Red mites - any more suggestions

[Bogtown Chick]

I did an experiment this spring. I had an ill hen and she got lice and mites. Which meant that everbody else did too: Spent hens, highly productive pullets and the rooster.

On the Rooster and spent-hens I put on chemical drops of Ivermectin (cattle pour on) drops at the base of the neck under wings and 2 drops by the vent and fluff. (5 drops for standard sized birds ; 2-3 drops for bantam)

For my beautiful laying pullets I didn't want that med in my eggs or to throw out about two-three dozen eggs a week for 3 weeks so I got on searching here at byc.

I started putting garlic cloves in the water and garlic powder in the feed. The coop smelled like a cheap Italian Restaurant... And then I took NuStock and blended it with eucalyptus oil (repellent). I would dab everyother day the NuStock/Eucalyptus oil compound on the skin below the vent (can be precarious applications) And I also did a few dots under the wings. And then their legs which I think is the gateway for mites coming off the roost onto the bird. I did all this froo-fa-la with thoughts that things would be diminished but not cured probably. And that I would have to finish it off with Ivermectin after an egg-break in the summer or what have you.

I cleaned out shavings. I also put Poultry dust in an old ankle high panty hose sock. Tied a knot in one end and covered my face and dusted the corners of the coop and baseboards. Ends of the roosts.

Results: Ivermectin Cattle Pour on after 1st application: Lice and Mites reduced. Reapplied per cycle of nits hatching at day 8-9. 21 day recheck: eradication as expected.

Results: NuStock/Eucaplyptus compound. The Froo-fa-la on my laying pullets with added prayers looked.....
FABULOUS! No bugs! They were in the clear.

I rechecked everybody another month later. Still no lice or mites on any.
It's a little more work but the natural sulfur/pinetar in NuStock and the Eucaplyptus and Garlic (sulfur also) has me convinced that this can be done naturally as well. Pleasantly surprised this spring. The girls didn't really care for the fingers wiping smelly medicine on the skin in their fluff there. But they can just get over it...

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Hardwoods will give more concentrated Pot ash vs. burning softwoods like pine or popular. That being said given the other burned by-products mixed in fresh ash I don't think it's enough to cause damage and if you have lice and mites that can be killed by smothering with ash...then the hens will thank you for it. Negligible side effects of dusting in ash. In fact I have a galvinized tub in my run full of sand and wood ash. And obviously it could work better. Ha! LOL. But the birds love it. Nonetheless.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

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?

Some mite populations are showing immunity to permethrins...as they would any over used agent.

The sulpha drugs are antimicrobial...antibiotic. They were used before "antibiotics" such as penicillin and its aftermath were created. They are very effective but can be very toxic if taken too long.

Sulpher mineral powder is a good anti-parasitic agent. It was used by old time farmers to control lice and mite populations before the modern dusting agents came to market. With increase resistance by some populations to modern permethrins, the ag industry is exploring returning to older previous successful methods.

As with any microbe or parasite, they evolve and morph in time by natural selection. Those that aren't killed by an agent due to natural resistance live and populate creating, eventually, a population that is resistant to the agent.

The best course of action is rotation of meds and agents.

LofMc

 

[Bogtown Chick]

I can't say enough how important it is to finish a course antibiotics or follow up 9 days later with more treatment and another 9 days after that if you still have crawlies. The resistance is from not completing the treatments.

Nightmare scenarios follow.

 

[JaeG]

When I painted my coop with neem oil I only had to do it once. I kept regularly checking under the roosts for signs the red mites were returning. Three or four months after my initial painting they did return but that coincided with rats ripping holes in one side of my run to get in (the wire isn't fantastic) which allowed wild birds to get in (my first infestation coincided with an influx of rats under our raised run during summer). Both rats and wild birds can carry mites. So I painted the coop again and have had no more signs that mites are about. Neem acts as a repellent to insects (the resident spiders weren't impressed and quickly evacuated the coop!), interferes with their hormones, preventing them from growing onto the next stage in their development or breeding, and stops them feeding.

As for ash, I've handled it often enough that I know it doesn't do any harm but the 'more diluted' quantities in it must still work on insect pests. Hardwoods take up more potassium from the soil as they grow so they are the wood/ash of choice for lye making (and chicken dust baths). If you look up how to make lye from ash you have to boil ash in soft rainwater for half an hour and then skim off the lye that has collected on top of the water so there's a bit of a process. Lye is nasty (pH 13) which is why I leave soap making to the professionals! I am very thankful to have found a soap maker who uses a 6% lye discount, meaning he uses more oil than necessary to ensure all of the lye is used up in the process. My hands usually dry out, crack and bleed during winter (so painful), but using only his soaps they have been beautiful this winter. Needless to say I am a very happy lady!

 

[Lazy Farmer]

You will never rid of them, just be able to control them.

 

[JaeG]

You will never rid of them, just be able to control them.

My girls don't free range (too many roaming dogs in my neighbourhood for that to be safe) so I do think limiting wild bird and rodent access to my girls prevents them getting mites, lice and worms (especially seeing as they are in a raised run).

 

[Lazy Farmer]

My girls don't free range (too many roaming dogs in my neighbourhood for that to be safe) so I do think limiting wild bird and rodent access to my girls prevents them getting mites, lice and worms (especially seeing as they are in a raised run).

Keeping them contained in the infestation area. Your coop is a sanctuary for your hens but also for parasites. A double edge sword. We just controlled them with Sevin 5%. Then DE'd the coop. Now that I mentioned Sevin, I am going to be attacked.
Sevin is a dirty word. Time to put my catchers mask on. Good luck with what method you choose. But you will only win the battle, not the war.

 

[Kiki]

DE does NOT kill mites.

 

[Lazy Farmer]

DE does NOT kill mites.

We used it for multi purposes. Lice, tick or what ever. A light layer of sevin in boxes and bedding as well. I read your reply on my threads. I guessed you would have posted a reply to my suggestion. I don't like to recommend treatments of sevin or use that dirty word and stir up controversy. I don't use Permithin because of reading some species of parasites have become immune to it. Been using sevin for 20 years now and I hope I did not ruin this wonderful thread by mentioning that fact. My catchers mask is held on tight.
Enough about me. Let's help others. But always (was) a pleasure to read your input Kikisgirls.