Question about treating scaley leg mites

[Mary Coleman]

I have been treating several of my hens with scaley leg mites by dipping their legs in a bowl of vegetable oil and have been pleased with the results thus far. 4 of the hens I'm treating have feathered feet and I'm worried that the oil will ruin their feathers. One of my cochin bantams just finished molting recently and when I treated her tonight, her feet feathers and the feathers on her chest looked matted and greasy.... Will this wash off over time? Or will it permanently mess up her feathers until they molt again? I'm worried her new beautiful feathers will be ruined right off the bat.....

 

[Granny Hatchet]

it will wash off and sounds a lot easier then the Vaseline i have been using. lol have you thought of using Ivermectin? you can find it at a local tractor supply store for about 3 dollars and give each bird a pea sized amount. it will be in cattle or horse section. i have forgotten which one. it is apple flavored. yum !

 

[Mary Coleman]

Haha I haven't tried that, but I will have to look into it thank you.

 

[Granny Hatchet]

 

[Folly's place]

Ivermectin is MUCH easier than oil on legs, and also kills most intestinal parasites, and mites and lice. It's not approved for use here, so there's no official egg withdrawal period. I throw eggs away for about one week; makes me feel better. It's about time for me to treat my flock, now that the cold has arrived. UGH! Also, clean the coop and reapply permethrin under the new bedding. Mary

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Ivermectin is MUCH easier than oil on legs, and also kills most intestinal parasites, and mites and lice. It's not approved for use here, so there's no official egg withdrawal period. I throw eggs away for about one week; makes me feel better. It's about time for me to treat my flock, now that the cold has arrived. UGH! Also, clean the coop and reapply permethrin under the new bedding. Mary

I have mixed Permethrin with Petroleum (crude oil) jelly and get good results. The oil or Vaseline helps soften and replace the old hard, and damaged scales with new, supple, and shiny scales.

 

[MeepBeep]

Might not be the fastest way, but I have great success with No Pest strips, just hang in the coop and forget... The strips also offer 24/7 protection/prevention against re-infestation of pretty much all bugs...

It took a few weeks to rid the birds of the leg mites completely, but it was painless and no hassle, and they are cheap and easy to obtain at most hardware stores, feed stores and even Walmart...

http://www.hotshot.com/products-and-solutions/all-products/no-pest-strip.aspx

 

[texsuze]

You might want to research the link posted about "No Pest Strips"; check the Q & A at the bottom. Not recommended for use around animals, best I can determine. Just sayin'...

 

[Folly's place]

I agree about the insecticide strips; don't want to have them around me or my birds. Mary

 

[enola]

The Vaseline smothers the leg mites.

Ivermectin is not recommended for worming chickens. Most worms are resistant to Ivermectin.