California - Northern

[Stephine]

oops. Meant to say:

Thank you! I normally use sulfur in their feed and dust bath. I think this girl was not eating enough in the end to keep her sulfur levels up and she certainly was spared dustbathing anymore. I dusted her with sulfur by hand, when I realized what was happening but the mite population had already exploded then. I am using poultry protector and DE in the nest boxes right now, that was what I could quickly buy locally, and have ordered Scalex, which will hopefully arrive soon.

Argh: ...“ was NOT dustbathing anymore” ... is what I meant. How come we can’t edit posts anymore?

 

[ronott1]

The stuff you are doing is good as a preventative. When you see mites that will not work go get rid of them. Spinosad is sold as a garden pest killer. You can mix it up at the strength to kill garden bugs and spray the coop with it. Full strength can be used on the chicken as a systemic mite and lice killer.

Elektor is the same thing but more concentrated. Elektor is certified for chickens and they have poultry instructions on label. They also have veterinarians on staff that will give you phone advice for treating mites.

Since Mites kill chickens, I would not mess around with alternate treatments that have not been shown to work on poultry.

 

[Stephine]

The stuff you are doing is good as a preventative. When you see mites that will not work go get rid of them. Spinosad is sold as a garden pest killer. You can mix it up at the strength to kill garden bugs and spray the coop with it. Full strength can be used on the chicken as a systemic mite and lice killer.

Elektor is the same thing but more concentrated. Elektor is certified for chickens and they have poultry instructions on label. They also have veterinarians on staff that will give you phone advice for treating mites.

Since Mites kill chickens, I would not mess around with alternate treatments that have not been shown to work on poultry.

Thank you! I will check out the Elektor stuff. Yeah, I want to use something proven, too - the elemental sulfur actually is, but it can‘t work when it’s not being used, as was the case with the sick hen. I wish I had thought about that sooner. With the DE and poultry protector - it was all I could get quickly and even if it just crimped their style a little I thought it would be better than nothing while I am waiting for the other product to arrive... The Scalex is a pyrethrin spray, so it should do the trick. I also don’t want to reach for a big chemical bomb - the chickens eat Scratch&Peck, we have an organic garden, we are all bio-crunchy-eco...
- or something not approved for chickens with self invented egg withdrawal times etc...
Thanks again! I will go read about Elektor!

 

[ronott1]

Thank you! I will check out the Elektor stuff. Yeah, I want to use something proven, too - the elemental sulfur actually is, but it can‘t work when it’s not being used, as was the case with the sick hen. I wish I had thought about that sooner. With the DE and poultry protector - it was all I could get quickly and even if it just crimped their style a little I thought it would be better than nothing while I am waiting for the other product to arrive... The Scalex is a pyrethrin spray, so it should do the trick. I also don’t want to reach for a big chemical bomb - the chickens eat Scratch&Peck, we have an organic garden, we are all bio-crunchy-eco...
- or something not approved for chickens with self invented egg withdrawal times etc...
Thanks again! I will go read about Elektor!

A friend used elektor last month and the mites were gone in a couple of days.

If you see mites, it is already bad.

 

[Stephine]

A friend used elektor last month and the mites were gone in a couple of days.

If you see mites, it is already bad.

Waahoooohaaaahhhh!!!! That stuff is expensive!!!!!
I am afraid at $160 for 8oz it‘ll have to be my back up, if the pyrethrin fails.

 

[ronott1]

Waahoooohaaaahhhh!!!! That stuff is expensive!!!!!
I am afraid at $160 for 8oz it‘ll have to be my back up, if the pyrethrin fails.

This works:
https://www.amazon.com/Bonide-Capta...pID=51kwSqtpkKL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

 

[Stephine]

This works:
https://www.amazon.com/Bonide-Capta...pID=51kwSqtpkKL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

Thanks! But this one is for plants and does not list all the ingredients on the label. I want to be sure it’s ok for my chickens... I wish the elector came in a 1 ounce bottle!

 

[ronott1]

Thanks! But this one is for plants and does not list all the ingredients on the label. I want to be sure it’s ok for my chickens... I wish the elector came in a 1 ounce bottle!

It is .5% spinosad. I have a bottle of it and it works.

 

[Stephine]

It is .5% spinosad. I have a bottle of it and it works.

I don’t doubt it. I‘d like to know about the remaining 99.5%, speaking of proven for poultry.... Anyway, thank you! I will spring for the elector if I feel I need it.

 

[Hyroler]

I had to bury one of my little firewalkrr flock this morning... Poor Eloise never managed to recover from the stress of the smoke, lack of feed and water and drastic change of environment. While everyone else responded to my pampering beautifully and ended up looking better than ever, she never managed to get out of her molt. A week ago I noticed that she looked pale and a couple of days later mites had invaded the areas she liked to hang out in (I think the mites were a symptom of her weakness, not the cause). I treated her of course but today she was dead on the coop floor. A GLW she never endeared herself to me, but I liked her nevertheless... I gave her special treats the last few weeks and even yesterday she still managed to enforce her spot in the pecking order when a lower ranking hen tried to eat a sunflower seed next to her, so I think she didn’t suffer much.

Everyone else looks fine, luckily. Now to battle the mites she left behind - yikes!

Sorry about your loss.
I havent seen anyone talk about using Diatomaceous Earth to prevent mites , lice and any other little creatures we dont want attacking our feathered friends.It is perfectly healthy for chickens to eat it or bath in it and it kills mites,lice,fleas,ticks and most other bugs.My chickens love to roll around and bath in it.I dug about 2 ft x 2 ft 4 inch deep pit inside chicken run area and about once every 2 weeks I pour some Diatomaceous Earth(it is a fine powder)into pit and chickens just go nuts rolling around and bathing in it.Ive never had problem with mites.The Diatomaceous Earth I purchase comes with added calcium and can be added to chicken feed to strengthen egg shells and prevent and kill any internal parasites.Its cheap to buy and can be added to feed of any farm animals.Its all natural safe and no side effects that I have ever heard of.