mites, mites, mites

I am fighting mites on my bantams. I put drops of ivermectin on their behinds but as you know this only stops them for awhile because the mites are waiting patiently on the ground for their blood source to taste good again.

At this point I want to dust my entire enclosed chicken yard which is at least 12 X 14 or bigger. I believe the government has stepped to control our buying sevin dust. I can't buy it in those little canisters for such a big job. Can anyone tell me if there is anywhere left that will sell a large/bulk bag of sevin or even so-called poultry dust?

What do you do for treating large areas? I know DE is popular and I have some but I'm not sure how effective it is. Any feedback on DE? I'm about ready to dump a few huge bags into my chicken yard quick before the government makes me stop.

Thanks
pslane

http://www.cedarcidestore.com/cedarproducts.html Try this, just get one of the liquids that you mix with water and then just dip your birds in it, then put it in a spray bottle and spray it around.

I know some people on here have done thorough dustings with wood ash and got rid of all the mites... then applied Nustock to help kill the eggs, applying the Nustock to the legs, around the vent, and putting it on any of the places that you see nits down near the feather shafts close to the skin. It's a good idea to leave them wood ash on a regular basis for them to dust in whenever they want.

I have no problem treating each bird with ivermectin but it's the ones on the ground and in the coops and on the roosts that have to go. Has anybody ever sprayed liquid sevin on their chicken yards?

Please tell me more about wood ash. I'd like to try that. Nustock probably wouldn't be much better than my ivermectin except that it would help soothe and heal the scabby spots, and applying sevin dust directly to the chickens is a waste of time if the ground is contaminated like mine is.

I think I will get some Nustock for the ones that were bitten so bad before found them.These mites that I have are fast crawlers and if I'm treating a chicken that has alot of them on it's rear end, they crawl on me.
I have had to treat my own hair for mites! I'm just sick of them.

Thanks
pslane

Neem oil for the roosts and coop...

Thoroughly dust the birds in a bin of wood ash. I always keep a rubbermaid bin in my run for them to dust themselves. See here

Thank you, that was very informative. Finding some wood ash is going to be my next project.

There are no mites that infect a chicken that are dangerous to or that are a threat to humans, so relax.

Mix GuardStar 40% permethin insecticide with water at the rate of 1 part GuardStar to 800 parts water. you can use this in a hand pump sprayer or in a Windex type trigger sprayer to give each bird a little spritz under each wing, one on the rump, and one on the back while they are sleeping.

As you just discovered mites are fast little buggers who can change locations and hide in a heart beat. To get rid of hidden mites mix GuardStar 40% at the same rate with burned motor oil and thin it with diesel oil or kerosene as needed. Paint this on all sides of the wooden roost poles and dob it liberty on all wooden pen joints. You want to create a barrier that mites can't cross to re-infest your fowl.

A good dry dusting site with a little Sevin 5% dust added to 50% wood ashes and 50% fine dry dirt will go a long way to keeping your fowl mite and lice free and making sure that their feathers are clean and shine. It's like a spa treatment or a Roman bath for chickens.

Thanks, but I'm not afraid of them, just find it embarressing to go to the drugs store and have to buy head lice shampoo.
As I said I don't have a problem keeping them off my flock, I just need to treat the ground where they live. If I could find some wood ash, I'd dump a load of it and spread it around. I just don't know where to get some. Some people say lumber yards, some say bar-b-que restaurants, but I think the EPA has cracked down on lumber mills and the only restaurants I can find use gas to barbque. I'm going to try garden shops next.

Thanks,
pslane

How about trying blue Dawn dish detergent in a garden sprayer?

I have used it for killing fleas in the back where the dogs run.. i have one of those "Miracle-gro" plant food bottles that connects to the garden hose. Fill it with a strong solution of Dawn and water and hook it to the hose to spray down the yard.
i am assuming you would have to repeat it in a few days to kill any hatching bugs.. but it would be worth a try.




did a quick google on mites and Dawn.. seems some people have used it to kill bird mites that have invaded their homes...

coldwetnoz said:

Thanks, but I'm not afraid of them, just find it embarressing to go to the drugs store and have to buy head lice shampoo.

As I said I don't have a problem keeping them off my flock, I just need to treat the ground where they live. If I could find some wood ash, I'd dump a load of it and spread it around. I just don't know where to get some. Some people say lumber yards, some say bar-b-que restaurants, but I think the EPA has cracked down on lumber mills and the only restaurants I can find use gas to barbque. I'm going to try garden shops next.

Thanks,
pslane

Click to expand...

Lol.. just use dog flea shampoo (or Dawn then follow with a good conditioner)


When I was living in Delaware a neighbor came over telling me their kids had come home from school with head lice.. so I gave them some dog flea shampoo.. they said it worked great


for the wood ash.. know of anyone with a fireplace?