Mites

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LiseDujakovich

Chirping
Jul 17, 2019
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Good afternoon allšŸ˜Š I have a flock of 10 hens that are losing feathers. I have done some research here & narrowed it down to mites (theyā€™re not molting; not broody; they have plenty of room; havenā€™t seen any consistent bullying/pecking). The best recommendation was for Poultry Protector spray. However, in my area (Kansas City metro) there is none on the shelves. I spoke with Tractor Supply today and they said they havenā€™t had any for 2-3 weeks. Iā€™m assuming this is a Covid-related issue with ingredients, production, or transport. So...I have a mite problem & am looking for other suggestions. I know there are pros & cons for DE...but that is looking like my next best option. Any other advice? Thanks in advancešŸ”šŸ”

PS - sorry this got posted in ā€œBrooderā€ threadšŸ˜•
 
I have posted this a few times, the best product to get rid of the mites and lice in my opinion is permethrin which is very cost effective. There are other products that work well but are quite expensive. If mixed properly Permethrin works great. I had some birds that were severely infested. I thought they were just molting but weren't getting their feathers back in when I discovered they were loaded with mites. The first thing I tried was DE. The birds weren't improving and still had mites. I first discovered them in only one coop but eventually found them on birds in another coop. I dusted the birds and the coops with the DE and no improvement after treating them for a couple of weeks. Next I did use some sevin dust that I had but it was almost gone but it did help. I did some research and came up with permethrin. I'm pretty sure the wild birds brought them into their coop, rodents can too. I have used the dust on the birds and do use it in their nest boxes and spray inside of the coops, every crack and crevice, on and under the roosts, ceiling, walls, floors, anywhere the mites can hide. It's best to clean out the coop before you spray. I use pine shavings in my coops. I wear special clothing including a mask and gloves. I do a weekly spraying for awhile and put permethrin dust in the nest boxes. I have sprayed the birds getting under the wings and working it through their feathers with gloves which you can also do with the dust. My birds began to recover and get their feathers back in. I think if I hadn't treated with the permethrin when I did I probably would have lost some birds to the mites. The birds were in bad condition. Permethrin only kill live pests, not the pests eggs. TSC carries the poultry dust with permethrin, premixed spray bottles and the concentrate. I use the concentrate. For my initial application, I mixed it a little heavy. It did not affect the birds but I did keep them out of the coops while it dried. I spray my coops as needed and when I spray I do weekly spraying for 3 or 4 weeks then stop as I don't want the pests to develop a resistance to the permethrin. Repeated weekly spraying is necessary because again, it does not kill the mite eggs and as an added benefit is there is no egg withdrawal period. The birds are beautiful again. In my opinion the permethrin works great. Good luck...


permethrinDust.jpgPermethrinSpraya1.png GallonSprayer.jpeg
 
Thank you for replying. Weā€™re kind of new to the chicken game & I sincerely appreciate the feedback. I had read that DE wasnā€™t a good solution - especially in humid climates - and we do live where humidity is an issue in the summer months. I have located & purchased permethrin 10 concentrate to mix & spray in all the nooks & crannies. Would you clarify pls - is there a permethrin dust to use on the hens; or is the sevin dust the correct product to use on the individual hens? Can I spray the hens with the permethrin mixture? I think you said you did. I have noted that I will need to repeat the spraying for 3-4 weeks. Do I dust the hens every week for the same amount of time? The permethrin pre-mix is not available at Tractor Supply in my area. I called multiple locations & theyā€™ve had nothing on their shelves for 2-3 weeks. Not sure if itā€™s related to Covid - we are a hotspot - so it may be a chemical shortage, production, or transport issue. Thank you for sending product photos. That is very helpful. Iā€™m looking forward to full-feathered, fluffy, beautiful hensšŸ˜Š
 
Sevin dust is no longer approved for use on poultry. I use permethrin poultry dust. I mostly use it in the nest boxes. I included pictures above in my post. I sprayed my birds and have also used the poultry dust on them. I got the premixed spray in the equine section at TSC. I primarily use the permethrin concentrate.
 
Thanks again for clarifying. I saw the photos & will definitely use them for reference in my search. Like I said, though, TSC is not an option for me (in my area) at this time - they simply donā€™t have it on the shelves right now.....šŸ˜”
 
I had an issue too. I noticed some of the birds loosing feathers and it was too early for the molt. I didn't find any mites on the birds during the day. I started spraying three weeks ago and the birds are improving.
 
roosterhavoc said:
Sevin powder and frontline.
Does anyone ever wonder why you have to keep using permethrin over and over and over?
https://www.chewy.com/frontline-spr...vY-y4JOSo-rie398KE2YOisHWjbbxuhEaAhH_EALw_wcB

https://www.amazon.com/Garden-5-Per...words=sevin+dust+powder&qid=1597941341&sr=8-3
Click to expand...
Never heard of Frontline being used on chickens. Is it safe? Does it work? Egg withdrawal? My girls are only 6 weeks. I would be worried about dosing. After covering my floor in wood ash along with the permethrin dust and putting pine pellets on top I haven't seen another mite in the coop. They are all around my yard though.
 

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