Can I put Neem Oil on Roosting bars in coops?

[thechxwhisperer]

Is Neem Oil safe to put on my chicken coop's roosting bars to prevent mites?

 

[Ballerina Bird]

Is Neem Oil safe to put on my chicken coop's roosting bars to prevent mites?

I have also been trying to get a new conversation started on BYC about neem oil without much success, so I thought I'd reach out to you. After sifting through eveything on here, I made a 1-1 solution of neem and canola oil today, sprayed it into coop crevices and painted it on the roosts with a paper towel.

Just went out to the coop with a more diluted solution and put a drop under each girl's wing. I also checked under their feet and it doesn't look like perching on the oiled roost had any negative effect. If you have been able to scare up other members using neem oil now, or other info, I'd love to hear.

 

[Teila]

Howdy

I use diluted Neem Oil on the roost, coop walls and floor and have done so for nearly a year now after a mite infestation, compliments of a visiting Bush Turkey. We have not had any issues since.

At the time of infestation, I stripped the coop weekly and washed everything in hot soapy water and when dry, sprayed with diluted Neem Oil.

I do not use it on my gals; they and their nest boxes get dusted with mite/lice dust.

My research into Neem Oil leads me to believe that it does not kill the mites but plays havoc with their breeding cycle.

 

[Ballerina Bird]

Howdy 

I use diluted Neem Oil on the roost, coop walls and floor and have done so for nearly a year now after a mite infestation, compliments of a visiting Bush Turkey.  We have not had any issues since.

At the time of infestation, I stripped the coop weekly and washed everything in hot soapy water and when dry, sprayed with diluted Neem Oil.

I do not use it on my gals; they and their nest boxes get dusted with mite/lice dust.

My research into Neem Oil leads me to believe that it does not kill the mites but plays havoc with their breeding cycle.

Thanks so much for this! Can you say exactly what your diluted solution is made of and what the proportions are? Now that you are no longer infested, how often do you put it on the coop?

 

[Teila]

Hey Ballerina Bird I pop 5ml of Eco-Neem into a 500ml spray bottle and top up with water.

The roost and ‘crevices’ (where the floor and roof join the walls) are sprayed every Saturday and once a month (as part of the routine coop strip and clean with hot soapy water) the walls, floor etc are sprayed once dry.

 

[Blooie]

We are fighting the mite fite now....We took everything out of the coop - roosts, nests and all, power washed everything, and when it dried we used Neem Oil, taking care to especially hit the roosts, which were still outside, the walls behind the nest boxes, the areas where the roosts attach to the studs in the walls, and made absolutely sure that we also got in any crevices between the studs and the walls and crosspieces. Then we hit the corners and very edges of the floor where the foundation is. Since we have a dirt floor, it was still wet but we sprinkled some lime down with a dose of Permethrin dust, then a light layer of pine shavings on top of that. We used the Neem Oil concentrate that we got at Tractor Supply and followed the package directions of 2 TBSP per gallon of water in a sprayer we bought just to use for it, and we also added a bit of dishwashing liquid to help it mix better. After dark we went out and grabbed the girls off their roost one at a time and dusted them well with Permethryn, especially around the vents and under the wings. I didn't put any Permethryn in the nest boxes themselves because the directions specifically said not to. But they were washed well and then wiped down with bleach water. (They are plastic) We'll repeat this entire process 7 days later. Then Neem Oil will become a regular part of our routine.

 

[Ballerina Bird]

Thanks, everyone! I appreciate the info. Hope everyone stays mite-free; I am finding it all very stressful.

 

[Teila]

Hey Ballerina Bird your comment “I am finding it all very stressful” prompted me to reply again …… Are you going through an infestation now?

Trust me, while I calmly mention I experienced a mite infestation, I was far from calm at the time!

If not for the fact that I adore and love my little gals, I could have quite easily put a torch to the whole get up!

Our infestation was mammoth to the point that we could see them on the walls of the coop!

We had them on us, in our clothes .. everywhere! I was paranoid for weeks! Every time we went anywhere near the coop, showers were had, clothes were washed .. the washing machine was working overtime .. sheets were changed and washed daily etc etc etc

Hang in there .. you can beat this!

 

[Blooie]

Okay, Teila...this is the part where I say, "Ok, note to self - it could be worse!" After hearing what you've gone through I think I'll go out and whistle while I'm doing the next series of treatments! We found huge clumps of them under the roosts, in the plywood behind the nest boxes, in the studs where the roosts were screwed in, but (knock wood) so far we haven't gone through near what you experienced! I take my hat off to you for your persistence and devotion to your girls!

 

[Teila]

lol Blooie … oh yeah, it was awful! I now have an understandably healthy mistrust of Bush Turkeys bearing gifts