Is Burt's Bees herbal insect repellent and hand salve okay?

[cthrash1]

Is it okay to spray the repellent on the chickens and rub their legs with the salve? Repellent is made up of Lemongrass oil, citronella oil, rosemary oil,grapeseed oil, and vitamin E..Hand salve is made up of sweet almond oil,olive oil, beeswax, vitamin E, comfrey root extract, rosemary oil & leaf extract, lavendin oil & flower extract, and eucalyptus oil.

 

[keljonma]

Are you trying to address a specific health issue?

 

[speckledhen]

I wouldn't do that! Citronella and other aromatics can kill your birds.

 

[cthrash1]

Okay thanks Speckledhen, thought I'd ask before using. No keljonma no health issue just maintenance/prevention question, petrol jelly is just so messy when the chicken doesn't cooperate so was trying to find something less greasy and quicker...Still new at all this so takes a while to go through the flock and there are only certain ones that are used to being held a lot so some of them struggle.

 

[ChickenToes]

Maybe I'm just slow, but can you explain what you use the petroleum jelly for? I'm lost...

 

[cthrash1]

Rub on their legs to help prevent leg mites. Not a daily routine just once or twice per month. I think I read you can also use Olive oil or something like that, can't remember now. Guess my last explanation did sound sort of odd, huh...

 

[ravenfeathers]

i'm going to be the odd man out and say that the concentration of EOs in burt's bees' products isn't high enough to hurt your chickens. that said, i think you're better off to go as plain and natural as you can when you can. if you don't want to use petroleum jelly, see if you can get un-petroleum jelly in your area or online. it's available from amazon. you might even be able to thin that and use it in a sprayer.

 

[speckledhen]

While we are on the subject of what to use on your chickens or not, do NOT use anything containing Benzocaine on your birds, period. If they have broken skin, especially, it will be fatal.

 

[ChickenToes]

OK, now I get it!!

I've been using a bit of DE here and there, sprinkled in the coop and run and haven't had a problem with mites yet.

 

[cthrash1]

What is Benzocaine for? And I think I'd have to buy DE online cause I asked Southern States and another local farm store about it and they didn't know what I was talking about.