mites, mites, mites

[pslane]

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

 

[countrygirl74]

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

 

[chickengeorgeto]

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.

 

[skullgrrrl]

There's a reason the government is banning the use of Sevin (& its a good one) - its a known carcinogen. When you put that stuff on your chickens it gets on you, into the soil and into the ground water!

When my flock had mites I power washed the inside of my coop, bathed the hens in a bucket with dish soap, vaselined their legs (at least three times/wk), sprayed the inside of the coop (roost bars, nest boxes and shavings) with a spray bottle containing water, crushed garlic and neem oil. I also dusted the inside of the coop with DE and a small amount of cedar sawdust. It does work but you have to be consistent. The problem is chickens get mites from wild birds so if you have backyard hens or free- ranging birds you may also get mites.

We need to start looking for alternatives to highly toxic insecticides whose impact is more far-reaching than just killing mites. The alternatives might take longer but they are healthier for all of us.

 

[Kyzmette]

For the fellow who asked, sevin dust is extremely toxic to bees, and there is growing proof that its widespread usage is heavily contributing to bee loss. I live in an agricultural area that should be swarming with honeybees in the warm months, but in the past several years I've been having to artificially pollinate my squash vines, and my fruit trees and blackberry vines are producing a fraction of what they should. The blackberries are all partially bulbed, a good sign of insufficient pollination.

I won't tell others what to do, but I have my own opinion of the stuff and I won't use it.

 

[gleier]

I can't see anywhere what I posted as my intervention. I sprinkle LIME around my chicken coop and where my free range chickens hang out frequently. Just a light sprinkling. Do it once a week. I also sprinkle lime where my horses hang around to keep the flys down from the poop. I have not done this for a long time and my chickens are infested. Just started putting the lime back around and quickly notice good results. Have to treat the chickens legs directly though because it has gotten out of hand. Wanted to post again because this is cheap and it works for a lot of other things also = like odor.

 

[superleo130]

this is what i did. i am not an expert at all i am learning step by step but it has shown some results after 3 days already. hopes this helps and any feed back would be great!

 

[BayBay Peepers]

Ok, I'm stealing this from another thread...It was posted by cetawin

here is the information from the Dept. of Agriculture
There are two different kinds of lime.

Hydrated lime, slake lime, or "burn lime"- This is pure white. Hydrated lime is very caustic, so the bag will have a warning on it. This is the kind of lime you use for white wash . This lime will burn you and your livestock. Do not use it on the floor. Do not breath it.

Agricultural lime, "ag lime", "garden lime", "barn lime" or dolomite- This lime is gray and can be used to spread on the floor of your barn. This is safe for you and your livestock. It will not burn.
In the past we spread Ag. lime on our barn floor because it provides an antibacterial quality, dries out and "sweetens" the floor , and also it makes it easier to clean, for some people.

If you just ask for lime at your feed store, they will probably give you hydrated lime. If you say it's for the barn floor they will still probably give you hydrated. Please be safe, get the "Ag" lime .

 

[atmaclean]

I tried everything mentioned thus far with NO luck when I found mites in my flock a coutlet years ago. What finally worked and completely ended my mite problem was Frontline Plus. I got the off brand at Costco and put a few drops on each hen and rooster. I was so freaked out that we had tried all kinds of toxic chemicals on the roosts, floors, nest boxes, the ground around the coop, our yard, house, and everything possible. It was crazy, but we got rid of them. The only thing that got them off the hens was the Frontline in each bird. I apply it ever 6 Mos or so to make sure I never get them again. So far we haven't and it's been 2 yrs.

 

[RobinsEggs]

Ok, this is my first post ever, so please forgive my "newbiness". I have been waging war on northern fowl mites (they look just like picts and are all over the chickens during day) for more than a month now. I have had various chickens for more than 15 years and never had noticeable mite problems before. Didn't see this thread until now. Lots of good info. Maybe someone can learn from my story and mistakes : I always spread ashes where chickens bathe, so I also dusted coop and chickens with permethrine. That seemed to help, but they weren't completely gone. Bathed them with dawn in Rubbermaid tub in my tub - helps control chickens and save water - sprayed them and coop with insectrinx, and used blow dryer on them. I moved them to temporary shelter and am cleaning and spraying frozen coop. Wasn't too worried about mites in bathroom because most sites said would only live day or two without chicken to feed on. OOPS! Have some in Ziploc bag that are still alive after two weeks! I can feel them crawling on me and have been been bitten a lot. They don't bite my son -lucky guy. Still find a few in bathroom, even though I sprayed there, too. It helps a lot to shower and cover yourself with lots of lotion. If you feel them,try using tape to catch them. You might not want to look at them with 200x magnifier like I did -so gross! Now, I'm in search of pour-on eprinex. Can't find any locally so will order online. Arggg! Just felt one on back of neck!