Scaley leg mites... natural cures, essential oil?

[Godiva]

One of my hens has some raised scales on one of her legs and I am assuming it is scaley mites. I have read a good bit on the search for treatments but only came up with a few treatments... invermectin, vet rx, or petroleum jelly. I want to find out what herbal etc products could be used on chickens, I have a lot of essential oils that we use on us but am aware that chickens are going to have very different reactions to them. I was wondering if anyone knows of essential oils that chickens tolerate? I would probably mix a tiny amount into the petroleum jelly or something like that ... what do you think? Only in the most extreme cases will I resort to medication...

 

[MNShepherdess]

What we've always done is sprayed their legs with WD-40. It drowns the mites out. I would imagine petroleum jelly would work the same way. And maybe the essential oils arent' necessarily for the smell, but the oil? I've heard of vegetable oil working as well.

 

[Godiva]

While WD 40 may work I really try to keep the toxins down and I don't think that really qualifies

Even petroleum jelly has me wondering if there is a better oil type thing to use as it is also not good for us (though better than scaley leg mites) Essential oils are really good at dealing with certain bugs and even mice but I know chickens are extremely sensitive to some oils eg. cedar.

 

[Judy]

Anything oily or greasy will do it. Olive oil or any veggie oil is fine. Pam is convenient. The advantage of Vaseline is the texture; presumably it coats better.

 

[Lollipop]

Quote:
Just as others have said, the idea is to drown the little vamps. Anykind of oil will do the job. In defence of the WD40 idea, it`s important to know that WD40 was developed by NASA and is so safe that humans can drink it. Not very appealing in that realm, but the ease of applying it to chicken legs and also to roosts, where the bugs hide during the day, is superior to other oils. Do whatcha think is best, but do it and don`t forget the roost......Pop

 

[elmo]

Quote:
Is it one of your feather footed chickens that has the raised scales? If so, it may not be scaly leg mites, but just natural scales for a feather footed breed. I had the same concern with one of our d'Uccles, and this is what our vet told me when he looked her over.

 

[ladyride]

We are dealing with the same thing been washing feet & legs putting vaseline on them daily for a week. They are looking better but now let me tell you dealing with feather feet is a nightmare. I think come spring my brahmas as beautiful as they are will be going to new homes. I don't know about using wd40.In as much as the vaseline makes them look so dirty it also keeps them coated thru their chicken day. Make sure to do the roosts with some sevin dust.or permethrin, to kill them on the roosts. Both are safe to use on the birds.
Mine free range in the woods, the yard lot's of critters around to bring in the mites. But it can be a headache to deal with. good luck on your journey

 

[dawg53]

For scaley leg mites, try Nu-Stock. Ingredients are sulfur, pine oil and mineral oil...cant get much natural than that. It should be at your feed store.

 

[Godiva]

I have been doing some reading online and have found some fascinating facts about essential oil use in poultry. In countries where use of antibiotics is now illegal in the agriculture industry they are now adding essential oils to the feed and it is also very effective and increases the feed conversion efficiency. I also found that there are people who have been using certain EO for treating their poultry with no adverse effects and actually works really well. Oregano, cinnamon and capsaicin oils are all used on poultry and I know that these are also good for treating other ailments so am going to try a little of these added to almond oil (just because I have a lot of it at the moment and can spare a little) I am also going to give the two birds a bath with some EO added. Am waiting for a reply from someone who routinely uses EO on their birds, will let you all know what I find. Thanks for the replies

 

[Lollipop]

Quote:
If you are washing and coating daily, for a week, you are overdoing it. Don`t wash, oil every 2 weeks, and oil the roost. It takes a month or so to see the real results starting to happen. Yes, the oil/Vaseline will pick up dirt and look dirty, but that`s just part of the process. Permethrin and Sevin are excellent, but they should be used for regular lice/mite dusting as they won`t penetrate the cracks, etc in wood roosts where the bugs hide. WD40 will work fine for feather footed breeds also........Pop