Mites (pest) and using DE

[intownchickn]

I picked up some DE at my local farm supply store. I see a lot of people using this 7dust garden stuff on here. Will the DE work? Or should I use something else. My hens are shaking heads and feather are jacked up. At first I thought it was a pecking problem but now I noticed the head shaking. Laying eggs still fine. I sprinkled the DE in the coop on the bedding and in the nest boxes. Just cleaned coop and put in fresh bedding too. 2 yr old birds got them last spring and started laying last fall. First time dealing with this.

 

[Folly's place]

Welcome! You should go out at night with a flashlight and actually look for mites or lice. Look the birds over very carefully, and treat all of them if any mites or lice are found at all. Then use a safer and more useful product like permethrin spray, rather than dusting with DE. Mary

 

[JaeG]

Yup, I had my first experience with mites last summer. Against mites I didn't find DE did anything. I found thousands of the little suckers happily lounging in the deep bed of DE that was in my nestboxes. You need to try and figure out what kind of mites they are. If they are red mites/coop mites you can just treat the coop. If they are mites or lice that stay on the birds you'll need to treat them.

 

[CrowHollowFarm]

I had red mites and had great luck with the DE. I did take some other extreme measures. I tore out there roost and burnt it then sprayed the entire pen down with Sevin Dust, I mean soaked it. Then I treated all of the birds with DE and filled all of there pens and dust bathing area with it. All mites gone in 3 days.

 

[Folly's place]

It was the carbaryl that worked, not the DE. And carbaryl is off the list of approved products for chickens in the USA. Mary

 

[intownchickn]

Welcome! You should go out at night with a flashlight and actually look for mites or lice. Look the birds over very carefully, and treat all of them if any mites or lice are found at all. Then use a safer and more useful product like permethrin
spray, rather than dusting with DE. Mary

What kind of permethrin? How do you apply it?

 

[CrowHollowFarm]

Sorry I didn't go into enough detail. The chickens were out of the house for 3 days being treated with DE and the outer walls which never come into contact with the chickens ever was sprayed with Sevin Dust. The entire floor which never has bedding only dirt, was covered with DE. And the nest boxes were treated with DE.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Me thinks that you should go out into your coop tonight and preform another scout for red mites. Once you removed your chickens the red mites likely left the coop to go look for another food source.

 

[JaeG]

A few very good articles about why DE shouldn't be considered a miracle treatment:
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2015/04/raising-chickens-naturally-diatomaceous.html
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/05/diatomaceous-earth-de-benefitrisk.html
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2016/12/the-cut-dry-truth-about-diatomaceous.html

And here's a great article about identifying what pests are irritating your poor birds:
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/08/poultry-lice-and-mites-identification.html

 

[chicks are life]

Some people suggest DE i don't my chicken died from it...

Chicken respritory system is sensitive and can't be exposed to dust.

You can use it still mine might have been a bad batch but I suggest perimithrin from tractor supply mix 200 ounces of water per 1 ounce of peramethrin and spray a fine mist all over the coop,run,roosts and nesting boxes.

I may not be right but I think you can spray it on the hens?!?!?!