fleas

[polychickens]

I need to treat the coop, bedding, run, and surrounding yard for a nasty flea infestation thatliterally popped up overnight.

M chickens have started producing eggs recently. Is there a treatment that is both effective and safe, or should I just use a granular yard treatment and throw out my eggs for a while?

To my knowledge, DE is not available in southern Indiana, and I need to treat this NOW because we are bringing fleas into our house.

Thanks for any advice!
Polychickens

 

[Bubba]

It will be time consuming but you can always use boiling water to kill things. Make sure your birds are out of the area first. Put super hot water in a pesticide sprayer and spray everything very throughly. Should help quite a bit and kill eggs with most pesticides don't. I only use organic means but boric acid destorys fleas to, just make sure your birds don't try to eat it ok (Very bad for them)

For the birds if you put a bit of chlorine (So its like a swimming pool) in a water bath and soak them in it (Dont drown them

), that will destroy the fleas and eggs on them. You won't get them all with these methods but they should help alot. Until you can find some DE, its really amazing stuff. Finely chopping/mixing- black pepper, garlic, hot peppers, rosemary, marigold flowers (with whatever else you would like, coffee?) in a blender then sprinkle it everywhere should help you also.

Bubba

 

[yearofthedog]

Quote:
Wow, does that really work for fleas? I don't have any, but very interesting natural remedy! Does that mixture work for other buggers like roaches?

 

[nccountrygirl]

Yeah, does it. We have the BIG and I mean BIG water bugs and they are in the coop at night. We are still trying to find DE here, we are going to the feed store in the morning to see if they have it or at least if they can order it.

 

[GoodEgg]

I have to second the DE for fleas.

Our DE arrived last week, and I put a small amount (less than a teaspoon) on the kitten. He's been suffering horribly with fleas ever since we found him about 3 months ago as a 3-week old kitten, and FINALLY they are gone. I've tried a couple of things (lavender, combing, etc) in the meantime, but the DE has been very effective and he's now (finally) doing great!

As far as it drying him, I offered a little flax oil, but I don't think he actually ate any of it. His coat is suddenly shiny (it hadn't been before) so I think he got more benefit from killing the fleas than any detriment from the DE.

Just wanted to chime in on that.

trish

 

[SandraChick]

I'd get on finding some DE...but in the meantime...it's an emergency--so I'd get some sevin dust (found at garden centers and places like ace hardware). If you have cats...beware that sevin dust has perithryns...and perithryns are toxic to cats (not other animals...just cats). wear a dust mask when using the powder (in the bedding, nests, dusting areas, and a good dusting of the birds themselves.

Also at ace hardware is orange guard (orange oil). Spraying this on all hard surfaces such as the wood in the coop. The oil clogs the pores on the insects body, and kills them.

Good luck
Sandra

 

[countrygirl4513]

Here's a link for DE. http://www.freshwaterorganics.com/order.htm
The 50lb bag price includes shipping. Really it's a pritty good price.
I got mine from Countryside natural products http://www.countrysidenatural.com/ when they were running a special. It was 25.00 for a 50lb bag my total was 42.71. I hope they run another special like that one again.

 

[GoodEgg]

They sell it for around that price here

http://www.custommilling.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=24&Itemid=27

Mine was around $43 including shipping. It might be different shipping to different places, but worth checking out. That's their regular price. And it's the same bag as the one from countryside natural. If you're looking for that price again, countrygirl, check that website.

(Thanks to speckledhen, I believe it was, who shared that site with me!)

trish

edited to try to fix the link, which half the time I get wrong.

 

[TundraChick]

GoodEgg

Thanks for the website. I had order through dirtworks.com and it was $68 shipped, I couldn't find it cheap. I placed the order last Tues. today I called to see what the hold up was and it had never shipped. Well thank goodness for that cause at Custom Milling it is only $44.60 shipped!

Wow what a bargain and friendly 2.

 

[GoodEgg]

Also it arrived within a few days from Custom Milling. I was VERY pleased with them!

Glad it could help!

trish