Need foolproof tips on how to use permethrin powder, Please!

[WildChild283]

Hi all. I am dealing with a mite infestation and I bought permethrin powder. I don’t know really how to use it. Is it safe to put directly on the birds? And if so, how much per bird? Do I mix it with some thing? I was thinking, maybe I needed to use diatomaceous earth and sprinkle permethrin into that and then dust the birds… So as to maybe dilute the potency of the powder itself? I don’t really know and I’m just guessing. The packaging doesn’t really help, it makes it sound like the powder is only for use and treating the coop itself and the environment. I’m not sure what to do, I need advice!!. I also have diatomaceous earth. I have been, using wood ash as well, on the birds. I also made the garlic juice, lavender and eucalyptus concoction, and have been spraying birds with that until my permethrin came in the mail.

 

[aart]

Post a pic or link for the permethrin product you have.
Most powders can be applied directly to the birds skin,
I have never heard of one that needed to be 'diluted'.

Best to use a permethrin spray to treat the coop so you can soak all the cracks and crevices.

Don't bother with DE, it's worthless for a pest infestation.

 

[Lillith37]

You can use DE as a preventative but unfortunately it’s often not enough to eliminate an outbreak. Same with the garlic/eucalyptus/lavender sprays.

Do you know what kind of mites they have?

 

[WildChild283]

Post a pic or link for the permethrin product you have.
Most powders can be applied directly to the birds skin,
I have never heard of one that needed to be 'diluted'.

Best to use a permethrin spray to treat the coop so you can soak all the cracks and crevices.

Don't bother with DE, it's worthless for a pest infestation.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001BM4JLM?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

 

[WildChild283]

You can use DE as a preventative but unfortunately it’s often not enough to eliminate an outbreak. Same with the garlic/eucalyptus/lavender sprays.

Do you know what kind of mites they have?

I do not know but I see lots of little bugs so I assume lice and mites.

 

[aart]

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001BM4JLM?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

You can use that straight up on the birds, make sure you get it on their skin or it won't do much good.

Here's some more tips.....
My Bug Check notes:
Have you checked them over real well for mites and/or lice?

Google images of lice/mites and their eggs before the inspection so you'll know what you're looking for.

Part the feathers right down to the skin around vent, head/neck and under wings.

Best done well after dark with a strong flashlight/headlight, easier to 'catch' bird and also to check for the mites that live in structure and only come out at night to feed off roosting birds.

Look fast, they will scatter quickly once the feathers are parted and the light hits them.

Wipe a white paper towel along the underside of roost to look for red smears(smashed well fed mites).

Good post about mite ID by Lady McCamley:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/my-chicken-has-mites-now-what.1273674/page-2#post-20483008

 

[Lillith37]

Another tip is to use a piece of damp paper towel and press against any dirt you see on their skin/feathers.

Regular dirt from dust bathing will remain unchanged on the paper. Mite “dirt” — which is the mite poop — will bleed into the paper.

Make sure you do a full clean out of their coop. Burn or bag and throw out the bedding, treat the coop and change to fresh bedding.

Mites can reproduce in less than 5 days under optimal conditions so you will need to retreat and re-clean the coop until they are gone.

Another good tip for mites that live in the environment is to put pieces of corrugated cardboard under the roosts and under nest boxes/nest material. The mites will crawl inside the cardboard and form their aggregates. Then you can take the cardboard and tap it on a piece of paper and see if there are any present. It’s a good way of establishing their presence and catching outbreaks early.

In some ways lice (and one species of mite, the northern fowl mite) are easiest to deal with because they spend their life cycles on the bird. You still need to clean and treat the coop but getting it under control is usually an easier process than if you’re dealing with bird mites or red roost mites. Those mites live in the environment and it’s so much harder to eradicate them once they are established.

 

[rosemarythyme]

The powder is already diluted to work as-is. There's no specific "dosage," just make sure to work powder down onto the skin under belly, under wings, on back, around base of neck, around vent. If they're getting them on their heads (which you may see scabbing around comb or even eyes if it's bad), I'd carefully pat some around the base of the comb or just behind the head. They'll naturally shake and distribute it all over themselves.

You need to ID what specifically they have to know what additional treatment or re-treatment period is needed, as permethrin only kills active mites, not eggs.

 

[WildChild283]

You can use that straight up on the birds, make sure you get it on their skin or it won't do much good.

Here's some more tips.....
My Bug Check notes:
Have you checked them over real well for mites and/or lice?

Google images of lice/mites and their eggs before the inspection so you'll know what you're looking for.

Part the feathers right down to the skin around vent, head/neck and under wings.

Best done well after dark with a strong flashlight/headlight, easier to 'catch' bird and also to check for the mites that live in structure and only come out at night to feed off roosting birds.

Look fast, they will scatter quickly once the feathers are parted and the light hits them.

Wipe a white paper towel along the underside of roost to look for red smears(smashed well fed mites).

Good post about mite ID by Lady McCamley:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/my-chicken-has-mites-now-what.1273674/page-2#post-20483008

Thank you! I successfully dusted four birds tonight (out of 13). I have checked several birds in my flock and I definitely see large lice and smaller bugs as well. I’m not sure if the smaller insects are mites or smaller lice. I’ll do some research about that. This is during the day also. I see these critters around the neck and vent areas.

 

[StinkyAcres]

Dust the chickens and the coop every ten days or so until the bugs are gone. I sprinkle the dust on the roosts and corners of the coop after cleaning out the coop and before adding new bedding.