Help With Mites/Lice

[KatieG509]

Hello! I recently discovered two things:
1. My neighbors have an illegal pigeon coop hidden in their backyard. It’s tucked behind their shed, and probably has 20 or so pigeons in it. This is not allowed in the city we live in.

2. I discovered this pigeon coop because our chickens have ended up with a mite/lice infestation.

We deep cleaned the coop, including a mite/lice spray, and have been sprinkling diatomaceous earth in the coop every couple days. We’ve also been sprinkling it on our chickens. At the moment they seem fine health wise, but we’re keeping an eye on them because I know they can get anemic from mites/lice. There’s definitely fewer bugs, but I’m still finding them.

Anything else we can do to get rid of them and prevent them from coming back? We’re considering reporting the pigeons, because I think the mites will just keep coming back.

Thanks!

 

[GoatGirl123]

Is it possible to find out what type of mates? That would be very helpful

 

[GoatGirl123]

I ment to type mites

 

[cmom]

I use permethrin. Most insecticides don't kill the pests eggs so weekly repeated treatments are necessary for 3 or 4 weeks. I used DE in the past and it didn't work for me. I know some people swear by it and if it works for them great. I use the permethrin concentrate but I have several coops. You can also get the premixed sprays. I also put poultry dust in the nest boxes. The bonus is that their is no egg withdrawal period. Good luck...

 

[KatieG509]

Is it possible to find out what type of mates? That would be very helpful

I think they’re just regular black mites, not the red ones. And not scaly leg mites either.

 

[KatieG509]

I use permethrin. Most insecticides don't kill the pests eggs so weekly repeated treatments are necessary for 3 or 4 weeks. I used DE in the past and it didn't work for me. I know some people swear by it and if it works for them great. I use the permethrin concentrate but I have several coops. You can also get the premixed sprays. I also put poultry dust in the nest boxes. The bonus is that their is no egg withdrawal period. Good luck...

I think the Martins spray is the one we used. It says not to re-spray the birds for 28 days. Can we spray them sooner?
I was planning on spraying down the coop again this weekend. There were definitely fewer mites out there today.
Thanks!!

 

[cmom]

I put poultry dust in the nest boxes. It has permethrin in it. You probably don't need to spray the birds but I would continue spraying thoroughy inside their coop. Again, good luck...

 

[KatieG509]

I put poultry dust in the nest boxes. It has permethrin in it. You probably don't need to spray the birds but I would continue spraying thoroughy inside their coop. Again, good luck...

Thanks so much. How often should we use the spray and poultry dust? Every couple days?
Also, can we eat the eggs? We’ve been tossing them out, but if we’re spraying for 3 or 4 weeks that’s a lot of eggs to throw out.

 

[cmom]

There is no egg withdrawal period so the eggs are safe to eat. I use the spray and poultry dust weekly for 3 or 4 weeks then stop. If you continue the pest can develop a resistance to it.

 

[rlhagan56]

Elector PSP. I've repeated it over the years so many times I won't here. You can search it on here and get a wealth of information on it. It's safe and worth every penny.