sevin dust and compost

[AlineD]

Hey everybody,
I compost all the wood shavings in my chicken coop. I might need to dust my chickens with sevin, as a few of them are losing feathers and it might be lice or mites. I've never had to do this before.

If I dust inside the coop and over the shavings, does that mean I can't compost the shavings? I don't want to kill all the worms and composting critters.

Thanks,

Lauren

 

[0wen]

I would not add Sevin dust to a compost pile, especially one intended for human consumption. Have you considered diatomaceous earth to see if it can handle them first?

 

[aart]

There are several products much better than using Sevin(pet peeve bias against the stuff).
DE is not one of them......it may help prevent an infestation, but won't get rid of one.

First, how old are your birds....are they maybe molting?

Have you checked them over real well for mites and/or lice?
Best done well after dark with a strong flashlight/headlight, easier to 'catch' bird and also to check for the mites that live in structure and only come out at night to feed off roosting birds.
Wipe a white paper towel along the underside of roost to look for red smears(smashed well fed mites).
Part the feathers right down to the skin around vent, head/neck and under wings.
Google images of lice/mites and their eggs before the inspection so you'll know what you're looking for.

If you do find some...check out this thread:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1134783/permethrin-spray

 

[0wen]

I wouldn't put permethrin in your compost pile either. Two topics within this; the first being of lice treatment. Really, there are a number of chemical and/or natural remedies. Your choice there. We don't use any chemicals in garden or livestock but plenty do. Just personal preference of knowing what's in your food.

Second is, of those treatments, are they compost safe. The answer on most, if not all of the chemicals, is no. All of them have a variety of carcinogens and/or toxicity.

 

[aart]

I wouldn't put permethrin in your compost pile either. Two topics within this; the first being of lice treatment. Really, there are a number of chemical and/or natural remedies. Your choice there. We don't use any chemicals in garden or livestock but plenty do. Just personal preference of knowing what's in your food.

Second is, of those treatments, are they compost safe. The answer on most, if not all of the chemicals, is no. All of them have a variety of carcinogens and/or toxicity.

To treat lice, and some mites, you don't need to spray the bedding.
If you have the mites that live in the coop structure, I would burn the bedding then spray the coop.

 

[AlineD]

Thank you for the responses. I have checked the birds for lice, and I really do not think there are any. Mites are another issue, and I've got to do a more thorough search (thanks, aart). I live in dusty, dry Wyoming. I don't think mites are much of an issue up here but I'm at a loss and I am searching for things to try.

It's a strange situation- out of 11 chickens, 3 or 4 of them are losing feathers in different patterns. One has feather loss just on the top of her head, another on the back of her neck and her belly, another just on the front of her throat, and egg production is down. (I have no roosters and haven't identified a particular feather picker but will keep watching.) They have lots of room, often roam outside their substantial chicken yard, and get plenty of protein. I just lost a chicken to something- not sure what- seemed like sour crop but she went quickly. So, I've been searching for potential problems to fix.

I, too, prefer natural remedies and use chemical products only if I really need to. I've tried food grade DE for a number of things, but unfortunately it has never seemed to do much. I appreciate the link to the permethrin spray info-- should I need to eliminate an infestation, I'll go that route.

Happy Saturday to all!