I've tried a number of procedures to control scaly leg mite in my flock (bathing with insecticidal soap and vaseline, just vaseline), but as my flock grows, I've tried a new method, and so far so good. It's much faster to dip in oil than to smear vaseline, and the two are comparably priced. I feel much better about using a natural and edible product.
I heat up the pint of oil in a saucepan so it's liquid, and then grab chickens and dip their feet. Every morning before breakfast, I go through a whole coop, pulling out one chicken at a time. Everyone gets treated, and every few days, they repeat.
One leg...
Now the other...
They get real quiet when I dip their feet.
I'm not sure about this, but it's nice and warm.
Drip dry.
Then I set them down and they run off to eat.
Chris is a biiiiig boy.
Good thing he's gentle.
Here's a little Silkie getting oiled. Instead of dipping their little feather duster feet in the oil, I use a spoon to pour over.
The oil is starting to harden. Every morning it's a race to finish a coop-full before the oil thickens again in the cold.
This is what happens when I say "Here, hold this chicken for a minute, would you?"
Now the oil is not dippable anymore. Someone gets greasy feet.
