Mites??

[welasharon]

Hadn't thought of that. This stuff works by dissolving the egg casings and melting them loose...I guess it would kill them by that process then.

 

[klmclain1]

You can buy "cold pressed" unprocessed coconut oil at stores that specialize in organic type foods (WholeFoods, Sprouts, etc.). It's expensive. I buy mine online - still expensive, but less so - and keep it on hand. Obviously right now you can't do that!

Do not buy the stuff at Walmart. It's extremely processed and all the good stuff is gone. Coconut oil melts at something like 76 degrees F. Set it in the sun for a bit, or like the previous poster said, set it in water. I've heard you can put the melted oil in a spray bottle to apply it.

 

[chickens usa]

My dad(who is 83) says that his grandmother would put a small amount of bacon drippings on the heads of her baby chicks to kill mites and lice. How it worked he didn't know. I wonder if it would work on adult chickens.
Chickens USA

 

[elizmartin]

You can use most cooking oil also for leg mites..... fill a small container and dip their legs into it and it will suffocate the mites. not for show birds because its greasy. I use it on any of mine that i see activity on.

 

[GoldDogsMom]

Thanks again to BYC members! I have not had to deal with scaly legs/mites since I began my chicken adventrues 3 years ago but my 2 roosters recently fell prey to the buggers! Although catching them was amusing...I dipped their legs yesterday in olive oil (when the temp here was a little warmer) and already today they are looking better!

I am going to treat everyone when the weather gets warmer as a preventative but...

Thanks for the advice on this thread! It is so great to have this resource!