Mite infestation! Has anyone tried captain jacks dead bug?

[Sally PB]

As an aside: I use sulfur in my dust bath for prevention. Sulfur has also been used for treatment and is quite successful (but it can take much longer (weeks) to eradicate an infestation with sulfur - it is better used as a preventative, I think).

Where do you get the sulfur, and how do you incorporate it into the dust bath?

 

[Folly's place]

All of the mentioned insecticides, in fact everything, are chemicals!!! Being sensitive/ allergic to a particular product can certainly happen, and would be a reason to avoid it, but otherwise, go with what works, is approved for use on poultry, and maybe much less expensive.
Mary

 

[ChickyCh00k]

Where do you get the sulfur, and how do you incorporate it into the dust bath?

I get it at TSC! It's garden sulfur, but there are even instructions on the bag for using it on Poultry and other livestock. To incorporate it in my dust bath, I mix about a cup of sulfur into the peat moss/sand dustbath area (my dustbath is 7'x3', so the sulfur to dirt ratio is pretty low). Whenever I add more peat moss to the dusbath (maybe every 4-6 weeks), I add a scoop of sulfur.

People also put the sulfur in a sock or cheesecloth-type "bag" and hang it from the pop door sonthat chickens are "dusting" themselves with it when they walk in/out of the coop!

This is the article that I found when I first got chickens and started researching prevention (bcs of the horror stories I had read here on BYC, lol!! ):

https://entomologytoday.org/2016/07/18/battling-chicken-mites-with-bags-of-brimstone/#:~:text=The chicken sits in the,not use the dust bath.

"The chicken sits in the dust and fluffs it into its feathers to remove parasites — this is a natural chicken behavior. Sulfur dust baths are very effective at controlling northern fowl mites, even for chickens in the same coop that do not use the dust bath."

 

[Sally PB]

@ChickyCh00k, thank you! I will be stopping at TSC tomorrow. Thanks for the picture, as that always helps me find things.

 

[ChickyCh00k]

@ChickyCh00k, thank you! I will be stopping at TSC tomorrow. Thanks for the picture, as that always helps me find things.

I wholly believe in the preventative properties of sulfur. Just be forewarned: it smells like........sulfur . Obviously, the chickens will smell like it too. It's not overpowering, but it is a distinct smell (like burnt match - which I kinda like ). For me, the pros definitely outweigh that stinky con.

 

[Chika-T]

Not that I've ever seen.
It should be back in the fly control. Permethrine, just like most chemicals, is the synthesized, standardized form of pyrethrine, a compound found in chrysanthemums.
Please seek out assistance from naturopathic vet, as most "holistic" remedies are ineffective for the proposed purpose, and dangerous or deadly for chickens.

Oh good to know! Chrysanthemum huh. I’ll look into it more as I’m still not sure why they would say it’s poisonous to get on your skin and wear gloves and don’t eat the eggs for a spell. I’ve been doing natural cures and herbalism for about 15 years now and know as much or more then holistic vets I’ve talked too unfortunately, but I definitely will make sure to research though. So I ended up spraying down the coop with the neem oil and gave the chickens flea and mite baths and it’s been much much better. I haven’t seen them scratching and it’s going on a week now. I’m still going to get elector on pay day though and treat.

 

[Chika-T]

I get it at TSC! It's garden sulfur, but there are even instructions on the bag for using it on Poultry and other livestock. To incorporate it in my dust bath, I mix about a cup of sulfur into the peat moss/sand dustbath area (my dustbath is 7'x3', so the sulfur to dirt ratio is pretty low). Whenever I add more peat moss to the dusbath (maybe every 4-6 weeks), I add a scoop of sulfur.

People also put the sulfur in a sock or cheesecloth-type "bag" and hang it from the pop door sonthat chickens are "dusting" themselves with it when they walk in/out of the coop!

This is the article that I found when I first got chickens and started researching prevention (bcs of the horror stories I had read here on BYC, lol!! ):

https://entomologytoday.org/2016/07/18/battling-chicken-mites-with-bags-of-brimstone/#:~:text=The chicken sits in the,not use the dust bath.

"The chicken sits in the dust and fluffs it into its feathers to remove parasites — this is a natural chicken behavior. Sulfur dust baths are very effective at controlling northern fowl mites, even for chickens in the same coop that do not use the dust bath."


View attachment 3890565

Awesome!