My Ladies have Mites?

[Simmons Homestead]

I spray the birds at night when they are roosting, so much less drama. Also clean and spray the coop, walls, floor, everything. You can use the permethrin powder, at least on the clean floor, but spray is easier and much less expensive.
DE won't do it!
Keep your cats away from the coop and birds until everything is dry, so the next day. It is dangerous to cats, but the dry spray on the walls and birds won't affect them.
I don't use insecticides outside, trying to protect the environment. Just retreat in ten days or so, if needed.
As long as your birds go outdoors, and wild songbirds are there too, mites and lice will turn up sometimes. I check a few birds every week or two, at night when they are roosting, and plan to treat everyone when the mites appear again.
Mary

Thank you, I will do that as soon as I get back. Problem is, I am leaving town today and I do not have time to clean out my ladies' coop before I have to go. Will DE at least keep the mites at bay until I return to deal with them in full?

 

[aart]

Will DE at least keep the mites at bay until I return to deal with them in full?

No, highly unlikely.

 

[Simmons Homestead]

Alright everyone, I broke down and got some DE to test since I haven't ever tried it before, and it kept the mites at bay until I came back from my trip. (At least I think it did, everyone's still alive in any case.)
I'm going to deep clean the ladies' coop tomorrow, and go at it with a mite killer that's not toxic to cats since mine are outdoor cats and we barely see them in the summertime. They're very old as well, so any toxin would most likely kill them. If that doesn't work, I will try Permethrin (the spray kind) since I've read that it works well. Are there any other mite killers that people recommend?
Also what should I do with the ladies' bedding since burning is not an option where I live?

 

[Folly's place]

Spinosad is a different, very expensive insecticide that's also approved for use on poultry. It has to be ordered online (last I looked). Did I mention expensive?
I don't plan to use it until, and if, my local nasty bugs develop resistance to the permethrin.
Mary

 

[Simmons Homestead]

UPDATE: I tried DE and as y'all said, it did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. I went out there today and checked my oldest hen, Ash, for mites under her wings. There were none there. But when I checked her vent, I found the skin red and raw and clusters of the nasty things.

I had concocted a mix of olive oil, dish soap, and water and have been spraying the eggs with it to kill the mites on them, and in a complete moment of insanity, I sprayed around her vent with it. She didn't seem to mind very much (despite being afraid of the bottle, but she's afraid of everything for some reason) but I don't want to use it again because I'm afraid it'll make it worse or sting her poor skin.

SO I am going to get the spray Permethrin, keep my kitties away from the coop (last night I found one of my cats sitting on top of the nesting box, so that'll be a little challenging) and go to TOWN on those mites. I've been spraying the coop with the olive oil/dish soap/water mixture, inside and out (staining the wood in the process...) but I can't reach the corners with the spray bottle I have, and I want to make sure it kills every single mite it can. I'm not sure if my home remedy has been working, but it kills on impact. Nonetheless, I'm still going to get Permethrin. How long will I have to keep my cats away from the coop for?
(Also: This may seem like a stupid question, but will I have to remove the new sand I put on the bottom of the nesting box as well as the new nesting I put in there?)

 

[Folly's place]

If you spray as directed at night, birds and coop both, and have them in and the cats locked out, by morning things should all be dry, and cat safe. Unless your cats live in it and eat lots of treated stuff?
My barn cats never had a problem.
Permethrin toxicity in cats is dose related; the cats can't handle a 'normal' dose for anyone else. Teeny tiny amounts should be okay, but you must be careful.
I never use it outside of the coop and roofed run, so trying not to poison any other animals.
Mary

 

[Simmons Homestead]

If you spray as directed at night, birds and coop both, and have them in and the cats locked out, by morning things should all be dry, and cat safe. Unless your cats live in it and eat lots of treated stuff?
My barn cats never had a problem.
Permethrin toxicity in cats is dose related; the cats can't handle a 'normal' dose for anyone else. Teeny tiny amounts should be okay, but you must be careful.
I never use it outside of the coop and roofed run, so trying not to poison any other animals.
Mary

Thanks! My cats don't live in the coop, they're sort of indoor-outdoor cats, so they sleep in the garden or garage.
I will be careful, maybe I'll keep them in the garage for the night until it dries. Should I take the chickens out into the run and spray them individually so as to have better coverage or just spray like they're part of the coop? (The nesting-box part of the coop, anyway.)

 

[Folly's place]

Spray each bird, off the roost, so you can get the vent, under the wings, and neck. We've sprayed each right on the roost, in fact, as long as you get the spray on the skin somewhere.
Mary

 

[cmom]

You can get permethrin dust and put it in the nest boxes.

 

[Folly's place]

We dust the nest boxes and the coop floor, under the bedding, with permethrin dust. It helps!
Mary