I Hate Mites!!!

[wbruder17]

So, after MUCH research, I found a non toxic remedy for mites. I WILL NOT use pesticides. I ordered Poultry Protector (thank you whoever it was on BYC that turned me on to the product) and received it today. I began bathing the chickens and dipping them in a poultry protector bath. The mites left over in the tub were DISGUSTING! I set the first three in a tupperware tub with a heat lamp and blow dryer and began scrubbing the coop.

I found TONS of mites nesting all over the egg boxes. I thought I was doing an incredible job keeping my coop clean, but I was WRONG! I thoroughly scrubbed and sprayed the ENTIRE coop and burned the bedding. I had been using DE, but apparently that was not enough.

Tomorrow, I will be bathing and dipping the remaining 20 birds. Hopefully that will get things back under control. I now know so much more about organically contollng pests and figured out where they like to breed. There is certainly a lot more involved with chicken keeping than I thought, but love taking care of my birds. I'm glad I caught the problem early.

 

[AngelzFyre]

Whyyyyyyyyyyyy did I read this before bed?!!!!! LOL..now I feel like creepy crawlies!
Thanks though for posting about the Poultry Protector, it's one of those products I wondered about getting but didn't want to buy and it not work.
So far DE has worked for me but it'd be good to have on hand.
Don't feel too bad, it wouldn't take long for mites to multiply like that in the right conditions and like fleas and ticks this year...they're really bad probably. I'm using Frontline on everything and having to reapply every 2 weeks instead of monthly!

 

[BrattishTaz]

I think I am the one who told you about it. I honestly don't know why people say Poultry Protector doesn't work. It killed all of the lice on my birds the first time I used it. I love the stuff.

 

[AngelzFyre]

I'm just glad to know about it now! Thanks both of you

 

[wbruder17]

Quote:
Well, if it was you, BrattishTaz, THANKS! I am not sure how it will work in the long run, but I am willing to put in the extra work to keep from using pesticides. I smashed a lot of the mites with my hands, and got rid of tons of them by scrubbing and spraying the wood.

I'm sure the chickens I bathed felt GREAT after getting rid of all those mites in the tub, even if I didn't get them ALL. I saw several dead ones leftover on their feathers that I figure they wiill get rid of during grooming and dust bathing in their DE dust hole.

I am looking forward to bathing the rest and making them all feel at least a little relief.

 

[BrattishTaz]

Quote:
Well, if it was you, BrattishTaz, THANKS! I am not sure how it will work in the long run, but I am willing to put in the extra work to keep from using pesticides. I smashed a lot of the mites with my hands, and got rid of tons of them by scrubbing and spraying the wood.

I'm sure the chickens I bathed felt GREAT after getting rid of all those mites in the tub, even if I didn't get them ALL. I saw several dead ones leftover on their feathers that I figure they wiill get rid of during grooming and dust bathing in their DE dust hole.

I am looking forward to bathing the rest and making them all feel at least a little relief.

You are welcome.

Let me know how it works for mites. I didn't bathe mine.....I just sprayed them and swept and dusted to coop with DE.

 

[wbruder17]

I think too many people are stuck on using pesticides because they think that is the cure-all. I KNEW there had to be an alternative. I also think people tend to want a quick fix, rather than truly find a natural way to fix problems. The probblem is that the natural ways are much more labor intensive, but ultimately better for everyone in the long run. I do not need to toss eggs for weeks after treatment and feel like its such a healthier alternative, for the birds, and the ones eating the eggs.

Of course, I have the time to do it, so I am lucky, in that aspect.

 

[wbruder17]

Quote:
Well, if it was you, BrattishTaz, THANKS! I am not sure how it will work in the long run, but I am willing to put in the extra work to keep from using pesticides. I smashed a lot of the mites with my hands, and got rid of tons of them by scrubbing and spraying the wood.

I'm sure the chickens I bathed felt GREAT after getting rid of all those mites in the tub, even if I didn't get them ALL. I saw several dead ones leftover on their feathers that I figure they wiill get rid of during grooming and dust bathing in their DE dust hole.

I am looking forward to bathing the rest and making them all feel at least a little relief.

You are welcome.

Let me know how it works for mites. I didn't bathe mine.....I just sprayed them and swept and dusted to coop with DE.

I figured, if I was gonna do it, I might as well try to get rid of as many as I could, and the bath, then dip would work the best. It actually seemed like they enjoyed it. They had warm water and went limp as I emersed them. There was no struggle and they loved the heat lamp with the blow dryer. I hope they weren't in shock, but I handle them a lot and the ones I did today love/trust me. I am concerned about trying it with my more flighty birds.

 

[wbruder17]

Gonna need another bottle of Poultry Protector! 8 chickens bathed and dipped. Another 12 or so to go! They actually don't seem to mind the bathing process all that much. They sort of go limp in the warm water and really enjoy the heat lamp, and blow dryer once they get used to it. They were actually lounging and stretching out on their sides during the drying process.

Still seeing lots of bugs floating in the water after the soak, which I am seeing as a good sign. I eradicated the majority of them in the coop, after I found where they were hiding, so hhopefully I will have this thing under control soon!

 

[BrattishTaz]

Quote:
You are actually dipping them in the PP or spraying?