Graphic! Hen has big wound, tons of maggots, pooping yolk HELP

[michael757]

My last hen is making strange noises, very quiet noises. Being very talkative to me today, but not normal talking, but she's quiet and sounds upset.

 

[KaseySnow]

Many people use screenwire cut into strips to block flies from the coop. Also you can spray your coop with diluted permethrin 10 (brands are Martins or Gordons) once a month, but don’t use that if you raise bees on your farm.

So it's not safe to spray permethrin inside of a coop if there are bees anywhere on the property? I thought permethrin was only dangerous to insects that come into direct contact with it.

 

[KaseySnow]

but it can wash off plants, and into the soil and other places, and bees do land on other things too, like a chicken coop for example. It's more a general rule, if you have bees on your property you really don't want to be spraying stuff that can potentially kill them in a big quick way, as there are many other vectors for that poison to actually reach the bees.

Lets say a chicken rubs up against it and gets some of it on its feathers, then goes rooting around in the flower bed because of well, you know.. worms / food, and rubs that poison off on the plants. Now here comes Mr. Bee, or even his son and hits up the flower bed because of well, you know... pollen / food, and the poison now rubs off on him and he takes it back to the hive.
Now the Bee is dead, the son of a Bee is dead, you get the idea ....

Aaron

I didn't realize they could take it back to the hive with them, I thought it would only kill the bee (rather quickly) that happened to land on something that had permethrin on it.

Our flock doesn't free range and their run is all dirt and wood chips, no plants to attract bees. The only thing I ever see the bees interact with sometimes is the chicken water out in the run, but they have their own bee water in the apiary now and hardly ever come into the run even though they are pretty close to it.

I was planning on spraying permethrin inside the coop only, mostly on the roost and in nesting boxes. I was not planning on spraying in the run, though there is poultry dust in their dirt baths (which I'm pretty sure has permethrin in it). Have not noticed any massive bee deaths since adding the poultry dust to the dirt baths, and that was over a month ago.

Do you think this is a dangerous idea even though there is nothing in the run to attract the bees? Genuinely curious. We are fighting a battle against mites and lice and I was hoping to use the permethrin as a preventative measure once the bugs are under control, but don't want to hurt the bees. I have just not heard of them taking it back to the hive before.