Horrendous Mite Infestation

[chickengeorgeto]

When dealing with mite infestations the more things change the more they remain the same.

 

[Maiahr]

Ijust received a 1 quart bottle of Monterey Garden spray with Spinosad. How do I mix it with water - how much spray to how much water? I am planning to add Neem oil as well.

 

[Folly's place]

Follow the directions!
Adding another product is a bad idea; what if the neem oil ruins the effectiveness of the spinosad? Combinations can cancel each other out, not be additive.
Mary

 

[azygous]

Double check the label and if it has petroleum distillates in it, don't use it around chickens. For some reason, some garden spinosad formulas include these toxic ingredients, and they usually don't even enhance the product.

If you give us the name of the product, we can help you research it if this info isn't on the label. Sometimes the label just says "other ingredients" and the percentage, not specifying what the heck they are. Petroleum distillates even in tiny amounts can kill chickens.

 

[theycallmechickmagnet]

Omg we had the same problem our hen died from it. The rest of our chickens died from a disease a new hen brought in. So we thought the mites were gone but then the silkies got infested so bad and one was absolutely covered in them, and the others had/have a lot of eggs on them, the eggs are still there but dead now. We got this stuff and it works wonders [attached photo] we drenched the silkie (with the spray) who had the mites the worst then gave her a bath, and sprayed everyone else. All of those mites were dead and gone. But we didnt know they had spread to our new chickens, we just spray them a little bit sometimes and it keeps the bugs under control

They sell the stuff at pet stores but you could probably find it online too like Amazon. I hope you can get this under control!!!

Our spots to spray them is the back of the neck, the chin, under the wings, the belly and straight down the back on the skin. Rubbing it in helps because it will keep killing the bugs for a longer time. Do not spray near their vents because it can make them infertile.

**And if your worried about how it affects their health, I can reassure you it won't hurt them, all of my chickens are healthy, even the one that got drenched in it hehe. It is okay to rub it like on their head but don't put it near the eyes or mouth. I'm not sure what would happen but we accidentally got it in her eye and it was irritated but we rinsed it and there were no further negative effects

 

[Folly's place]

I didn't catch that part of the story, but would only use a product labeled for poultry/ livestock, with directions for it's use.
Mary

 

[Folly's place]

Products labeled for pets work great, BUT aren't approved for chickens!!! Frontline, for example, isn't approved for any livestock species, only for pets, who aren't part of our food chain.
Mary