Chickens with mite infestation...

[MastersHaven]

Hello everyone, I'm new here so bare with me...

Its been several years sense I've been in a position to keep a chicken family but recently I acquired a small flock of chickens and I'm noticing signs of a possible mite infestation... Scaly feet, feather scratching and a cpl with crusty ears... I have a product called permethrin-10 livestock spray... But the portion of the label with the dosing instructions has been torn off...

Can someone please help me with instructions for use... I need to get the guys cleared up, a few are looking pretty rough.

Thanks in advance,

 

[kyle5]

Morning. I am new also and to chickens so I may not be the best expert but here is a past experience I had with an injured pigeon and it seemed to work.
I found an injured pigeon in my yard yrs. Ago and wanted to help it along. No visible injuries but noticed it was crawling with little things all over it. Not certain what they were: mites, lice, etc. I washed it every other day with dawn dishwasher liquid. Original type. Noticed the little critters falling right off into the water. After about a month the bird was well and flew away.
I also wash my dog in dawn. It kills fleas. I have used a mild amount on my hens as a preventative with no ill effects. Plus they smelled good afterward.
I have read that petroleum jelly on their legs and feet smother the mites there and kill off.
been avoiding chemicals so I clean with apple cider vinegar in coop and do major coop cleaning weekly.
May wish to wait for more responses but I like dawn. Seems to kill the little buggers and is not too harsh.
keep us posted and I wish you luck.
I hope this helps.

 

[MastersHaven]

Thank you for the input I also use dawn as well as apple cidar vinegar on all my other pets and it does work well, but there's approx 20 birds in this flock and I'm fearing that bathing the whole group would be extremely time consuming, I generally try to stay away from chemicals but I don't know how long they've been infected so a quick attack is in order...

I know that the permethrin-10 is to be mixed with water and then you spray them and the coupe I just don't know the ratio... I also have scarlet oil spray that I was told I could put on their feet to help...

Morning. I am new also and to chickens so I may not be the best expert but here is a past experience I had with an injured pigeon and it seemed to work.
I found an injured pigeon in my yard yrs. Ago and wanted to help it along. No visible injuries but noticed it was crawling with little things all over it. Not certain what they were: mites, lice, etc. I washed it every other day with dawn dishwasher liquid. Original type. Noticed the little critters falling right off into the water. After about a month the bird was well and flew away.
I also wash my dog in dawn. It kills fleas. I have used a mild amount on my hens as a preventative with no ill effects. Plus they smelled good afterward.
I have read that petroleum jelly on their legs and feet smother the mites there and kill off.
been avoiding chemicals so I clean with apple cider vinegar in coop and do major coop cleaning weekly.
May wish to wait for more responses but I like dawn. Seems to kill the little buggers and is not too harsh.
keep us posted and I wish you luck.
I hope this helps.

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

Hi

Glad you could join the flock! Sorry to hear you are having problems with mite and your birds. They can be a real pain to eradicate. I'm afraid I don't use a permethrin spray on my birds only one for the coop. I can't be of much help to you on dosage but please do drop by the predator and pest section here is the link ~ https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/13/predators-and-pests
I'm sure there will be members there who will be able to advise you of dosage. As said I use permethrin in the coop and a lice powder for the birds. I also add DE earth into their dust bath, to try and keep these pests at bay.

There are also some great tips in this article you might like to check out ~ https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/mites-lice-treatment-and-prevention

Wishing you the very best of luck and enjoy BYC

 

[sunflour]

Welcome to BYC.

So sorry about your problem. I thought I had a mite problem in the past and County Agent got info from UGA experts. They recommenced 0.25% Permethrin spray for the coop only - not for the chickens. And to let the spray totally dry before letting the flock have access to the area. I don't recall the ingredient recommended for dusting the gals, but found it in a garden pest dust which had "poultry safe" on the label and listed how much to use. Whatever you use, research effect on eggs, the one we used did not have a withdrawal period, so eggs laid were safe.

IMO - spray the coop, but not the flock. Repeat the spray in 1-2 weeks - the spray only kills the mites, not the eggs.

If you cannot dust them all, dust who you can handle and add a poultry safe dust to their sand bath area.

No experience with scaly leg mites - but most sources do tell that vaseline works.

Good luck in ridding them of those nasty pests.

 

[MeepBeep]

I will tell you want has worked for me, if you are against pesticides you will have to seek other advise...

Get some Sevin dust, you can get it in the garden section of most stores...

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Sevin-1-...sect-Killer-Shaker-Bottle-100508222/100662149

You will probably need 2 or three of of those 1lb shakers, some stores sell a three pack...

Get a decent dust mask, and a pack of zip ties some Vaseline or other oil, as well...

Also pick up a 'no pest strip', if you have the birds in a very large coop you might need more than one, you can also remove the strip from the plastic housing and cut the strip in half if you have a small coop...

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Hot-Shot...ip-HG-5580-6/100004739?keyword=no+pest+strips

Clean the coop out, if you want to spray it down with the spray you have I can't give much advice on that...

Hang the pest strip(s) in the coop...

Next put on the dust mask, and one by one take the birds, hold them upside down by their legs and dust their belly, chest and underside of the wings with the Sevin, be liberal... Put a zip tie loosely, but tight enough to not fall off on the birds leg when done to identify what birds were treated... Also at this time maybe with someones help, Vaseline or oil any scaly legs...

Repeat the dusting and vasaline/oil in a week, and this time remove the zip tie to identify the done birds...

Also provide the birds with a dust bath area...

 

[kyle5]

20 chickens would be difficult. I only have 5 so much easier.
Hmm....May wish to Google product to find proper usage.
Sorry I can't help much more.
I may one day have this issue so please let us know how u tackled it. I may one day do the same.
I hope you find the help and cure you need.
Crossing my fingers.

 

[BantamFan4Life]

Welcome to BYC! I'm glad you joined us!

 

[drumstick diva]