The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[armorfirelady]

Quote: I also found putting it on them when they are roosted works well also. Plus it has more time to absorb

 

[RedRidge]

Rhodebar breed status in the US:
The ball has officially begun rolling on establishing the Rhodebars into the Standard. The standards committee is extremely helpful, we are well on our way. The breed club has been formed (RBCA), the first draft of a standard has been drafted, documentation for showing has begun. The new web page will be up and running by the first of the year. There will be no dues this first year to avoid excess tax filings, handling of funds, and to encourage interest in the breed. Yeah! Anyone interested in helping this development of the Rhodebar breed by showing and documenting please let me know as we do have minimum numbers to meet, so the more the merrier. I'm very excited about the future of this wonderful breed.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Just a quick stop in... This article just skims the problems with antibiotic use in livestock and how broad-reaching and devastating it can be for the health of the whole nation. Thought it was worth posting.

Kudos to the "natural chicken keeping" folks who work so hard to raise healthy birds with little or no chemical inputs.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/a...gn=20141209Z1&et_cid=DM63519&et_rid=757784127

 

[Shan30]

Thanks for the info!  I would like to try the Nustock.  The website says to treat every 3 days for horses and dogs, but I saw on here someone said to treat daily on chicken legs/feet. 

Is it too strong to apply daily? 
Should I do every 3 days and monitor the condition? 
How long does it usually take to see improvement in the leg scales? 
One last question...can Nustock only be purchased online?

Daily or even every three days I would think is unnecessary. The nu-stock stays in the crevices of their legs for quite a long time. Even weekly should do it. I know I did not do my girls daily and it worked for me. I'm pretty sure I did weekly.

Maybe someone else out there that has conquered leg mites could give you their treatment plan?

 

[sunflower4you]

Oh...my...goodness. NuStock is so messy!

I am anticipating the results on my 2 BA girls' dry, cracked legs and feet, but I think I may have to devise another method of application! I had never seen NuStock before and I knew that it was runny from what others had said, but I still wasn't really prepared.

First of all, I took them off the roost as suggested (which was a great idea!), but they still squawked and fussed so I had to hold them tightly. Then I tried to squeeze the NuStock from the bottle directly onto their feet (in the dark, mind you, but my son was there holding a lantern which helped a little). On the first bird, since I couldn't see what I was doing, and since they reflexively pull their feet up into their body, I ended up pouring a bunch of NuStock on the ground.

I did my best to spread the cream that actually ended up on the legs and not the ground, slathering my hand in the process. I know I got some on her feathers/body, too, so I hope it wears off! The second bird went a little better, but I still question how thorough my coverage was. I had worn an old shirt since I knew I would probably get some on me, but we didn't have any rubber gloves so my hand smelled the whole rest of the night.

This morning when I went to let the birds out, the whole coop smelled like it! My future plan is to squeeze some NuStock out of the tube and into some kind of container so that I can just dip my hand in the cream and then spread it on the legs and feet. If it wasn't so expensive, I would fill a tall jar and just dip their feet and legs in it. Just thought I'd share the follies of a rookie chicken keeper.

All worth it, though, if it works!

 

[Lacy Blues]

Oh...my...goodness. NuStock is so messy!

I am anticipating the results on my 2 BA girls' dry, cracked legs and feet, but I think I may have to devise another method of application! I had never seen NuStock before and I knew that it was runny from what others had said, but I still wasn't really prepared.

First of all, I took them off the roost as suggested (which was a great idea!), but they still squawked and fussed so I had to hold them tightly. Then I tried to squeeze the NuStock from the bottle directly onto their feet (in the dark, mind you, but my son was there holding a lantern which helped a little). On the first bird, since I couldn't see what I was doing, and since they reflexively pull their feet up into their body, I ended up pouring a bunch of NuStock on the ground.

I did my best to spread the cream that actually ended up on the legs and not the ground, slathering my hand in the process. I know I got some on her feathers/body, too, so I hope it wears off! The second bird went a little better, but I still question how thorough my coverage was. I had worn an old shirt since I knew I would probably get some on me, but we didn't have any rubber gloves so my hand smelled the whole rest of the night.

This morning when I went to let the birds out, the whole coop smelled like it! My future plan is to squeeze some NuStock out of the tube and into some kind of container so that I can just dip my hand in the cream and then spread it on the legs and feet. If it wasn't so expensive, I would fill a tall jar and just dip their feet and legs in it. Just thought I'd share the follies of a rookie chicken keeper.

All worth it, though, if it works!

Maybe get a pump dispenser, like for hand lotion.

Even if you could afford to just dip their feet/legs into the solution, that's not something I think you would REALLY want to do! Consider the bottoms of their feet.

 

[vpatt]

I have never used it......but would it work to use a sponge or is it too thick? I bought BluKote and antiseptic salve...to start my chicken firstaid kit.

 

[Leahs Mom]

I have and use Nustock on occasion but I avoid it unless there's nothing else that will work. Smell is strong and it hangs around for a long time...

But boy is it great for quick healing of skin issues.

I empty the tube out completely into a short, squat Pint canning jar. Then I can use a knife to stir it up and use the same knife to get some out of the container. (Not double dipping, of course.). Then I usually use a qtip to apply if it's a wound.

You can use any oil/grease on leg mites. The point is to suffocate the mites. The oil does that job then the scales will slough off and nice new ones will grow underneith. The oil needs to be heavy/thick enough to do the suffocation job.

VetRX is supposed to work pretty well on scaly leg mites. I haven't had leg mites here, but I think I'd start with that and apply it several times.

 

[CoopChick719]

Oh...my...goodness. NuStock is so messy!

I am anticipating the results on my 2 BA girls' dry, cracked legs and feet, but I think I may have to devise another method of application! I had never seen NuStock before and I knew that it was runny from what others had said, but I still wasn't really prepared.

First of all, I took them off the roost as suggested (which was a great idea!), but they still squawked and fussed so I had to hold them tightly. Then I tried to squeeze the NuStock from the bottle directly onto their feet (in the dark, mind you, but my son was there holding a lantern which helped a little). On the first bird, since I couldn't see what I was doing, and since they reflexively pull their feet up into their body, I ended up pouring a bunch of NuStock on the ground.

I did my best to spread the cream that actually ended up on the legs and not the ground, slathering my hand in the process. I know I got some on her feathers/body, too, so I hope it wears off! The second bird went a little better, but I still question how thorough my coverage was. I had worn an old shirt since I knew I would probably get some on me, but we didn't have any rubber gloves so my hand smelled the whole rest of the night.

This morning when I went to let the birds out, the whole coop smelled like it! My future plan is to squeeze some NuStock out of the tube and into some kind of container so that I can just dip my hand in the cream and then spread it on the legs and feet. If it wasn't so expensive, I would fill a tall jar and just dip their feet and legs in it. Just thought I'd share the follies of a rookie chicken keeper.

All worth it, though, if it works!

I like the pump dispenser idea! I found my tube of nustock to be rather thick. I thinned mine with baby oil then put into a small bottle with a cover that twists like a glue bottle, mustard bottle might do too. I found it easier to direct the ointment onto their legs. I still have to rub it in but I'm not spilling a bunch on the roost like I did when I used the whole tube. Plus I'm stretching it to make the tube last longer. I've used it on my feathered leg cochin. It does wear off... after awhile.


Question for anyone on the soaking is it necessary? Our temps have been so weird lately I'm not comfortable sending someone to roost with wet feet!

 

[Leahs Mom]

Just the oil based stuff is fine. No soaking necessary. The oil will suffocate the mites.

Be careful with baby oil that is/has mineral oil or using mineral oil based items in general. Mineral oil is not digestible and, when absorbed into the skin, leaches oil soluble vitamins out of the system by binding them into the oil. Because of that I don't use anything that contains mineral oil unless there is absolutely no other option.