Is it necessary to dust in the winter?

[kryptoniteqhs]

I use Sevin dust, but its so cold out, I was wondering if it was even necessary to dust them at all. I havent noticed any lice or mites on them at all, but usually I dust every 6-8 weeks anyways. To dust or not to dust, that is the question.

 

[meadrian]

I'm new to this, but just learned this lesson the hard way. I use DE in my nest, coop and run so I thought they'd be fine. I was wrong. I saw lice on mine this weekend and needed to dust...as well as clean everything out. So I'm going to dust every 6 months and continue with the DE. Beside taking their dust baths in the yard I now provide a box for them to dust bathe in that has soil, sand and DE.

 

[NYREDS]

If you are assuming that the cold will kill off the vermin you're mistaken, they survive the cold quite nicely. If you have a problem with infestation in the summer that same problem exists in the winter. Go ahead * dust them

 

[NYREDS]

Quote:
Proof positive of the effectiveness of DE as an insecticide.

 

[theFox]

Actually you need to dust every 7 days until no more lice are found.

The insecticide will not kill what's in the eggs.

Those eggs will hatch in seven days from when they are laid, it takes a short time for the new lice to lay eggs (not long) so you have to hit the new ones and continue this process until no lice are found.

You need to hit everything in the coop/run with a fine dusting. Remove the water and food before dusting.

Follow the instruction on the insecticide label.

 

[HeatherFeather]

Proof positive of the effectiveness of DE as an insecticide.

Absolutely.

It works much much better than no management technique at all. And Meadrian's plan to use Sevin less frequently than someone not using DE is what is called Integrated Pest Management or IPM. Good for you Meadrian, for not just going all out and abandoning your natural attempts.

I may not have a lot of chicken keeping experience under my belt, but I did study the chemistry of pesticides, at the degree level and based on my learnings, have made a conscientious choice to not use Sevin in my chicken management plans. I am also licensed as a pesticide applicator in the province of Ontario, which means, should I choose, I could use a LOT more than Sevin, but I choose not.

I'm just using DE right now on my chooks to manage my first lice breakout.

I think I made a mistake in not using it in dust baths in the first place, and instead just using it as a feed additive and for dusting perches to keep them dry. I made an indoor dust bath filled with the stuff, and I have inspected the birds individually and applied the DE directly to the more seriously affected birds, right on the site. I intend to do this every day to the more seriously affected birds, and monitor the rest of the flock at the same time.

I have used DE extensively for dog fleas, potato beetles, mealy bugs and aphids and ants very very successfully. All of these were, of course horticultural applications. I also used it for a bug infestation in my cavies quite successfully. What is important to remember with it, is its mode of action. Microscopically, it is very sharp. It puts physical cuts on the pest, causing them injury and killing them. If the pest only contacts one speck of DE, it may not be enough to kill them. Also, DE sitting in the vicinity of the pest won't harm it at all-it needs to physically touch them. When using it in the garden, I make sure to actually sprinkle it right on top of the pest. It is totally non-toxic, so you cannot depend on residual toxicity and product half-life as you do with Sevin.

Good luck with your DE use Meadrian!!​

 

[Chickenaddict]

I say dust anyway! Or do what I do and use ivermectin pour on. Few drops and they are not only mite free but worm free too!

 

[kryptoniteqhs]

i dont have any lice or mites....mine are on a good schedule so I dont have to worry about it...I just didnt know if the lice & mites lived in the winter.....just was asking for maintenence purposes

 

[theFox]

Quote:
You might not have them but meadrian does.

They basically are around all of the time, nice warm bedding, warm hosts, etc... will keep them going if not treated.

 

[NYREDS]

Quote:
Absolutely.

It works much much better than no management technique at all. And Meadrian's plan to use Sevin less frequently than someone not using DE is what is called Integrated Pest Management or IPM. Good for you Meadrian, for not just going all out and abandoning your natural attempts.

I may not have a lot of chicken keeping experience under my belt, but I did study the chemistry of pesticides, at the degree level and based on my learnings, have made a conscientious choice to not use Sevin in my chicken management plans. I am also licensed as a pesticide applicator in the province of Ontario, which means, should I choose, I could use a LOT more than Sevin, but I choose not.

I'm just using DE right now on my chooks to manage my first lice breakout.

I think I made a mistake in not using it in dust baths in the first place, and instead just using it as a feed additive and for dusting perches to keep them dry. I made an indoor dust bath filled with the stuff, and I have inspected the birds individually and applied the DE directly to the more seriously affected birds, right on the site. I intend to do this every day to the more seriously affected birds, and monitor the rest of the flock at the same time.

I have used DE extensively for dog fleas, potato beetles, mealy bugs and aphids and ants very very successfully. All of these were, of course horticultural applications. I also used it for a bug infestation in my cavies quite successfully. What is important to remember with it, is its mode of action. Microscopically, it is very sharp. It puts physical cuts on the pest, causing them injury and killing them. If the pest only contacts one speck of DE, it may not be enough to kill them. Also, DE sitting in the vicinity of the pest won't harm it at all-it needs to physically touch them. When using it in the garden, I make sure to actually sprinkle it right on top of the pest. It is totally non-toxic, so you cannot depend on residual toxicity and product half-life as you do with Sevin.

Good luck with your DE use Meadrian!!

I guess my sarcasm was lost on you.