My kids started raising chicks through the 4H, and we’ve been keeping them for years now.
We’ve had a bout of intestinal issues that antibiotics or dewormers just couldn’t knock out. Then someone dumped a rooster in to our yard and he had severe scaly leg mites, which went through the whole flock.
Soooo... 2 drops white thyme essential oil into one gallon of water has worked WONDERS. I use NOW FOODS brand and I made sure it was their only water source. Now that the diarrhea has cleared up I’m just using 1 drop per gallon.
For the scaly leg mites: I took cheap vegetable oil and put it in to a tall plastic container, about a quart size. I mixed in 1 drop of the white thyme oil and stuck each leg into the oil up to the feather line and rubbed it in pretty well. I also tried it with 2 drops thyme oil on the really bad rooster legs and no one died. It’s been 2 weeks and the thick raised scales have fallen off and fresh new skin is emerging.
You can use thyme oil in water in a spray bottle in the coop too, esp on the perches.
Keep your coops clean!
Have you tried using mint oil in the coops, too? Mint oil is used as a natural insect/pest repellent.
The MOST common ailment in chicken coops is by far intestinal parasite disease called coccidiosis. You should know what this is and how to treat it before you ever own any chickens. The first sign is birds with diarrhea and possibly even light bleeding which can be seen under the roosting area. If you miss these first signs the next thing is lethargy and seeing a hen or two staying in the coop on the ground even after all the other birds are out getting scratch or free-ranging. These birds will also lose their fear of you and let you get unusually close to them without being alarmed.
Once any of these symptoms has occurred the entire flock needs to be treated via their primary water source with Amprolium (coccidiostat) it comes in a 20% powder, my brand is Corid. The only water sources should be treated for at least 5 and up to 21 days or until symptom wain. Eggs are OK to collect and eat during this flock treatment per the instructions and everything else I have found on the internet.
We just had 2 of 40 laying hens displaying these symptoms and even saw a few spots under the roost with a little blood. 5 days Amprolium in the water and mommas are all happy again.
And another great tip for anyone dealing with avian predation especially red-tailed hawks, we stopped free ranging the flock and keep them under a 40x40 netted enclosure until 3 hours before sunset when an automatic Omelet timer door lets them out. Apparently most of the hawks have found other food sources and are pretty much done hunting by then. We used to have quite a few issues with free ranging all day but most of the attacks occurred by 2-3PM. Haven’t lost a bird to hawks in over 6 months now by waiting for evening free ranging.