Wooden Roosts

[wheatnroses]

Can someone tell me what would be the best stuff to put on or coat my wooden roosts with??? I scrape off the roosts and sand them with a sander a couple of times a week to keep them as clean as I can but after 5 going on 6 years this is taking an awful toll on my roosts. I'm so afraid of giving bugs and illness a hand up so I work to keep things as clean as I can. I think I read ( here I think) about someone putting oil?? on there roosts. Did I dream that and if not what does that do exactly? what and how does it help? Is there anything else that might be better to preserve and protect the roosts as well as the girls??

 

[Ridgerunner]

Personally I don’t worry about it all that much. I feel they will be healthier and at less risk if they are exposed so they can develop immunities instead of trying to maintain a sterile environment. But that is just personal preference. Do as you wish.

You did not dream that about the oil. The old-timers would coat the bottom of the roosts with used motor oil. Roost mites live in nooks and crannies in the coop during the day and only come out at night. By coating the bottom half of the tree limbs used as roosts, they eliminated some of the hiding places for roost mites. That’s probably not allowed if you are “organic”.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

Use vegetable oil instead of motor oil, and don't worry so much about "clean"
They are chickens.

 

[wheatnroses]

Thank you for the advise with the oil, can you mix it with something that will be of any benefit for them??

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

Thank you for the advise with the oil, can you mix it with something that will be of any benefit for them??

You're putting it on the roosts, not feeding it to them.
It's to kill mites and help preserve the wood

 

[aart]

Thank you for the advise with the oil, can you mix it with something that will be of any benefit for them??

You're putting it on the roosts, not feeding it to them.
It's to kill mites and help preserve the wood

...and THAT benefits them