Scaly Leg Mites - Need Best / Easiest / Quickest Solution - Scaley

[rebel-rousing-at-night]

This is a great thread. Now to decide which to use.

 

[Beekissed]

Quote:
Kept chickens for years and never dewormed, always had thriving, healthy chickens.

 

[zowieyellowflame]

I found vasoline to be more longer lasting than cooking oil. Takes more time to rub it into all of the nooks and crannies but it is much thicker. Soaking their legs for a few minutes is nice too, it is way cleaner for the one applying the vasoline. I also take a piece of paper towel though and dip it in cooking oil and rub the roosts down. I have been unsuccessful of eradicating the mite problem over the past 2 yrs so with 34 chickens I have just decided to control it with natural methods. I prefer that to treating with a drug that is not approved for chickens that has no definate egg withdraw guidelines. I would use the systemic drugs on a pet chicken or retired chicken though. As long as scaley leg mite is controlled and you keep their legs in good shape with lots of "spa days", you have nothing to worry about.

 

[CupOJoe42]

This is what the chicken expert professor from UCONN told us to do (outdoors):

Dip the legs in gasoline for 45 seconds. Gasoline is very drying. Let them air dry. Slather them in Vaseline and repeat procedure in 2 days. For the days in-between, you can slather the legs in A&D ointment twice a day.

 

[Beekissed]

 

[dawg53]

Gasoline...no way!

 

[tellynpeep]

Please don't use WD-40 on your birds! It is a petroleum by product, and many of the toxins can be absorbed through the skin. Quite possibly some of them end up in the eggs we eat, but I doubt there have been any studies on it.
see the following: http://kennethalan.blogspot.com/2008/08/wd-40-uses-on-skin.html

 

[jjthink]

Quote:
Madness.

Most of the time Bagbalm works beautifully. Have seen total amazing regeneration in very short periods of time. Ideally, as soon as it appears scales are lifting apply it and the problem will go away long before it becomes bad. My roo knows the drill and sits calmly in my lap as I gently spread the Bagbalm on his legs - then he gets a nice treat

JJ

 

[welasharon]

Why would you want to put something so caustic as gasoline on a chicken when vegetable or mineral oil works?

 

[chookchick303]

So thanks to all of you for your advice and the good time I had reading the thread!! There are some cats in the hen house oh yeah!!! I have decided to go with a nice mellow treatment to start. I will let you know how I go with paw paw ointment. Its anti-bacterial and made from fruit so its definitely gentle. Thanks again
J