I noticed the mites on my chickens about 3 weeks a go and i was told to get an all natural spray called poultrey portector and DE well i have been spraying my chickens for 3 weeks now and the mites are still not going away. I have also been puting the DE on the ground so when they dust themself they get it on them plus puting it on the birds them self i know that 7 dust is not natural but i have even put it on the ground of the coop. I have done every thing but take the chickens out and totally pressure wash the coop it has a dirt floor but I could clean the lay house and the roof of the coop. The mites are mostley on the combs of the chickens but just today i noticed that they are on the leg of one of them. They are starting to slow down on egg production and not looking so hot i really need some help if some one has any great ideas please let me know you can e mail me at [email protected]
You have used poultry protector, DE AND seven and still have a problem? Did you use the seven to dust the birds themselves? or just in the coop? Usually to get rid of them you dust the birds and dust the coop and boxes and such and then in 10 days you repeat the process. If you have done that and still are fighting them then I would suggest using ivomec pour on on the base of the back of the chicken's necks and treating the coop again. sharon
Are you actually seeing the bugs? How many birds do you have? In general, I suggest a bath with dog/cat flea/tick shampoo. Followed by treatment with ivermectin. DE is pretty useless at anything except drying things up. My understanding of Poultry Protector is that it will break the adhesive on eggs so that the eggs do not stick to the feathers.
it doesn't sound like you've put the 7 on the chickens themselves. dust the chickens with the 7. if that doesn't kill the mites, i would be very surprised. i was skeptical about using it, not because of it's ability to kill bugs, but didn't think it was safe to actually put on the birds. i've done a lot of research, and it seems like if there is an ag extension or program out there with an opinion on killing mites and lice on poultry, they recommend 7 as a useful tool for application directly to the bird
Yup, put the bird in a pillowcase (all but the head of course) and dust away, flop her around. Then do the head as best you can with your fingers; you can moisten the Sevin for this. Treat birds and coop all at once, then retreat in about 10 days because the first treatment won't kill the eggs, they will still hatch. You can blow Sevin all over the coop with a leaf blower or the like, and of course remove litter first then apply fresh. Also, when you put the litter on the compost, dust it as well. It is nearly impossible to kill every mite the first time, so it's not unusual to have to do all this more than twice. I've never actually seen any on my birds. I use a permethrin/pyrethrin spray and spritz around the coop every month or two -- generic of Adams Flea and Tick Spray. I've read and repeated many times that DE won't handle an infestation. You really shouldn't use it heavily enough to do much good because neither chickens nor people need to be breathing it. I would think it would kill the ones it contacted, though, so it might help keep them in check -- I don't know, it will kill soft bodied insects (caterpillars) by scratching them and causing them to dehydrate, but I promise you, it will not touch stink bugs. I just don't know how hard mite/lice exoskeletons are. http://ohioline.osu.edu/vme-fact/0018.html
Rather than making sevin dust airborne, use a liquid insecticide: sevin, malathion, anything with permethrin or pyrethrins as the active ingredients, anything approved for animal premises. Mix according to directions, then thoroughly soak the coop/pen/run; any area the birds frequent. Make sure to get it into all cracks and crevasses.
I clean the coop, bleach it out if I'm able to dry it after, lay a (very) thin layer of powdered chemical lime, then do a layer of cedar shavings, because of cedar's toxicity. Hay in the nests if I have birds that are picky at the moment. Then I dust the birds with mite powder and leave it at that. That's for a really bad infestation though, like a couple years ago when they were all over the walls and floor, even. If it's just a couple mites, I clean, lay a little lime, dust all the birds, and call it okay. I also just dust the birds whenever I introduce new ones and a couple times a year, especially spring/summer, because they free range and can pick things up. My local feed shops don't carry liquid insecticide, or I'd probably do that instead. As it is, I dust under the wings and tale, where you can get closer to the skin. Also, if you take my advice, don't breathe the lime. I know it's a mistake if you do, but try hard. I did for the first time after years o using it, and it was painful. Of course, don't let the chickens in until it's settled and covered well either, but I'd assume everyone knows better than to throw corrosive powder actually at the chickens. I also get a lot more lax when there are chicks, unless it's a full out infestation. Rather wait until they're feathered if I can help it.
