Vodka to make chickens sleepy?

[ladyvain]

Ok bear with me here...My husbands grandmother used to offer some scratch with vodka to the chickens who escaped the coop. They would drink it and fall asleep, then she could pick them up and carry them back to the coop...

We currently have a terrible case of scaly leg mites (first time owner. we bought an established flock and didn't realize that the legs we're supposed to look that way so they've had them for about a year Poor things, I feel terrible! ). We are now applying olive oil to the legs and I've cleaned out the coop.

My question is if anyone has any objections to using the vodka to make them sleepy?

It would be much easier to scrub their legs without causing them stress if they we're sleeping!

They are buff Orpington and our roo is quite gentle but he's almost 3 feet tall and he doesn't appreciate when we have to chase the ladies down for treatment (I'd ideally take them off the roost at night but being summer they don't head inside till after 9pm, at which time I don't have any help and a baby sleeping on me:/)

Questions? Thoughts? Concerns? Any help appreciated!

 

[Kelsie2290]

Hello and Welcome To BYC! No clue on the vodka, not sure you could give them enough to make them docile for scrubbing without causing problems since you have to do it repeatedly... if you keep chickens dark, ie wrap them in a towel they tend to be pretty quiet anyhow. You might want to consider going with Ivermectin if repeatedly treating them like oyu need to do with oils is going to be a problem. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...eed-best-easiest-quickest-solution-scaley/470

 

[TwoCrows]

Hello there and welcome to BYC!

You don't want to scrub the legs with leg scale mites. All you want to do is soak them in oil , towel off the damp oily legs and feet, and apply vaseline. You want the scales to fall off and regrow at their own rate, not scrub them off as you can cause infections. A bad case of leg scale can take months to heal.

I personally do not recommend vodka. Chickens don't have the enzymes to digest it and can cause serious damage to the liver very fast.

Good luck and I hope you can get the legs scale under control soon.

 

[Mountain Peeps]

Welcome to BYC! Please make yourself at home and we are here to help.

Two Crows gave you some great advice!!

 

[drumstick diva]

I would nix the vodka - it will put them to sleep but, will they may not all wake up.

 

[ladyvain]

Thanks for the advice! We'll just plod away when I have extra hands and try to minimize stress

I'll make sure not to scrub from here on out. We are already seeing improvements!

 

[gander007]

Well beer with me monument as I

alright I feel better now

So Vodka with more corn to put a chicken to sleep well I use-to do that to myself when I was younger and to do it to a chicken well you will need to watch your chicken after you do it ....

So do you call it drunk chicken