Official BYC Poll: How Do You Deal With Lice & Mite Infestations in your Coop?

[Devils Flower]

You're welcome! IMO, DE is a waste of money. Back in 2003 we bought a huge bag of it and put it all over the coop and in all of their favorite dust bathing spots. Then one day I noticed that they were infested with lice, so I put DE all over them, but it did not work.

Sorry to bother you again but was the DE the food grade type?

 

[casportpony]

Sorry to bother you again but was the DE the food grade type?

It was.

 

[parvani]

You're welcome! IMO, DE is a waste of money. Back in 2003 we bought a huge bag of it and put it all over the coop and in all of their favorite dust bathing spots. Then one day I noticed that they were infested with lice, so I put DE all over them, but it did not work.

Yes, DE is a waste of money. It doesn't control lice or parasites, and it's bad for chickens to breathe the dust.

Since raising chickens, I have changed my mind about the merits of going completely organic. Organic "remedies" like diatomaceous earth or fragrant herbs are at best ineffective half-measures. I still feed myself and my birds organic grain and produce, but if my birds (or I!) have trouble with fleas, lice, mites, or other parasites, I use modern medicine to cure them (or myself!)

I no longer buy organic meat in the grocery store, either. I used to insist that all my meat be raised completely organically, but I now believe that it's cruel to raise animals or birds to suffer with parasites or other ailments that can quickly be addressed with permethrin, ivermectin, or amprolium.

After all, I wouldn't let myself, my family, or my pets suffer when an effective remedy is available -- why should I require that my birds or my meat suffer?

Nope, no more organic meat for me. "Grass fed", "hormone free", "cage free", and "free range", YES; but "organic"? NO.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Yes, DE is a waste of money. It doesn't control lice or parasites, and it's bad for chickens to breathe the dust.

Since raising chickens, I have changed my mind about the merits of going completely organic. Organic "remedies" like diatomaceous earth or fragrant herbs are at best ineffective half-measures. I still feed myself and my birds organic grain and produce, but if my birds (or I!) have trouble with fleas, lice, mites, or other parasites, I use modern medicine to cure them (or myself!)

I no longer buy organic meat in the grocery store, either. I used to insist that all my meat be raised completely organically, but I now believe that it's cruel to raise animals or birds to suffer with parasites or other ailments that can quickly be addressed with permethrin, ivermectin, or amprolium.

After all, I wouldn't let myself, my family, or my pets suffer when an effective remedy is available -- why should I require that my birds or my meat suffer?

Nope, no more organic meat for me. "Grass fed", "hormone free", "cage free", and "free range", YES; but "organic"? NO.

Wow! Great argument, very articulate and convincing. Thank you.

 

[ladybrasa]

I no longer buy organic meat in the grocery store, either. I used to insist that all my meat be raised completely organically, but I now believe that it's cruel to raise animals or birds to suffer with parasites or other ailments that can quickly be addressed with permethrin, ivermectin, or amprolium.

Totally not contradicting your arguments, you make valid points! But just to point out, some chemicals/drugs are considered “organic”, such as spinosad (found in Elector PSP) and pyrethrum (not to be confused with pyrethroids).

Aspirin is from willow bark (though it’s synthetically made nowadays). Antibiotics were derived from natural sources like fungi, classic example being penicillin from bread mold. (Not sure if aspirin or some antibiotics technically meet the accepted definition of “organic” though …)


Huh, probably overthinking this, but pyrethrum is derived from chrysanthemums, so what if you sprinkled a bunch of those around your coop?

 

[MadamContrary]

I use lime in the coop and run, it goes in first and then top with bedding. They have free access to plenty of dirt and I do daily inspections at lock up and sun rise.

 

[3KillerBs]

I have been blessed to have never had these problems so far, but at the first sign of trouble I will go straight to the poultry dust.

 

[Owllea]

Tried once weekly spot treatment with DE for lice and it actually does keep the population down. we are tucked in to the woods so there is no escaping it. I do worry about parasite resistance to some of the chemicals so aim for a balance that keeps chickens comfortable and populations of lice low.
Recently have had some flying bugs bothering the chickens at roosting time so need to figure out what those are. They are just dancing to knock the bugs off, and they are tiny so I can’t get a good look at sundown. Not there at sunrise. The rooster’s undercarriage is super red but I don’t see any bugs!
Anyone have a good picture of a mite infestation? I always read to look for them coming out from the roost bars and I have never seen it.

 

[21hens-incharge]

This is what I do.



To answer the "other" I treat active infestations with permetherin 10. that treatment includes a full coop cleaning and treating the coop with repeats every 7 days until no further pests are found.

I do not buy started or adult birds so no need to try to quarantine on my small lot.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

This is what I do.

View attachment 2747812

To answer the "other" I treat active infestations with permetherin 10. that treatment includes a full coop cleaning and treating the coop with repeats every 7 days until no further pests are found.

I do not buy started or adult birds so no need to try to quarantine on my small lot.

How do you prevent contact between your birds and wild birds? Mine free range part of the day. Also, wild birds come to glean what bits of scratch mine might leave behind in the run. Occasionally one will nest in the hen house. And my birds have a large, open run the wild birds visit to peck for seeds and bugs. I have no way to keep them separate that I can think of.