Scaly Leg Mites Natural Cure?

[Summerlove]

I just noticed my broody New Hampshire has scaly leg mites. I am going to treat my whole flock today. I would like to know your opinion on the best natural cure. I was going to use water, soap, and neem oil to wash their feet. Neem oil causes mites to be unable to molt, causing them to die (to my understanding). I was then going to coat their feet in olive oil (I would prefer not to use a petroleum based product). Has anyone used a similar method? Is neem safe for poultry? Thanks for any responses!

 

[Summerlove]

???

 

[jak2002003]

The Vaseline is the best. I tried other things. Its very safe for the birds - I even use it if I get dry skin.

You only need to wash and clean the legs and feet if they are dirty or very very encrusted.

I rub a thick-ish layer of the Vaseline over the feet and legs - right up to where the feather start. Repeat a couple more times - leaving a few day in between treatments.

The mites will suffocate and die quickly, but it will take a a good few weeks before you see the legs starting to look better.

When I used olive oil it worked, but the birds got really messy (they are white and dirt stuck to them all under their bodies and messed up their feather a lot - as the oil spread out too easily).

TIP What ever method us use - treat the legs and feet at roost time. That way the birds will sit all night with the stuff on them. If you do it in the day, they will scratch around and rub a lot off, and also get very dirty.

You also need to treat the perches too, because the mites can crawl around on there and re infect the birds. Treat the roosts with anti insect powder is best.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

I use mineral oil (dip each leg daily for 2 weeks, but toward the end I am doing it only every other day).

Then if the scales still aren't back down I keep going awhile longer. Any food-grade oil will work. I tried Bag Balm once but it made such a mess that I prefer the oil- also it didn't work as well for me - I think that I didn't cover the whole leg enough. Everyone has their own way LOL.

Ivermectin also kills them but need vet's prescription to be legal since it would be an insecticide at that point from my understanding.

 

[katbriar]

Check out this thread for a natural treatment. The OP used a product called Nustock which is a mixture of pine tar, sulpher powder and a ointment textured base.

http://naturalchickenkeeping.blogspot.com/p/healing-gb.html

The story was orginally posted here on Backyard chickens, but a moderator closed the post and I've lost that link.

If you're interested in making your own version of Nustock, you can click on the recipes tab for info.

 

[Michael Apple]

I use Rooster Booster Sulfur Ointment.

 

[dawg53]

Check out this thread for a natural treatment. The OP used a product called Nustock which is a mixture of pine tar, sulpher powder and a ointment textured base.

http://naturalchickenkeeping.blogspot.com/p/healing-gb.html

The story was orginally posted here on Backyard chickens, but a moderator closed the post and I've lost that link.

If you're interested in making your own version of Nustock, you can click on the recipes tab for info.

Yep, Nu-Stock is all natural.

 

[Summerlove]

Check out this thread for a natural treatment. The OP used a product called Nustock which is a mixture of pine tar, sulpher powder and a ointment textured base.

http://naturalchickenkeeping.blogspot.com/p/healing-gb.html

The story was orginally posted here on Backyard chickens, but a moderator closed the post and I've lost that link.

If you're interested in making your own version of Nustock, you can click on the recipes tab for info.

Thanks for linking this! Great info!

 

[Summerlove]

Thanks all!! I hope I can get this problem cleared up. Two of my girls show signs of mites, but I am treating everyone!

 

[patti17]

I was using cedar wood chips in my coop and then I read it causes respiratory problems in chickens, so I switched to pine chips. Then my girls got mites so bad they were practically crippled. None of the medical insecticides were working so I cleaned out the coop and went back to the cedar wood chips. NO MORE MITES. I have been using it for more than 10 years now and no respiratory problems or any kind of bug infestation either.