Stockholm Tar

[chrismahon]

Rosie bought a tub of this on a 'just in case' basis. Today big softy Arnold, our Blue Laced Wyandotte, damaged his big rose comb. The fence mesh had come loose and I guess he got caught up in it. Anyway he seemed fine this afternoon, just a bit of skin off at the back. Doing the evening egg round revealed Arnold's comb to be a real mess. One of the hens had got a taste for it and half had been pecked. Not as bad as last time when half had been eaten, but still bad. Tried Teatree cream but it soon melted and two of the hens were again pecking at it.

In desperation and for the first time we used Stockholm Tar. Smells the same as Nettex anti-peck spray. I applied it with a cotton bud quite neatly -using a paintbrush was mentioned but I can see it getting messy with it dripping off. But as it got warm it started to run, fortunately not too far as I didn't put it on too thick.

I imagine using it on a feather pecked hen would be a real mess. Especially when she tried to preen and got the stuff in her beak. It's for this reason we stopped using Nettex antipecking spray -the victim suffers more than the aggressor. Now we isolate the pecker.

Couple of questions about Stockholm Tar. How often should I reapply it, if at all? Does it ever harden or will Arnold be at risk of getting it stuck to his feathers? In that event, how can you clean it off?

 

[Margaid]

Hi Chris,
As I'm still on a very steep learning curve I googled Stockholm Tar and Removing Stockholm Tar. My only previous knowledge was that it was used to preserve the rigging on ships and stained the sailors hands - hence the nicknames Jack Tar and Jolly Tar. it seems that it can go hard eventually, certainly on feathers but other reports talk about it staying sticky and clogging the beaks of feather peckers. One forum suggested olive oil to remove it as that apparently gets tar off skin quite well. Someone else had used a detergent washing up liquid - as in removing tar from seagulls etc and then rinsing really, really well. I got the general impression that it didn't really work for feather peckers as they either pecked other areas or started again once the tar had dried. There was one Yorkshireman who swore by it however and said he "would never use owt else". Bit inconclusive really, maybe there's a forum member with more experience than me (which wouldn't be difficult !) who can come up with some answers.

 

[Chuck]

It's years and years since I've seen or smelt it but occasionally you hear about it. I can remember it being put on but can't remember how we got it off if at all. Certainly messy stuff and there must be better in this day and age.

 

[chrismahon]

I've answered two of my questions. It does harden off at which point the scab peckers think it is a scab and try to remove it as there were bits missing off Arnolds comb this morning. But this scab must taste awful. So we've reapplied Tar this morning and so far they show no interest in it at all. I guess it will fall off when the skin forms underneath and the scab falls off on its own. Perhaps we should have used this years ago when we started getting hens picking scabs off the cockerels and then getting a taste for it. Cotton buds are definately a 'no mess' way to apply it.

 

[Rebelodicus]

Hi.

When I was a lad (I'm 50 now) we used Stockholm tar. We were not very good chicken keepers as my parents knew nothing abou them, but we learnt a lot until a fox took the lot. Their backs became bare and we had pecking issues, iirc. I realise now that the birds had a parasite problem ....... 03
The tar eventual wore off with no adverse effect I could see and the parasites left after a while (With coop cleaning and tar).... a few weeks after the hens got well they were got by the fox,,,, soon after my Afghan hound got out and was shot by a drunk farmer for a fox !?

I am tempted to get some for a bareback hen now.... but I wont. It's because of the Cock. I have new chicks to go in with him in a few weeks... that will keep him distracted imho

I do have a question about de-pluming mites though... I'll get a picy and start a thread.... All down and no feathers for my neighbour..... i'm worried for her birds and mine......

 

[chrismahon]

We have a 450g pot. Enough to last several lifetimes I think. If anyone does buy some try to get a smaller one. We've decanted about30g to a small pot and I doubt we will use all of that!

 

[foxy]

I used stockholm tar once and got myself in such a mess! Never again..... :shock:

 

[chrismahon]

Application is definately a two person job Foxy because, even applying it with a cotton bud, if they move it would go all over the place. But it seems such a good product otherwise and most importantly incredibly cheap.