Red mites - any more suggestions

[Wickedchicken6]

And yet the Neem supplements for humans, and Neem oil for use on human skin is available in Canada at health food shops. Crazy! Sounds like the only reason it's banned is because nobody wants to pay the rather large bill to have it tested and deemed 'safe'. As someone pointed out it's also illegal to spray your orchard with skim milk or champagne. Sounds like it does get used in some orchards though. The grower adds a little urea and it's then considered a 'Foliar Fertiliser'.

Yes. That is how I'd understand this as well...lol.

 

[Wickedchicken6]

Frontline (fipronil and S-methoprene)...as in Dogs and Cats.
It doesn't show up in the list of drugs approved.

Neem oil does not show up on the list of drugs approved.

I had a sinking feeling when I was thinking about the permethrin when I was doing evening chores. I remember it being mentioned to us that the insecticide we used in our cattle oilers was going to be taken off the shelves and I questioned DH of the product we used. Permethrin was the ingredient.
A search for it shows it's labeled for human use (lice etc) I think we'll be out of luck there. I will ask. The owners are up on their products.

Carbaryl shows up on the list as labeled for poultry.

Ok...I'm home, so here goes.

There are several products in the cattle line of products that are meant to control flies etc. Some are drugs other than Permethrin. Some are based on Permethrin. Some horse sprays also contain Permethrin.

The only treatment I saw that contained Permethrin or was similarly based was labelled for chickens was "Ectiban."
https://www.drugs.com/vet/ectiban-25-fly-killer-can.html

Those are the instructions on the can.

You'll note that it's used for a variety of flies, mosquitoes, lice, ticks or other animals.
It even states it can be used for the sheep ked.
For poultry, it states it's specifically for usage on Northern Fowl Mites. It also mentions withdrawal for slaughter.

We've seen Ectiban in Peaveymart, independent feed stores and I'm pretty sure at Co op agro stores.

 

[Wickedchicken6]

What about tea tree oil sprayed in the coop?

It's used for a lot of insect infestations including mites.

Not sure of its legality in Canada though.

(And definitely keep it away from cats as its toxic to them...and of course the fumes to chickens).

Just more thoughts. Good luck with your battle. How awful.

Good news...most of the red mites live in the building not on the birds...so you are moving away from the problem. Treat the birds with the move, and hopefully that will do it.

LofMc

I've only seen tea tree oil in small amounts for human use. It seemed prohibitively expensive for a small amount.

I'd also wonder about the "legality" of using it for this purpose.


I saw a steamer on sale at a hardware store. I wonder if that could be beneficial for killing parasites in the structure and possibly the top of the litter layer, much like in the way of bedbugs?
Of course, I forgot to get one of the steamers.

 

[23Sandreef]

I made a frame using the framework of two outdoor 'hot houses' that I no longer use. So the frame is made of collapsible short poles you join together, I ensured that each joint had petroleum jelly (vaseline) on each end before joining. (Makes them easy to get apart but also stops mites getting into the hollow metal tube.) Imagine the shape of a sofa. The back and arms have wood as perches tied to the metal frame. This is where the hens roost at night. Where the seat would be in a sofa, I have metal trays across the gap supported on trellis. The trays in their former life would have been workshop metal shelves. I place ash on these and they collect poop if the hens perch facing the wall. Not much poop collects here as poultry generally perch facing the door. The large plastic bins (clothes basket size) sit behind the perches on the floor.On very rare ocaissions a hen has jumped off into the bins, this is a rare event and hasn't been a problem as they can get out of the wide bins easy enough. The whole system works well, as the poop collector contents are almost compost by the time I empty them with their layers of poop, ash, soil, sometimes hay. The hen shed is easy to maintain, needs sweeping from time to time. About four times a year I empty the shed, scrub the walls and floors. I will attempt to take some photos and post them.

 

[Debbi H]

Hi, all. Sorry this is long: I have had a horrendous mite problem going on for over a month. The henhouse is crawling with millions of them, so bad that they are crawling on ME when I collect eggs. I check the hens, and there aren't very many on them, although some of the 29 are acting sluggish and not looking very well.
Then our one Silkie rooster, Archie, started getting crusted shut eyes in the morning and the last 2 days, has what turns out to be a respiratory infection. I've been cleaning Archie's eyes each morning and put Terramycin ointment around them.
Contacted a vet from UC Davis. Told him I've tried poultry dusts (diatomaceous earth, permethrin, etc) not just on the hens, but throughout the henhouse and shavings, which are changed weekly. And have used poultry sprays on the chickens. I've even been feeding them minced garlic this week, which they love, because I've heard it helps keep the mites off of them.
It's been so bad that I even cleaned out all the shavings and put a Bug Bomb in there only to find them still crawling everywhere!
So yesterday, I cleaned it out again, sprayed to soaking the entire inside of the henhouse and laying boxes with an enzyme spray (mixed Kleen Green and PoultryZyme, both from Natural Ginesis). I let it dry and put in new fresh shavings. And at roost time, I was able to use my little "squeeze puffer" and put DT under the birds' wings and on their behinds. This morning there were still a lot of mites and I thought it wasn't working.
So panic set in again, thinking I may have to just give up and sell off my beloved flock, since the mites were even following me into the house and I've been getting bites.
Then I remembered having to fight off an infestation of spider mites on plants years ago, and recalled I'd experimented for months before coming up with a mixture that worked wonders. So I called around and found the two products that I had used back then: Monterey Garden Insect Spray concentrate (.5% spinosad) and SaferGro PestOut (with cottonseed, clove, and garlic oils). I mixed up gallon batches with the recommended amount of each and it worked wonders back then.
So this time, I'm thinking "mites are mites, right?" I brought home my products, mixed up a small batch and headed to the henhouse. Lo and behold, the enzyme spray had started to do its job by then. I had to remember that the enzymes are not an insecticide; they attack the bugs' exoskeleton and system and cause a slower death. Most of the bugs were dead now.
But because the infestation had been so bad, still went ahead and sprayed around the door and onto the top of all the shavings and the roosts.
Other than the bug bomb, none of the products I have used will harm the chickens.
I wanted to share this with you because I know how frustrating it can be when nothing seems to work.
Oh, yes, and back the vet that I contacted: He told me to add sulfur powder to my chickens' dusting areas, along with the DT and permethrin dust I'm already using. And he also told me to get the Elector PSP (44% spinosad). But for right now, I'm going to use the spinosad product that I tried before since it did do the job and is much cheaper. I'll wait on getting the Elector PSP until I see if my own mixture works.
And for the poor little rooster, because we can no longer get over-the-counter antibiotics to mix in their water, the only thing left to use is a product called Tylan, which he told me to get and to inject it into the rooster's breast every day for 5 days (although I've seen that some people administer it orally). Since our feed store said they don't have anything over-the-counter anymore, I'll be calling my local vet tomorrow to see if I can get the Tylan from her.
Let's hope little Archie gets better. I saw that some people suggest using VetRx for Poultry for respiratory infections, so I'll be getting some of that, too.
I will update this in the next couple of days to let you know what's happening with Archie and with the mite infestation.
Good luck to all of you and your flocks.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Hi, all. Sorry this is long: I
And for the poor little rooster, because we can no longer get over-the-counter antibiotics to mix in their water, the only thing left to use is a product called Tylan, which he told me to get and to inject it into the rooster's breast every day for 5 days (although I've seen that some people administer it orally). Since our feed store said they don't have anything over-the-counter anymore, I'll be calling my local vet tomorrow to see if I can get the Tylan from her.
Let's hope little Archie gets better. I saw that some people suggest using VetRx for Poultry for respiratory infections, so I'll be getting some of that, too.
I will update this in the next couple of days to let you know what's happening with Archie and with the mite infestation.
Good luck to all of you and your flocks.

You should still be able to get injectable Tylan for cattle.
Also, according to @casportpony "Tetracyclines, just buy doxycycline for birds or fish."
I've seen that advertised on Amazon for fish.

I've also heard hanging sulfur bags so the birds can self dust as some infestations are getting immune to permethrins.

Glad you are getting on top of that mite infestation. Wow. That was a doozy.

I hope your little roo is better soon.

LofMc

 

[Debbi H]

I should add, that each day I scattered ash on the trays beneath the birds, the hens pick the ash up on their feet and transfer to the perches. If you have no ash, you could use garden lime mixed in soil in its place.

Yes, I've heard about using wood ash, too. I don't have a fireplace, but luckily my son does and said he would bring me a bunch of them. Fireplace ash is usually clean. I've read a warning not to use ashes from fire pits that would contain garbage, paper, or plastic. Only use ash that came strictly from wood. Glad to hear it's working!

 

[JaeG]

Wood ash contains potassium hydroxide and sodium hydroxide (ie. Lye) which is why it used to be used to make soap, but using that method there is no way of knowing how much of those compounds are in the ash, often producing soap with too much left in it which is extremely harsh (if not downright dangerous) to skin. Lye is used to unblock drains and is a caustic base and strong alkali. I'd say that's why the wood ash works. Unfortunately our fire is extremely efficient and doesn't produce enough ash for my little flock of 16.

 

[Wickedchicken6]

I made a frame using the framework of two outdoor 'hot houses' that I no longer use. So the frame is made of collapsible short poles you join together, I ensured that each joint had petroleum jelly (vaseline) on each end before joining. (Makes them easy to get apart but also stops mites getting into the hollow metal tube.) Imagine the shape of a sofa. The back and arms have wood as perches tied to the metal frame. This is where the hens roost at night. Where the seat would be in a sofa, I have metal trays across the gap supported on trellis. The trays in their former life would have been workshop metal shelves. I place ash on these and they collect poop if the hens perch facing the wall. Not much poop collects here as poultry generally perch facing the door. The large plastic bins (clothes basket size) sit behind the perches on the floor.On very rare ocaissions a hen has jumped off into the bins, this is a rare event and hasn't been a problem as they can get out of the wide bins easy enough. The whole system works well, as the poop collector contents are almost compost by the time I empty them with their layers of poop, ash, soil, sometimes hay. The hen shed is easy to maintain, needs sweeping from time to time. About four times a year I empty the shed, scrub the walls and floors. I will attempt to take some photos and post them.

I think I understand what that would look like. My hens tend to drop down through the roosts when they jump off the roosts...lol.

 

[Wickedchicken6]

You should still be able to get injectable Tylan for cattle.
Also, according to @casportpony "Tetracyclines, just buy doxycycline for birds or fish."
I've seen that advertised on Amazon for fish.

I've also heard hanging sulfur bags so the birds can self dust as some infestations are getting immune to permethrins.

Glad you are getting on top of that mite infestation. Wow. That was a doozy.

I hope your little roo is better soon.

LofMc

May I ask what action the sulfur has? I've heard of using it for other applications. I'm not as familiar with sulfur uses.

And some parasites are becoming immune to permethrins?

Wood ash contains potassium hydroxide and sodium hydroxide (ie. Lye) which is why it used to be used to make soap, but using that method there is no way of knowing how much of those compounds are in the ash, often producing soap with too much left in it which is extremely harsh (if not downright dangerous) to skin. Lye is used to unblock drains and is a caustic base and strong alkali. I'd say that's why the wood ash works. Unfortunately our fire is extremely efficient and doesn't produce enough ash for my little flock of 16.

Is there any negative effects to the ash, other than breathing it in? Because those are fairly harsh compounds? I have no way to obtain ash other than burning wood outside to make the ash...lol.