Mite infestation! Has anyone tried captain jacks dead bug?

[Chika-T]

I’m looking for more organic ways of treating with no egg waste. I know I’ve heard a lot of good things about elector psp but I’m trying to save up for some as it’s so expensive. I should be able to get it in a couple weeks but I wanna provide some relief now. Captain jacks says it kills mites and is pretty affordable for spraying down the coop. What I have on hand is dog flea shampoo and neem oil. I was reading some people say you can dip and wash off chickens with some diluted flea shampoo for relief, and then I was going to spray the coop with neem oil until I can order elector. Any other thoughts? Also where do y’all get the best deal on elector psp? And are there no stores that carry it?? Thanks!!

 

[ChickyCh00k]

It looks like the active ingredient in Captain Jack's is Spinosad, which is the same active ingredient in Elector PSP....

Edited to add:
CJ percent of Spinosad is 0.5%
Elector is 44.2%

Elector needs to be diluted with water (9mL per gallon), so I wonder if once that's accounted for, the percentages are similar.

 

[ChickyCh00k]

Here's the answer to my question, lol:

Post in thread 'Elector Psp alternative?' https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/elector-psp-alternative.1416284/post-23267201

You'd need to mix 27oz of Captain Jack's concentrate per gallon of water to get the same strength as 9mL of the Elector PSP.

There are people who sell/ship Elector in smaller quantities on Ebay. The Chicken Chick also sells it for $19.99 (9mL) on her website:
https://shopthechickenchick.com/products/elector-psp

 

[Chika-T]

Here's the answer to my question, lol:

Post in thread 'Elector Psp alternative?' https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/elector-psp-alternative.1416284/post-23267201

You'd need to mix 27oz of Captain Jack's concentrate per gallon of water to get the same strength as 9mL of the Elector PSP.

There are people who sell/ship Elector in smaller quantities on Ebay. The Chicken Chick also sells it for $19.99 (9mL) on her website:
https://shopthechickenchick.com/products/elector-psp

 

[Chika-T]

So it looks like almost two of these would do it then. So 28.00 for a treatment. So helpful thank you! And the chicken chick I will totally check out cause that’s even cheaper!

 

[Chika-T]

Nice to know in a pinch I could get two of these captain jacks immediately though! Either next day Amazon or Walmart even carry’s it!

 

[nuthatched]

Can you get permethrine spray or dust?

 

[ChickyCh00k]

View attachment 3890125

2 of these bottles would be 32oz, so not quite a whole 2 bottles (although I don't know if it would hurt anything if you did use 2 whole bottles)... It might depend on what the other 99.5% ingredients are.

As another commenter suggested, Permetherin is also an option and much more widely available/cheaper. The nice thing about Elector is that it is supposedly a "one and done" treatment whereas permetherin may take several treatments (I believe it is at least 2 - first treatment and then again 10 or 14 days later). Most people here use permetherin with success.

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).

 

[Chika-T]

Can you get permethrine spray or dust?

I couldn’t find it at tractor supply. But I do want to avoid chemicals as much as possible as I’m very sensitive to them and also I’m wanting to be as holistic as possible with the flock and not effect eggs. Which I think I read that one says not use the eggs for awhile right?

 

[nuthatched]

I couldn’t find it at tractor supply. But I do want to avoid chemicals as much as possible as I’m very sensitive to them and also I’m wanting to be as holistic as possible with the flock and not effect eggs. Which I think I read that one says not use the eggs for awhile right?

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.