Lessons learned in my battle with mites

[chickengeorgeto]

Today I'm giving up my dream of ever having a mite-free flock of chickens. ....Today I was doing a rooster check and was pleased that he only had a few mites around his vent. That's when I noticed that he had a huge mob of scabs & mites on his chest.....and his neck.....and even his leg..... Then I decided to just give him a thorough bath using Dawn soap. I soaked and rinsed all the way up to the tip top of his neck, and this was not a quick bath....

So, here are my conclusions:

- Chickens have mites...

- Poultry Protector works if you don't have mites

- "Good" chicken owners can still have mites.....

- I can't think someone with 25 chickens could do much more than we have to try to eliminate mites & keep things clean and still have "free range" chickens.

- I just took another big step towards the farmer mentality with my beloved chickens.

- Finally, I may not be able to kill every last mite, but I can manage them.....

Thanks for reading!

Your first conclusion is correct.

Everything works to prevent mites as long as your chickens are mite free.

Your third conclusion is also correct.

Free range chickens will always get re-infested with free range mites that are picked up from wild birds sharing the chickens environment. This is why caged laying hens are generally mite free.

The farmer mentality would negate bathing a rooster in Dawn dishwashing detergent. Dishwashing detergent is a chemical solvent used to breakdown oil and grease on your pots and pans.
Unfortunately dishwashing detergent also destroys the natural oils that every chicken harvests from its own oil gland and then carefully applies to its plumage to waterproof its feathers and help the feather barbs lock together to create a waterproof barrier around every chicken. The farmer mentality also means that you are unconcerned with killing every single boll weevil, horse fly, and chicken mite on your farm but that you only act when the pest level nears the threshold of a financial loss that is greater than the cost of treating.

Google "integrated pest management" to learn the difference between "control" and "management"

 

[aart]

The ivermectin pour on has a 2 week withdrawal period, The eprinex doesnt have a withdrawal period. It's a little more expensive than the ivermectin pour on. You can purchase it in a 250ml bottle and has about a 2 year expiration date. Dosage is 1/2cc placed on bare skin on the back of the neck on standard size birds, 1/4cc for smaller birds. It takes a second or two longer to be absorbed through the skin into the bloodstream than the ivermectin pour on. Either will kill mites.
http://www.jefferspet.com/products/eprinex-pour-on
http://www.jefferspet.com/products/ivomec-pour-on

@dawg53 Curious......have you used this product on your birds?
What is the breadth of your experience using it?
How often would you need to re-treat for an infestation situation?
Does it kill scaly leg mites also?

 

[SIMZ]

Your first conclusion is correct.

Everything works to prevent mites as long as your chickens are mite free.

Your third conclusion is also correct.

Free range chickens will always get re-infested with free range mites that are picked up from wild birds sharing the chickens environment. This is why caged laying hens are generally mite free.

The farmer mentality would negate bathing a rooster in Dawn dishwashing detergent. Dishwashing detergent is a chemical solvent used to breakdown oil and grease on your pots and pans.............

Thanks for that great insight into the "farmer mentality".

The bath came BEFORE my big step, though. The Dawn was what I've read will remove all the mites and the eggs. I was just doing what I thought would get rid of EVERY mite. You confirmed that it's counterproductive and even harmful. I'd already decided there will be no more baths, but you confirmed that it does more harm than good. I'm guessing now he'll be even more susceptible to the 5 mites that are still crawling on him because his natural skin protections are gone.

My next step will be to look into IPM and see how to apply it to my chickens! Thanks so much!

 

[SIMZ]

I'm going to pass on the Eprinex. I was looking at the package and noticed it's not safe for use on veal calves (something about pre-ruminating animals). Now, I get the milk/meat thing, but cows are a lot different than chickens, starting with a very thick hide that isn't eaten. We sell our eggs and eat our chickens -- a (mostly) productive flock - and I'm not going to chance it with our customers or us.

I'm also going to pass on switching coops and trying to de-bug them. I think the disruption to the flock would be greater than the benefit from momentarily killing all the bugs in the coops.

I mostly think if it's possible to keep it mite free out there that I probably don't have what it takes to make it happen. I'll keep with my weekly/bi-weekly checks of all my chickens and dealing with the mites when they get out of control --- WITHOUT BATHS! LOL

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Thanks for that great insight into the "farmer mentality".

The bath came BEFORE my big step, though. The Dawn was what I've read will remove all the mites and the eggs. I was just doing what I thought would get rid of EVERY mite. You confirmed that it's counterproductive and even harmful. I'd already decided there will be no more baths, but you confirmed that it does more harm than good. I'm guessing now he'll be even more susceptible to the 5 mites that are still crawling on him because his natural skin protections are gone.

My next step will be to look into IPM and see how to apply it to my chickens! Thanks so much!

I don't know if bathing a chicken is harmful or not, I certainly would expect a bath to remove part of the mite load, but I can not see any true benefit if one must still use a pesticide afterward to control mites. I do know that if you bathe a duck in detergent that it sinks instead of swims, that is if you return it to the water too quickly.

By the way, do you know what species of mite you were dealing with? It sounds like your rooster may be lousy instead of infested with mites.

 

[Folly's place]

To clarify the use of pesticides for mites in chickens; there is one approved product, permethrin, didn't used to have an egg withdrawal period, but might now. It's a powder that can be challenging to apply if there are many birds, and a good face mask is essential.. The use of any Ivermectin type product is totally off- label, so there is no official withdrawal period. I throw eggs away for about ten days after using Ivermectin on my chickens, because it just seems right to me, not because there's a rule. I wouldn't use eprinex because It's not proven to be as safe, IMO. Ivermectin has a long history of use in humans also. Mary

 

[dawg53]

To clarify the use of pesticides for mites in chickens; there is one approved product, permethrin, didn't used to have an egg withdrawal period, but might now. It's a powder that can be challenging to apply if there are many birds, and a good face mask is essential.. The use of any Ivermectin type product is totally off- label, so there is no official withdrawal period. I throw eggs away for about ten days after using Ivermectin on my chickens, because it just seems right to me, not because there's a rule. I wouldn't use eprinex because It's not proven to be as safe, IMO. Ivermectin has a long history of use in humans also. Mary

I've used eprinex as have others, and you're correct, it's off label like many other products we use with chickens including ivermectin. Eprinex is safe, we've eaten the eggs afterwards...still here typing. I used to use ivermectin pour on and eprinex for worming. I quit using both as they are ineffective in killing poultry worms due to their overuse as miteacides in poultry which have caused worm resistance to both products. If I had a severe problem with mites, I'd use eprinex in a heartbeat or even ivermectin pour on. I dont use anything as preventatives for lice or mites and I inspect my birds frequently, "hands on." I use sevin dust only if I observe lice or mites on any of my birds.
When I used ivermectin, I tossed eggs in the garbage afterwards for 2 weeks.

 

[Michael Apple]

I've used Eprinex (topical ivermectin) too. It is not an effective dewormer. It is not a very effective miticide compared to Carbaryl, Permethrin, Rabon, Malathion to name a few. DE may sound wonderful to those who "want to believe", but it will not control mites nor repel them. I've tested every one of these products in the last 30 years. Emulsified concentrates do what dusts and other products can't; eliminate and control mites and lice.

 

[aart]

I've used Eprinex (topical ivermectin) too. It is not an effective dewormer. It is not a very effective miticide compared to Carbaryl, Permethrin, Rabon, Malathion to name a few. DE may sound wonderful to those who "want to believe", but it will not control mites nor repel them. I've tested every one of these products in the last 30 years. Emulsified concentrates do what dusts and other products can't; eliminate and control mites and lice.

No. It's confusing because they both have the brand name Ivomec on the package.
Eprinex is Eprinomectin.
Ivomec is Ivermectin.
Both are pour ons, but different chemicals.


LOL

 

[dawg53]

Quote:
I believe Ivomec is the product label name given by the company Merial. Like GMC is to its cars and trucks....all produced by the same company.