How clean do I have to make the coop before spraying it down for lice?

[BesideStillWaters]

Permethrin is toxic to cats at lower doses than are dangerous to most other species, so having it wet when a cat contacts it would be bad. When the coop is dry it's okay, the cats won't be eating the shavings!
ANY insecticide is toxic to bees or almost all other insects, also fish, frogs, and others often.
Spinosad will kill those bees too!
Mary

Thanks, I will do my best to avoid spraying the cat's run then. And I will only do the run so I don't hurt everything else! Will it get rid of ants? Ants built a nest underneath the henhouse... Each time I sprayed the henhouse for the mites, the ants would disappear for about three days and then I'd spray again for the ants, but they kee coming back.

I agree with Mary @Folly's place. I use permethrin and it works well for me. I use the concentrate but it is also available in premixed sprays. You will need to thoroughly treat inside the coop everywhere, every crack and crevice. If using the concentrate I use a gallon sprayer with a wand to reach the hard to reach areas. Also weekly treatments are needed for 3 or 4 weeks. No insecticide will kill the pests eggs so repeat treatments are necessary. I also put poultry dust in my nest boxes. There is no egg withdrawal period so the eggs are safe to eat. Good luck

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Thanks for the encouragement. The last treatment eight days ago may have done the trick. I hope to catch the main rooster who always managed to get them and see if he's clear of them now. I guess three times wasn't enough, it had to be four. (I did it weekly three times, and then one more time after nearly two weeks.) The hens are getting a bit stressed from being treated so much, so I would like to avoid treating them a fifth time, but I'm worried I didn't get them all still.

I have one chicken I wasn't able to treat last week. I'm hoping she doesn't have any to spread to everyone else, but she is molting. I didn't want to dip her or pick her up if I could help it and damage her skin or feathers. Should I try to dust her to be safe? That would still require me either picking her up or rubbing the dust into her feathers. Am I being too paranoid about hurting her? She obviously feels embarrassed about the feather loss because she doesn't want to come out of the henhouse. Mostly kidding - I'm sure she feels vulnerable. She lost a lot of feathers. (She's a Golden Laced Wyandotte and she looks like a naked neck right now, so if she WAS feeling embarrassed, I'd totally understand why. )

 

[Folly's place]

Unless you treat all your chickens at the same time, there's always going to be reinfection within the flock.
Do them at night while they are roosting, with the permethrin spray.
Mary

 

[BesideStillWaters]

Unless you treat all your chickens at the same time, there's always going to be reinfection within the flock.
Do them at night while they are roosting, with the permethrin spray.
Mary

Gotcha. I don't know if she ever got them because she is blind, and I have her separated from the main flock because of bullying. I've been dunking them because it's just me, and I can't hold the chicken and spray them at the same time. They are very wiggly even when on the roost at night. It's a struggle for me and at this point, it's exhausting to do over and over and not be able to get everything / everyone at the same time.

 

[Folly's place]

Try spritzing them while they are on the roost! Wear a small flashlight, and don't hold each bird.
Mary

 

[BesideStillWaters]

Try spritzing them while they are on the roost! Wear a small flashlight, and don't hold each bird.
Mary

Oh, I see. Do I have to soak them, or just aim at the rear and under the wings? Is it okay to spray the one who is molting?

 

[Folly's place]

yes!

 

[aart]

Do I have to soak them, or just aim at the rear and under the wings?

You have to get it on their skin...
...spritzing in the air over them, like dispersing perfume, will not do the trick.

I'm actually not 100% sure if they are mites or lice. All these little white dots on my boy Wild Thang are whatever I'm dealing with.

Hmmm, hard to tell. Those almost look like grain mites to me.

Usually lice and poultry mites are on the skin hiding under the feathers.
Roost mites hide in the coop during the day and come out to feed on the birds at night.


Here's how to check them over real well for mites and/or lice:
Google images of lice/mites and their eggs before the inspection so you'll know what you're looking for.

Part the feathers right down to the skin around vent, head/neck and under wings.

Best done well after dark with a strong flashlight/headlight, easier to 'catch' bird and also to check for the mites that live in structure and only come out at night to feed off roosting birds.

Wipe a white paper towel along the underside of roost to look for red smears(smashed well fed mites).

Good post about mite ID by Lady McCamley:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/my-chicken-has-mites-now-what.1273674/page-2#post-20483008

 

[BesideStillWaters]

You have to get it on their skin...
...spritzing in the air over them, like dispersing perfume, will not do the trick.

Gotcha.

Hmmm, hard to tell. Those almost look like grain mites to me.

I thought the same, and checked all my feed. Nothing in the feed. But that would explain why they are mostly on the head and neck...

Usually lice and poultry mites are on the skin hiding under the feathers.
Roost mites hide in the coop during the day and come out to feed on the birds at night.

This is what is really baffling me. I checked over the vents on some hens and under the wings on the skin, saw nothing. I looked between the feathers around the neck and there they were. Not on the skin, but hiding in the feathers. Whatever these things are, they do loom like grain mites, I agree, but the feathers on five of my hens are very damaged. That's why I'm thinking lice at this point.

Here's how to check them over real well for mites and/or lice:
Google images of lice/mites and their eggs before the inspection so you'll know what you're looking for.

It might be this one:
"Chicken Head Louse: As adults, Cuclotogaster heterographus are 2.5 mm long with oblong grayish bodies and triangular heads. They tend to live on the base of the feathers of the bird's head and neck." http://www.poultrydvm.com/condition/lice
And this would explain why it took so long to get rid of. Dunking them was treating the vent / underside / body area while the lice hung out on the head and neck away from the pemethrin.

Part the feathers right down to the skin around vent, head/neck and under wings.

Best done well after dark with a strong flashlight/headlight, easier to 'catch' bird and also to check for the mites that live in structure and only come out at night to feed off roosting birds.

I did my check during the day, but on the very tame birds. I'll check at night too though.

Wipe a white paper towel along the underside of roost to look for red smears(smashed well fed mites).

I didn't do this yet, but I did look at night and saw nothing moving on the roosts. I'll double check this though.

Good post about mite ID by Lady McCamley:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/my-chicken-has-mites-now-what.1273674/page-2#post-20483008

Great post, but none of these are black or red. I haven't seen any on their necks or head for two weeks, so I'm hoping I finally nailed them. The blind chicken I was concerned about, I checked her over and I don't see anything on her. I treated her three times before the molt, and after that, she stayed in the henhouse so I guess she didn't get reinfested by the others or by free ranging. Hoping this is the end of it.

The last time I treated them, I soaked their necks by gently cupping my hand in the permethrin and pouring it into their neck feathers. Wish I'd know that some live on the neck and head sooner!