Dusting Chickens With DE?

[Mobleymoon]

Thank you all for your input. I also have this problem. I have used DE in with wood ash in a large size black rubber 6" deep pan, and 3 of the five girls use it sometimes but prefer outside dirt "bowls," so I throw a few handfuls of DE it. I have never seen our boys dust anywhere. Can I dust them with DE? I think I should. I plan to gut the coop and dust all the boxes, replace straw, dust that. Here is my worry and concern: We are ten days in on a sitting hen with eight eggs. I am desperate to do this when It stops raining, BEFORE the babies hatch. Their lungs are so small and new and sensitive to EvErYtHiNg. It will give the coop time to settle down. I want to get two dustings in 10 days. Can I wet wash/spray something, let it dry(24 hr.) then dust everything and everybody of every chicken, mom too. It is raining, and they had to go in early. I free range. So I was sitting on a milk crate just agreeing with their complaining. It felt like one of my hair fell on my hand. Not hair, but the was something tiny, black, and moving. I couldn't kill it with "rolling" it. So small, very small. No, not a flea or tick. About the size of one of their legs. Very small. I'm pretty sure its a miteI'll do anything for my chickens. My husband said they would follow me off a cliff. They love me for sure but not off a cliff love. They are not stupid I talk to them all the time. I wish they could tell me its bugs, not feather quills. I feel so bad for my kids and babies are coming. Got any ideas?

 

[dawg53]

So much for the DE working for you, it's a waste of money. It sounds like a northern fowl mite.
You can purchase Permethrin 10% liquid concentrate and use a sprayer to spray inside the coop. Instructions are attached to the container. First you'll have to remove and clean out the inside of the coop and dispose of bedding including all nesting material. Then spray everything inside the coop including roosts and nest boxes. Let it dry (fans help), then put in fresh bedding material. The Permethrin liquid has a 28 day residual.

I prefer to spray the coop, then use Permethrin dust to dust the bedding (when I used hay) and pat it down with your hands including nesting material in nest boxes.
Then dust your birds with the Permethrin dust.

If you decide to dust inside your coop, an easy way to do it is to close all vents. Then put a pile of Permethrin dust at the chickens entrance to the coop and hit it full blast with a leaf blower.
The dust will be blown into every crack and corner where mites hide. Let the dust inside the coop settle, then add fresh bedding as needed.
Wear a mask if you decide to use a leaf blower.

I use sand inside my coops. It's cheaper, easier to remove feces, stays dry, and helps deter parasites. I still use hay for the nest boxes. I clean them out as necessary and add Permethrin dust as needed.

 

[Mobleymoon]

So much for the DE working for you, it's a waste of money. It sounds like a northern fowl mite.
You can purchase Permethrin 10% liquid concentrate and use a sprayer to spray inside the coop. Instructions are attached to the container. First, you'll have to remove and clean out the inside of the coop and dispose of bedding, including all nesting material. Then spray everything inside the coop, including roosts and nest boxes. Let it dry (fans help), then put in fresh bedding material. The Permethrin liquid has a 28 day residual.

I prefer to spray the coop, then use Permethrin dust to dust the bedding (when I used hay) and pat it down with your hands, including nesting material in nest boxes.
Then dust your birds with the Permethrin dust.

If you decide to dust inside your coop, an easy way to do it is to close all vents. Then put a pile of Permethrin dust at the chicken's entrance to the coop and hit it full blast with a leaf blower.
The dust will be blown into every crack and corner where mites hide. Let the dust inside the coop settle, then add fresh bedding as needed.
Wear a mask if you decide to use a leaf blower.

I use sand inside my coops. It's cheaper, easier to remove feces, stays dry, and helps deter parasites. I still use hay for the nest boxes. I clean them out as necessary and add Permethrin dust as needed.

thank you for your reply. I have given sand a lot of thought. Here in Michigan, sand sounds so cold. Here, we get the joy of cold, nasty weather seven to eight months a year. Oct to May. I am still on the fence about sand. This past winter (this was their first winter), I deep packed the coop with straw. Its 12X8 with a slanted roof, 10' at the wall to 8' at the windows. Keeping ventilation in mind, I was able to keep the coop around 40 degrees. I am still thinking about sand, maybe. About ten days ago, I found a pile of worms by the water dish and freaked out. [They have been getting Ropa Compleat in their COOP water, but to dose, the three outside water sources too, is too expensive. So it was just house water. [well water conditioned and RO filtered] But everybody here in the woods come in for the only water within 1/4 mile. So after the gift of worms, I started using Bragg's ACV for all outside water dishes and the Ropa for their in-coop bowl. I never thought I would become fluent in chicken poopy. No ore sightings of worms, but I won't stop looking. After 12 days of no rain, it started up yesterday. The kids wouldn't go in easy. I guess all kids like the rain until they get wet. So I sat with them in the coop for a bit, just watching the shenanigans of wet chickens. I keep the coop as clean as I can, so it's a nice getaway for ME! That's when I felt this crawly thing on the top of my hand. Now I am at wit's end! I got to GUT out the coop again, and now it's raining and will until this afternoon. Time to go to TS and get what I need. My biggest worry is the coming of babies IN TEN DAYS. Ten days!!! I have had to move mom and eggs once already. D/t broken egg goo. What do I do with the mom and her eggs so I can spray? Can I close her IN with boards or plastic sheeting? Should I put her in a crate or carrier, cover "them" good, spray, fan dry, re-straw, put her and the eggs back? What can I do and be least stressful for everybody? I'll need to spray where she made her nest. I'll need to dust her too. Oh my gosh, I am just one person! I'll have help once I get a plan. But where do I start? Here is a picture from last Nov. giving you an idea of the coop. I only have 7 chicken and mom is sitting on 8 eggs. I've got the room. Thanks so much!!

 

[dawg53]

Pull the mama hen out of the nest box and dust her with Permethrin dust, dust inside the nest box as best as you can without disturbing the eggs. Then put the mama hen back in the nest box.

 

[Mobleymoon]

is there a hold time on the eggs with Permethrin dust ?

 

[dawg53]

is there a hold time on the eggs with Permethrin dust ?

No egg withdrawal after using Permethrin.

 

[Mobleymoon]

No egg withdrawal after using Permethrin.

Thank you for your answer. I'll be honest with you, I am SO ready to throw in the towel! The coop has been gutted--two times! The water, oil, soap, and garlic spray makes ME vomit. I have dusted Everything. Top to bottom. Every crack, crevice, window frames, sills, everything. My birds won't come near me. Today I went out to spray again and the brown mom setting left the nest and our 3 yr. old black mom hen jumped on the nest. Brown mom is out with everybody else and black mom is sitting. AND I had 8 eggs, now I have 12!! what's wrong??? I am really lost. What do I do NOW???