Permethrin spray

[BantyChooks]

Wonderful info in this thread, thank you.

I have possible red mites in my flock, and will be trying this to get them gone as soon as it warms up. Right now if I tried spraying I'd end up with chickensicles, lol.

I used permectrin powder for their louse infestation last spring and loved how well it worked, but it takes forever to dust even a small number of birds (~40) and it gets in your face too much for my liking.

 

[Folly's place]

Mary

 

[casportpony]

Wonderful info in this thread, thank you!


I have possible red mites in my flock, and will be trying this to get them gone as soon as it warms up. Right now if I tried spraying I'd end up with chickensicles, lol.

I used permectrin powder for their louse infestation last spring and loved how well it worked, but it takes FOREVER to dust even a small dumber of birds (~40) and it gets in your face too much for my liking.

If you have red mites I strongly suggest treating your coop. Do not wait until it warms up.

-Kathy

 

[BantyChooks]

If you have red mites I strongly suggest treating your coop. Do not wait until it warms up.

-Kathy

The bedding is frozen to the floor, and I bent my scooper trying to clean the roosts.
I can just put permectrin on top of the poop and yech, if that would help.... They're only on one bird, which lives in a dog house in the run most of the time, so I can at least clean that one out good.

 

[BantyChooks]

Should have added that they're only visible on one bird. I know they're likely everywhere.

 

[Folly's place]

I agree with Kathy; spray everything, frozen or not. It takes very little spray, so it's not as if you're saturating the place! Dusting birds is a royal pain, and should only be done wearing at least a N95 dust mask! Mary

 

[BantyChooks]

I agree with Kathy; spray everything, frozen or not. It takes very little spray, so it's not as if you're saturating the place! Dusting birds is a royal pain, and should only be done wearing at least a N95 dust mask! Mary

Yes, I'm very careful to always wear a mask for that sort of stuff. Anything toxic enough to kill lice is not something I want in my lungs.

 

[aart]

Quote: They are probably not living in the bedding, but in the cracks and crevices of the coop (and roost, nest) structures.
Anywhere two pieces of building material meets, either edge to edge or surface to surface, forms a tiny gap that they can live in.
Roost crevices would be the first place to hit, then work your way out from there.
It really needs to be saturated/soaked in, not sure that would work well if air temps are below freezing.

 

[BantyChooks]

They are probably not living in the bedding, but in the cracks and crevices of the coop (and roost, nest) structures.
Anywhere two pieces of building material meets, either edge to edge or surface to surface, forms a tiny gap that they can live in.
Roost crevices would be the first place to hit, then work your way out from there.
It really needs to be saturated/soaked in, not sure that would work well if air temps are below freezing.

In that case, my coop is never going to be clean of red mites, period.
It was built with planks of wood ran along the sides rather than sheets of plywood, and windows are holes cut in the side with more boards nailed on the sides as support. Roof is the same, and behind the nest box is not even something I like to think about.
The floor is planks too, with a layer of plywood too that I put on top of it coz there were random nails sticking up from the planks and holes where the neighbour's steers got in.

I will be building a new coop next spring, since this one is near collapse.... I just bought it from my neighbour to get me through the first few years of keeping chickens.

 

[aart]

Quote: Well, start with the birds and the roosts and area closest to roosts.
Are your temps below freezing all day long or just at night?