[kanu]

Hi everyone,i hope your all enjoying the good weather?Ihave a couple of queries firstly have any of you used Frontline Spot On, as treatment for scaly leg mite?I'm aware its for dogs and cats and not prescribed for poultry,but read the odd account of people using it on there birds.If you have tried it Ijust wondered what results you got?Secondly Benzyl Benzoate how does this rate as a treatment for the same complaint ?The vaseline treatment just doesn't seem practical to me with it being so very dry and I can just see it being very messy.Any tips and advice would be much appreciated.

[henamoured]

One of the most practical sounding suggestions I've read about is to fill a tall jam jar with surgical spirit and dip their legs in it daily to treat scaly leg/weekly or so to prevent it. (Haynes CHicken Manuel)

[TeaPots]

The surgical spirit would indeed kill any mite, but would dry out their scales really badly, so you would need some moisturiser afterwards, eg vaseline

[kanu]

the surgical spirit sounds good for a few birds dont think its so practical with 20 plus birds.

[Casey76]

You have 20 birds with scaley leg mite???

[kanu]

No ive only a couple showing sign of scaly leg,but was under the impression that it was worth treating the whole lot of them.

[Casey76]

The best "one stop shop" I think is Advantage multi (imidacloprid and moxidectin), it is a spot on for cats and gets rid of fleas, lice, worms and ear mites.  It is a systemic though and remains active for a month (which stops re-infestation, and kills the next life-cycle)

You have to get it on prescription from a vet, and it might work out expensive to treat 20 chickens.

Advantage is licensed for rabbits too, however it says that you shouldn't use it on rabbits intended for consumption - so a vet would probably recommend a 30 day egg withdrawal.

Of course BB is efficacious too, and with it being topical I don't know whether you would need an egg withdrawal, however it stings (just like surgical spirit!!! ouch! I would never put surgical spirit on inflamed skin!)

[kanu]

Thanks for replying Casey,i was going to give frontline spot on for cats a try,do you think that is ok?I idealy wanted to treat all my birds and give everything a good clean with only the need for a couple of follow up treatments for my birds to break the lifecycle of the mites.I will have a 30 day egg withdrawal if i try the frontline.   I dont want to appear stupid but what does efficacious mean?                                             

[Casey76]

Sorry, thats the medical side of me popping out.  Efficacious just means that it works.

[kanu]

Thanks i will make that my word of the day!

[kanu]

Well all should be clean and mite free in the chicken run!Spent most of the afternoon spraying coop with Ficam,soaked and washed all drinkers with vircum,all hens had legs done in benzly benzoate and a couple of drops of frontline.Good feeling when its all done !

[TeaPots]

Go you  Did you worm them while you were at it? (Most of us on here recommend Flubenvet)