Natural Cures for Mites AND Lice???

[GermanKennhuhn]

My chickens have a problem...They have mites AND lice at the same time! We try to stay natural, so we tried DE. That didn't work. Since we have day old chicks in our flock as well as full grown chickens, I'm unsure I should do. We want to stay natural, at least non toxic. Any ideas?

 

[Kiki]

Throw it (the DE) in the trash and buy some permethrin.

 

[GermanKennhuhn]

We thought about permethrin, but I've heard it's toxic.

 

[Kiki]

We thought about permethrin, but I've heard it's toxic.

It won't hurt the birds. If you leave the mites on them the mites will kill them.

 

[GermanKennhuhn]

There is kids who go to feed the chickens, and our coop is big enough to walk in. Do you know if neem oil works?

 

[Eggcessive]

Permethrin is safe for poultry and poultry houses. You can get permethrin 10 concentrate for about $7 at TSC to mix many gallons and use in a spray bottle or garden sprayer. Martins or Gordons are the common brands. No one usually likes to use it on baby chicks though, until they are a couple of months old. I would treat your chickens, nests, and your coop after emptying out all of the bedding, removing it, and replacing with new. Mites require treatment at 7 day intervals, while lice need to be treated at 10 days intervals to kill the bugs, and then the newly hatched eggs before they reproduce.

Sulfur powder can be useful in prevention, but if you have an outbreak, you are going to need to try a chemical.

Most people deal with lice or mites, not both. Do you have any pictures? Here are 2 articles that are helpful:
https://the-chicken-chick.com/poultry-lice-and-mites-identification/

https://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/pdf/8162.pdf

 

[Eggcessive]

Neem oil has been recommended by some, but I don’t think that you can get rid of them in a coop with neem alone.

 

[Kiki]

There is kids who go to feed the chickens, and our coop is big enough to walk in. Do you know if neem oil works?

Yes it works for the coop.

I'm not so sure it's ok to actually use on a birds though.

Permethrin is in human lice products.

 

[Eggcessive]

Permethrin is recommended not to use on humans under 2 months old. It can be toxic to cats or bees if one keeps bees. I use it in my chicken coop each year, and my cats who roam around have never had a problem. It should be left to dry for a half hour before chickens should enter the coop. He is more reading:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permethrin

 

[Northern Flights]

If it's any consolation, permethrin is derived from a natural source -- chrysanthemums. We too tried all the "natural" products many, many years ago and none worked. If you have mites they must be crushed like insects!

Just be sure to keep young kids away for a few days and wash your hands/eggs. A mask might be wise until the dust is gone. Keep it away from waterways, cats and especially bees.

http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/PermGen.html