topic, lol), I am open to being convinced to use it loose or not.

Thanks

As mentioned above DE is useless.
If you've smothered the legs properly the mites are dead. It just takes on thorough treatment. But, you need to do it again to kill any mites that were eggs at the first treatment.
You won't notice any improvement until the new scales grow in. The old scales don't go back to normal.

 

[Webfootfowl]

I am going to get murdered for this but....there is a three day treatment that will kill the scaly mites completely. I used bag balm, petroleum jelly will work, but bag balm has more medicinal properties than petroleum jelly. That said, dip you birds legs in gasoline up to the feathers, hold them there for two to three minutes, then work the bag balm into all the scales. Between the toes. Do that three days in a row, mites are gone, the badly damaged scales will fall off and new beautiful scales will take there place!! Please, please, don’t hate me, but it works fast.

 

[Shadrach]

I am going to get murdered for this but....there is a three day treatment that will kill the scaly mites completely. I used bag balm, petroleum jelly will work, but bag balm has more medicinal properties than petroleum jelly. That said, dip you birds legs in gasoline up to the feathers, hold them there for two to three minutes, then work the bag balm into all the scales. Between the toes. Do that three days in a row, mites are gone, the badly damaged scales will fall off and new beautiful scales will take there place!! Please, please, don’t hate me, but it works fast.

You are indeed 'going to get murdered for this'.
The balm is fine. The gasoline isn't. Get a rag, soak it in gasoline and hold it under your arm for a few minutes.
I'll give you some tips on how to deal with the rash when you get back to me.

 

[getaclue]

I'm not putting gas on my chickens' legs. Some of the very old methods, while they were all they had back then, and they worked, were harsh, or painful to the chickens. We have options today that are not nearly so harsh, or painful to the chickens. Bag balm is essentially petroleum jelly with a bit of sulfur, and lanolin added. It's slightly better than just petroleum jelly, but not significantly, however it's more expensive.

 

[paneubert]

Get a rag, soak it in gasoline and hold it under your arm for a few minutes.
I'll give you some tips on how to deal with the rash when you get back to me.

Same applies to lighter fluid (which is more refined than gas). I had a nice chemical burn on my leg for a few days as a kid when I carried a leaky Zippo lighter in my pocket.

 

[Willowspirit]

I am going to get murdered for this but....there is a three day treatment that will kill the scaly mites completely. I used bag balm, petroleum jelly will work, but bag balm has more medicinal properties than petroleum jelly. That said, dip you birds legs in gasoline up to the feathers, hold them there for two to three minutes, then work the bag balm into all the scales. Between the toes. Do that three days in a row, mites are gone, the badly damaged scales will fall off and new beautiful scales will take there place!! Please, please, don’t hate me, but it works fast.

I don't want to murder you for this but i want you to think about this: gasoline is volatile. Not so much the liquid that you can see but the fumes which you can't. Last Friday a girl named Layne Chesney died at Shriners Hospital in Galveston. She was from Florida. Google her. When she was fourteen she was at a bonfire party and wanted to revive the coals. She picked up a gas can and before she poured it, the fumes ignited and it blew up in her hands. She was burned over 95% of her body. She was 14 when this happened and had just turned 16 when she died. All of her time was spent in the hospital in bed. She had over 200 surgeries. She showed astounding courage to live that long and in the end only her body gave up. Her spirit never did.

So with your clever, coy presentation of this ridiculously outdated advice you would risk exposing everyone on this board to the danger that using gasoline poses? Just to kill mites on a chicken when there are other, safer, more effective methods? Tell Layne's family all about it maybe. I try very hard to not call people names but frankly i think you are a fool to recommend this to anyone who comes on this board.

 

[Kiki]

DE = waste of money/trash/worthless.

 

[Kiki]

I don't want to murder you for this but i want you to think about this: gasoline is volatile. Not so much the liquid that you can see but the fumes which you can't. Last Friday a girl named Layne Chesney died at Shriners Hospital in Galveston. She was from Florida. Google her. When she was fourteen she was at a bonfire party and wanted to revive the coals. She picked up a gas can and before she poured it, the fumes ignited and it blew up in her hands. She was burned over 95% of her body. She was 14 when this happened and had just turned 16 when she died. All of her time was spent in the hospital in bed. She had over 200 surgeries. She showed astounding courage to live that long and in the end only her body gave up. Her spirit never did.

So with your clever, coy presentation of this ridiculously outdated advice you would risk exposing everyone on this board to the danger that using gasoline poses? Just to kill mites on a chicken when there are other, safer, more effective methods? Tell Layne's family all about it maybe. I try very hard to not call people names but frankly i think you are a fool to recommend this to anyone who comes on this board.

Sorry OP off topic ahead.


Poor girl. How sad.

Do you know this family personally?