help---my chickens are crawling with mites and so am I

[CrestedGirl]

when ever we dust we first use Poultry protecter, then we Dust them with 7 duster. the combination works great!!!!!!

 

[TheReidHomestead]

Another option to kill the mites on the spot is Adams Flea & Tick spray for dogs. Make sure it is the one to spray directly on dogs, there is also a Home version to use on upholstry and linens.

My oldest DD helps do the vet check at fair every year and this is what they use if they find a minor case of mites. Bird gets sprayed down and put in quaranteen and gets rechecked later at the end of the day. If they are as bad as you say, I would spray the bird down under the wings, around the neck feathers, near the base of the tail and around the vent (not ON the vent). This will kill all the mites that get wet from it. I would follow up with the Seven in the coop and dust the bird when it is dry from the spray. You may need to repeat this process every few days until you see no signs of mites. And remember to treat ALL the birds that are in that coop! If one has them, the rest will get them if they haven't already.

Good luck!

 

[clickncluck]

Thanks all for your hints. I've been out all morning trying to find food grade DE and orange guard. Home Depot was useless. The health food store wanted $17.00 for 12 ounces of food grade DE. THank goodness my feed store had it (and it was only 2.95/pound there!). My neighbor had given my sevin-5 but I've never used pesticides. And the more I read about the toxicity and how long it stays in the eggs (52 days!) and the EPA concerns and thoughts about withdrawing it from the market.... the more I thought, I can't use that. So I'm going to hose everything down. Spray it all with orange guard. Then I guess I'll dust it all with DE (including the birds) and I'll let you know.

 

[dawg53]

Quote:
Sevin dust does NOT stay in the eggs for 52 days. Withdrawal for sevin dust IS 7 days. We have used sevin dust since the 60's in our gardens on vegetables, dogs and chickens. We rinse the vegetables off and rinse off the eggs and have eaten both the same day...I'm still here typing. Here's a link:
http://www.cfo.on.ca/_pdfs/PoultryWithdrawalTimeChart-Mar30-07.pdf

 

[sherylreno]

DE works but it takes up to 6 weeks and is best to use it as a preventative only. Use the Sevin5 dust now and spread it all over the coop and run area. Spread DE all over as well and keep using DE as a preventative for parasites and you shouldn't have anymore issues from them. DE can also be used inside as well. You must use food grade only and it works by the crystals breaking through their bodies and then drying them out, this is the same stuff you find in pill bottles and shoes and stuff like that - silica.

I had a really bad case of the bugs and I kept using DE and was getting very upset because it wasn't working but now I haven't seen a bug in months so it does work you just need to give it time and you will not get anymore bugs again.

 

[sherylreno]

Please use the sevin dust on the birds and wash the eggs in warmer water than the egg is so nothing will penetrate through the shell. You do not need to discard any eggs when using sevin dust. The only issues with using sevin dust is that bugs can become resistant to it in the future so if you do the sevin first and use the DE as well then you will be able to kill the bugs and stop them from coming in the future and thus not creating an issue of bugs becoming resistant to the chemical.

 

[dawg53]

Quote:
There can be no resistance by external parasites on chickens by using carbaryl. Carbaryl (sevin dust) poisons the nervous system in lice and mites.

 

[chkn]

Quote:
Mandy, there is an easy way to dispense sevin dust inside their house. I do it and it's extremely effective getting in all the nooks and cranies, tiny holes, every hiding place etc...
Place a couple handfuls of sevin dust in a small pile just inside the entrance to their house. Then get your leaf blower and hit it with full power on the sevin dust and ...POOF...a HUGE cloud of dust covers the interior COMPLETELY. (Make sure there arnt any chickens inside.) The dust settles in time...dusting completed!

I'm still gonna have to try that one!!! I'll have to make a point of it when I get the blower out!!!

 

[joe12pack]

Just read this.. and have a mite problem of my own. With all this talk of blowing the sevin dust around and dusting the chickens while holding them, do any of you worry about breathing in this sevin dust? This stuff has to be toxic to be able to kill worms. Do you wear any kind of mask?

 

[dawg53]

Quote:
Just dont stand in front of the leaf blower LOL!
Seriously though, when I "quick clean" inside their house, I always wear 2 masks, plastic disposable gloves and glasses (broke my goggles.) I also wear "chickens clothes and shoes." You should do the same thing if you use DE.