Neem oil for mites

[missnu01]

Use wood ashes to dust your birds also in nest boxes. I put ashes in a rubber tub along with sand [play] to give them something to dust bath in during the winter when the ground is frozen or snowy they also eat them along with the sand.

Exactly. Chickens keep mites and lice at bay by rolling in dust and dirt...in winter all that dust and dirt is frozen...So I just toss all the askes from our woodstove in their coop so they can still do what they would normally do.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Just a Warning for those using wood ashes for the first time, Please make sure those ashes are completely cold before throwing them into your coop or run. Looks can be deceiving and they may still be warm underneath. I run my hand through them to be sure.

 

[missnu01]

Well yeah make sure the ashes are truly only ashes...don't want to set your chickens on fire...lol.

 

[starlingdaly]

Hello! Just wanted to add my input on neem oil for chickens.
I have been using it for about 6 months with great results. I haven't used it in the warm months yet so that is yet to be tested, however:
I mixed 1 part neem oil, 1 part macadamia oil and about .05 parts oregano oil and applied one drop under each wing of all my chickens. 2-3 drops under my turkey's wings. I did this once a week at night when they were roosting for 3 weeks and I did not see any mites or lice on them after those three weeks. It seems that in winter it only needs to be applied every other month or one application per month for maintenance.
For heavy infestations, I would suggest an additional drop among the tail feathers (touching the skin) as well as a drop behind the neck.

And so far my rooster is not sterile as we just hatched 14 chicks by him.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Hello! Just wanted to add my input on neem oil for chickens.
I have been using it for about 6 months with great results. I haven't used it in the warm months yet so that is yet to be tested, however:
I mixed 1 part neem oil, 1 part macadamia oil and about .05 parts oregano oil and applied one drop under each wing of all my chickens. 2-3 drops under my turkey's wings. I did this once a week at night when they were roosting for 3 weeks and I did not see any mites or lice on them after those three weeks. It seems that in winter it only needs to be applied every other month or one application per month for maintenance.
For heavy infestations, I would suggest an additional drop among the tail feathers (touching the skin) as well as a drop behind the neck.

And so far my rooster is not sterile as we just hatched 14 chicks by him.

Thanks for your post!

 

[Busybee1]

I wonder if I can mix neem oil and olive oil and spray on my chickens legs? I had a heavy infestation of mites in the coop. Now that I have that almost under control I want to treat the chickens. They mostly have them on their legs. I want to treat as natural as possible.

 

[starlingdaly]

I would say yes, that should work just fine! Remember that neem doesn't kill instantly, it kills in a couple of days since it causes hormone imbalances in insects that cause them to stop eating and reproducing.
I would also suggest reapplying in a week to make sure you got them all.
I've mixed equal parts neem with macadamia oil. Olive oil would work the same way.

 

[Busybee1]

Thanks starlingdaly, I will let u know how it works.

 

[Smithyard Farm]

I have the neem spray. I was told to spray down the coop.. roosts especially and to spray the chickens feet. That would keep any" critters" from crawling up their legs. I only sprayed once,, and but also used a seven and DE dust bath... I was clear for a couple weeks now... I did see today though, that one of my hens has a very dirty butt. Looking quickly, I wasn't sure if it was mites, or just from the muddy conditions we have had for a couple days. one of the other hens seemed to have it, so I hope the latter, but need to check tomorrow.


The person I spoke to told me it suffocated the buggies... no?

 

[starlingdaly]

Any oil will suffocate insects. Here is a link that explains the use of neem oil for human head lice (I think the method for getting rid of head lice might be a little overkill, but I am grateful to not have had to try it on myself)
http://www.discoverneem.com/home-remedies-for-head-lice.html

Neem oil mimics an insect hormone that causes the insect to stop taking care of itself. No more eating, drinking, procreating. They lose their purpose and slowly starve or dehydrate and since they can't procreate, the entire population dies out in a matter of days.
I am not sure how it works on insect eggs but that's why I treat each week for three weeks straight to get rid of external parasites on the chooks and once a month after that for maintenance. If I spot any on my birds, it's back to the once a week for three weeks.

I have had worries that the neem would interact with chicken hormones, but it seems that insect hormones are totally different than animal. No issues with roosters not procreating.