Dusting for Mites and Breathing Problems

[Oldallamerican]

Yesterday I did a complete cleaning of my main coop and yard. I had spotted some red mites on a recently purchased pullet last week and wanted to make sure it didn't develop into a major problem.
I cleaned out their coops, yard, and roosting area replaced some hay with pine shavings over some Hi Yield Garden Pet and Livestock Dust & Chickens. Now a couple are making a sort of growling noise when they breathe. This has me concerned that I've done something wrong. I am a disabled vet and chasing each of my thirty or so birds to do a complete dusting would require my wife's assistance (she works and I was alone) and would therefore be a last resort. I was hoping by putting the dust where they roosted and in their dust bathing areas it would be a good preventive measure (again, I've not seen any mites on any birds except that one). I hope this isn't serious and perhaps temporary. I did a lot of research on treatments before choosing this product and was pretty sure it was safe.

To add to the problem I had one of my first batch of chicks, a Rhode Island Red (hatched in February) started eating eggs. We found a busted egg Wednesday night, when we closed them up for the night; was concerned it was a predator (actually almost hoping it was). Yesterday, my wife caught her in the nesting area with a sucked egg and another cracked. She had dried goop on her beak. I have her isolated to make sure she's the guilty party. We put her in a separate cage last night, today no ruined eggs. If I find a broken egg in her cage it's beyond a reasonable doubt but she didn't lay today so she gets a temporary reprieve. She's the heaviest breather, it's like a low rumble. 'Don't know if it's related to the egg problem or not. But there are a couple others doing it more lightly though so...

Any ideas are appreciated. At this point I don't know whether to put them on anti-biotics or what; I do know I need to act quickly from both experience and what I've read if it isn't a minor thing.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Eggcessive]

The dust that you used is listed as permethrin which is commonly use to treat lice and mite infestations. Mites can be difficult to treat, even though lice are pretty bad. It will involve dusting or spraying each bird once every 5-7 days as the eggs hatch, and cleaning out the coop, nests, and spraying the coop, nests, and roosts with 10% liquid permethrin. For lice the treatment is every 10 days until the lice are no longer seen. Here are some good links to read about lice and mites:
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ig140
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/08/poultry-lice-and-mites-identification.html
http://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/pdf/8162.pdf
http://ohioline.osu.edu/vme-fact/0018.html
http://www.backyardpoultrymag.com/laura_e_john/

 

[Oldallamerican]

Thanks for the info - at this point it's all helpful and appreciated. Another question though is would the use of the dust cause the respiratory problems a couple of my birds seem to be having? I thought I'd done my homework; if I had any idea it would be harmful (beyond reasonable risk involved with a pesticide) I would never have used it. I'm trying to figure out if I'm dealing with an irritation or some sort of infection. 'Concerned by the time I figure out what I'm dealing with it will be too late.

[Edit] Reading the reports more closely now and finding some great info - thanks.

Thanks for the reply and any other help I can get in advance.

 

[Eggcessive]

I have used sevin dust to treat my birds, and they have never seemed to have any problems after treatment. Dawg53 had a good post here about placing the dust in a pillow case and placing the chicken inside up to it's neck to treat, but I've never tried that. Permethrin 10% spray can also be used which would cut down on dust. You may want to read about the most common respiratory diseases in chickens such as infectious bronchitis, MG, ILT, coryza, and aspergillosis from mold in this article with symptoms: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044

 

[Oldallamerican]

Thanks, Trying to "crack the code" here. It just seems more than coincidental that the birds started having problems right after I dusted them. I've been doing some reading and if the problem is caused by the dust and the stuff I read (more than one source) says if they did get over-exposed (and the bad bird I have isolated) was caught rubbing her nose in an area I dusted - I guess trying to clean the evidence of her egg-sucking from her beak - so that is one reason for my suspicions. So anyway, if it is from over-exposure then the sources say it should clear up on its own.

Keeping a close eye on them and so far there is no other visible problem. Their eyes and beaks are clean and clear and they are still among my most active birds. One was the first out the door this morning. My RIR in solitary is alert and looks well.

So I figure, barring any further problems if it doesn't clear by tomorrow I may start dosing with something like LS-50 in case. Trying not to over-medicate or medicate unnecessarily, but I don't want to lose my birds.

 

[Folly's place]

I use permethrin dust in the coop, on the floor under the shavings when the coop is cleaned out. WEAR A N95 DUST MASK whenever you are cleaning the coop or dusting things. I gave up dusting my birds after getting an asthma flair-up doing it without that mask. Stupid! Your birds don't need to be inhaling high doses of the stuff either, but this will wear off for them Antibiotics are NOT indicated for a dust problem. I now treat my birds with Ivermectin when mites appear; not approved for use, but I think safer and easier. Mary

 

[Oldallamerican]

Thanks for the advice and info. I haven't done antibiotics yet and am putting off doing that as a last resort because I suspect the problem is due to the dusting - but I figure if it is the dust it ought to clear after a couple days (unless someone knows different); then my thought is to use them if it is some sort of infection. I'm inclined to think its due to the dusting though which is why I haven't gone there yet. Thanks again.