Pekin Duck Club!

[Amiga]

I think you should be able to see the mites if you look closely. Perhaps check around the base of their bills, their eyelids, under their wings.

But I would check their shelter - what do you use for bedding? You may need to do a big clean out of the bedding, and then sprinkle DE in every place where wall meets floor, cracks in boards, as that's where I have read that mites hide.

There are products you can use, but please be cautious. Do the ducks seem healthy otherwise?

There were some mites (they were tan colored) in a bale of straw I had in the night pen. ick. I tossed that, far away, pulled out the bedding, wiped the floors with neem oil solution, put the DE in all the cracks and crevices, and I think we dodged that one.

Do your ducks swim daily?

 

[Charlielou14]

I think you should be able to see the mites if you look closely.  Perhaps check around the base of their bills, their eyelids, under their wings.


But I would check their shelter - what do you use for bedding?  You may need to do a big clean out of the bedding, and then sprinkle DE in every place where wall meets floor, cracks in boards, as that's where I have read that mites hide.

There are products you can use, but please be cautious.  Do the ducks seem healthy otherwise?

There were some mites (they were tan colored) in a bale of straw I had in the night pen.  ick.  I tossed that, far away, pulled out the bedding, wiped the floors with neem oil solution, put the DE in all the cracks and crevices, and I think we dodged that one.  

Do your ducks swim daily?

I live at a lake and haven't been putting them up at night. They spend the night on the water with th rest of the fowl. I put them in there the other day while we had company who brought their labs(dogs). Perhaps that's when they contracted them.. I use straw.
They seem perfectly healthy otherwise.

 

[casportpony]

I tried DE and it didn't work for me, so now permethrin powders and sprays for all types of lice and mites.

-Kathy

 

[Miss Lydia]

I live at a lake and haven't been putting them up at night. They spend the night on the water with th rest of the fowl. I put them in there the other day while we had company who brought their labs(dogs). Perhaps that's when they contracted them.. I use straw.
They seem perfectly healthy otherwise.

I read that straw can actually harbor external parasites usually lice but for mites the best I found was neem oil most garden centers carry it, I used a 1 gal pump sprayer and used hot water and neem oil since neem oil is an oil the hot water helps to mix better and while spraying I shake it often. Start by removing all you bedding and either burning of bagging and carrying off you don't want it around your yard. Then go in and spray all cracks and crevices from top to bottom and nest boxes if you have them and floor then before leaving the coop spray the whole ceiling, Amiga is right mites live in the cracks and crevices so make sure to get them all good. Red mites and blk mites will feed off the blood of your birds and cause anemia and death if not treated. After you treat your coop next you want to treat your birds you can use a poultry dust or front line spray or epernix pour on for cattle. Just make sure if you use dust you protect yourself and your birds from inhaling the dust. I use frontline spray and epernix pour on [not at the same time] that way I can control where it goes better. Since I started using neem in my coops I haven't had any mites and that has been going on 3 yrs now.

 

[Amiga]

I know I sound like a little echo here, but for anyone who may read this in the future - when you are using products such as those listed above (and they truly may be needed), be extremely careful in how much you use, and how you use it. You don't want to poison yourself, you don't want to poison your ducks, or anything but the mites. More is not better. Follow directions.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I know I sound like a little echo here, but for anyone who may read this in the future - when you are using products such as those listed above (and they truly may be needed), be extremely careful in how much you use, and how you use it. You don't want to poison yourself, you don't want to poison your ducks, or anything but the mites. More is not better. Follow directions.

Very true Amiga with the Epernix pour on it is so safe to use there is no egg with drawl.That is my favorite one if I have to use anything.

 

[casportpony]

 
I know I sound like a little echo here, but for anyone who may read this in the future - when you are using products such as those listed above (and they truly may be needed), be extremely careful in how much you use, and how you use it.  You don't want to poison yourself, you don't want to poison your ducks, or anything but the mites.  More is not better.  Follow directions. 

Very true Amiga with the Epernix pour on it is so safe to use there is no egg with drawl.That is my favorite one if I have to use anything.

But that one won't treat lice.

-Kathy

 

[Miss Lydia]

But that one won't treat lice.

-Kathy

K I haven't had to deal with lice, what do you suggest? for treating the birds. And I haven't had to treat my ducks just my chickens for mites.

 

[casportpony]

But that one won't treat lice.


-Kathy

K I haven't had to deal with lice, what do you suggest? for treating the birds. And I haven't had to treat my ducks just my chickens for mites.   

I've used 5% Sevin, permethrin dust and Vectra 3D for lice (not at same time). Vectra 3D is an expensive topical that one can get from their vet, but it's so expensive ($12 per large fowl) that I only used it once.

-Kathy

 

[Charlielou14]

I read that straw can actually harbor external parasites usually lice but for mites the best I found was neem oil most garden centers carry it, I used a 1 gal pump sprayer and used hot water and neem oil since neem oil is an oil the hot water helps to mix better and while spraying I shake it often. Start by removing all you bedding and either burning of bagging and carrying off you don't want it around your yard. Then go in and spray all cracks and crevices from top to bottom and nest boxes if you have them and floor then before leaving the coop spray the whole ceiling, Amiga is right mites live in the cracks and crevices so make sure to get them all good. Red mites and blk mites will feed off the blood of your birds and cause anemia and death if not treated.  After you treat your coop next you want to treat your birds you can use a poultry dust or front line spray or epernix pour on for cattle. Just make sure if you use dust you protect yourself and your birds from inhaling the dust. I use frontline spray and epernix pour on [not at the same time] that way I can control where it goes better. Since I started using neem in my coops I haven't had any mites and that has been going on 3 yrs now.

Okay thank you! Where would I find the frontline and pour on treatments? Do I get them from the vet?