Afraid to kill one with the stupid wormer treatments...

[BennieAnTheJets]

Oh man, I am already doing all I can think of - see if you can think of something else and let me know:

I need to treat with ivernmection pour on since we have feather mites around here and that is the only thing I found that will control them, but that means I have to catch each bird and put it on the skin under a leg or wing

I am already doing it at night and in the big coop it works beautifully: I sneak up to the Guineas and grab one off the roosting bar while they are asleep and treat and release and all is well

But*** two issues I had this time around 1. the hens on the communal nest freaked out when I grabbed and treated them and 2. my "baby" pen (they are adults now) outside is 4' by 8' and not as tall as I am and when I treated tonight they flew up and hit their heads and flew into the hard wire cloth protecting the heat lamp (for winter) and I was afraid someone would break a neck or put an eye out - oh man! Also, the hens last night hit their heads into the wall and roosting bars etc. - not something I like to cause them to do.

I don't think it would help to do it during the day when they are even quicker and more alert.

I know of one case of a Guinea dying eventually from a broken leg sustained during worming - how awful!

I hate to do this as much as they hate getting caught - I procrastinate because I am afraid to hurt them until the mites get so bad I am afraid to wait any longer - bad feelings all around - how to get out of this?!?

How do you keep yours from panicking and hurting themselves when you need to treat them?

 

[R2elk]

Oh man, I am already doing all I can think of - see if you can think of something else and let me know:

I need to treat with ivernmection pour on since we have feather mites around here and that is the only thing I found that will control them, but that means I have to catch each bird and put it on the skin under a leg or wing

I am already doing it at night and in the big coop it works beautifully: I sneak up to the Guineas and grab one off the roosting bar while they are asleep and treat and release and all is well

But*** two issues I had this time around 1. the hens on the communal nest freaked out when I grabbed and treated them and 2. my "baby" pen (they are adults now) outside is 4' by 8' and not as tall as I am and when I treated tonight they flew up and hit their heads and flew into the hard wire cloth protecting the heat lamp (for winter) and I was afraid someone would break a neck or put an eye out - oh man! Also, the hens last night hit their heads into the wall and roosting bars etc. - not something I like to cause them to do.

I don't think it would help to do it during the day when they are even quicker and more alert.

I know of one case of a Guinea dying eventually from a broken leg sustained during worming - how awful!

I hate to do this as much as they hate getting caught - I procrastinate because I am afraid to hurt them until the mites get so bad I am afraid to wait any longer - bad feelings all around - how to get out of this?!?

How do you keep yours from panicking and hurting themselves when you need to treat them?

If I had to treat mine, I would herd them into the coop, one or two at a time, net them and treat them. After doing so, I would release them back outside and herd in the next group.

Some people like to wrap them in a towel before treatment.

The one time that I had to treat a ripped off toe sheath, I found that by taking the guinea away from where all the other guineas were caused her to greatly relax. She was fine during the whole episode until I got her back near the coop.

I would do this during the daytime.

It would work for me because my guineas are trained to be herded into their coop.

Good luck with whatever method that you use.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Oh man, I am already doing all I can think of - see if you can think of something else and let me know:

I need to treat with ivernmection pour on since we have feather mites around here and that is the only thing I found that will control them, but that means I have to catch each bird and put it on the skin under a leg or wing

I am already doing it at night and in the big coop it works beautifully: I sneak up to the Guineas and grab one off the roosting bar while they are asleep and treat and release and all is well

But*** two issues I had this time around 1. the hens on the communal nest freaked out when I grabbed and treated them and 2. my "baby" pen (they are adults now) outside is 4' by 8' and not as tall as I am and when I treated tonight they flew up and hit their heads and flew into the hard wire cloth protecting the heat lamp (for winter) and I was afraid someone would break a neck or put an eye out - oh man! Also, the hens last night hit their heads into the wall and roosting bars etc. - not something I like to cause them to do.

I don't think it would help to do it during the day when they are even quicker and more alert.

I know of one case of a Guinea dying eventually from a broken leg sustained during worming - how awful!

I hate to do this as much as they hate getting caught - I procrastinate because I am afraid to hurt them until the mites get so bad I am afraid to wait any longer - bad feelings all around - how to get out of this?!?

How do you keep yours from panicking and hurting themselves when you need to treat them?

Can you use permethrin spray instead? I used a pressure garden sprayer and misted all birds, guineas included, for treatment or mites. I treated twice, two weeks apart. I also put sulfur mixed with sand (1:9 by weight I think, but I’ll find you the paper if interested) out as dust baths for the chickens; the sulfur also controls mites. Topical ivermectin did not work for my rooster mite infestation.

 

[BennieAnTheJets]

Isn't permethrin a pretty bad neurotoxin you are not supposed to even put on your clothes while wearing? (see amazon product back of bottle warning) https://www.amazon.com/Sawyer-Produ...uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl

Just be careful that you don't get any of it on you when you mist it - I would be concerned about that.

Interesting - the ivermectin pour-on is the only thing that works for our quill mites. They flare up on some birds in the summer some time.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Isn't permethrin a pretty bad neurotoxin you are not supposed to even put on your clothes while wearing? (see amazon product back of bottle warning) https://www.amazon.com/Sawyer-Produ...uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl
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Just be careful that you don't get any of it on you when you mist it - I would be concerned about that.

Interesting - the ivermectin pour-on is the only thing that works for our quill mites. They flare up on some birds in the summer some time.

“It’s the dose that makes the poison” - Paracelsus. One of my favorite quotes! Ivermectin is also neurotoxic at high enough doses, susceptible breeds and species. Birds and humans are pretty resistant to side effects from permethrin, when mixed as directed, and there is no egg withdrawal time. Ivermectin accumulates in eggs if absorbedSulfur is also a good method:

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1365-2915.2011.00997.x

Are these Northern fowl mites that you’re dealing with?