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!