Permethrin dust

[MamaFox78]

I know, I know... the opinions on permethrin dust are as varied as the types of chickens we keep, and where we keep them. I've seen other threads.

I picked up a can of permethrin garden & poultry dust to treat lice... I'd been using DE to prevent & treat, but the nasty critters came back. And I've learned that DE isn't necessarily safe, so now I'm trying different options for pest control before switching to deep hemp bedding. My plan is to treat the coop with spray (natural stuff with clove &peppermint oils etc, cause the permethrin spray has awful fumes) and dust all the birds individually. Then deep clean & pressure wash the coop, and treat again next weekend before adding the new hemp bedding.

My question is, the can says not to apply to the animal's genital area... but all my chooks are infested around their vent. Is it safe to dust their bottoms with it?? Obviously I'm not going to *try* to get it in their vent, but some residual will likely get on there.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Never dealt with lice so no lice-specific advice as far as how to treat the coop, but as far as the permethrin dust, yes you can dust them all over, and you should. I put mine in a hooded cat litter box with permethrin dust, rubbed some of it in to work it against the skin, and covered up the entrance with fabric while they tried to shake their ruffled feathers smooth which helped distribute it all over their bodies.

 

[Roo-lover123]

I sprinkle in their dust bath areas so when they roll in it and then shake themselves, it reaches everywhere - under wings, back, neck, vent area, under tail, etc.