What’s the best coop to get? Mites won’t go away

[rosemarythyme]

Ooh, spray the birds with the permethrin too? Okay. Is the elector PSP okay to spray on the birds as well as the coop? (And because it’s a spray, no egg withdraw?)

Says it can be sprayed on birds - "For Northern Fowl mites mix 3 oz. in 10 gallons water and spray birds with special attention to vent area as well as floors, repeating in 14 days as needed. For red chicken mites mix 2 oz. in 5 gallons water and spray roosts and floors, paying special attention to cracks and crevices. "

 

[Ted Brown]

Again FWIW.

I used permethrin spray on a day 1, 5, 14 cycle at the beginning of my efforts. I sprayed around their vents, under the wings, on their backs and chest each time; two people one to hold the other to spray, ensured that the spray was directly onto their skins. I also emptied the coop/nest/etc of bedding and then soaked the coop inside on floor, walls, ceiling. I still had mites.

Because winter started I had to switch to a powder insecticide. I am in Canada and was unable to get a powder form of permethrin so did some research and found 99.5% sulphur recommended so purchased a 50lb bag at my local feed store (cheap and does not build resistance). I dusted all the birds on a weekly basis and also mixed the sulphur into my dust baths. This regime has eliminated the mites so far... Note that sulphur is safe to use on a continued basis and I will keep using it my dust baths.

I cannot say that continued use of permethrin would not work, just that i could not spray the birds in below zero temperatures. I was also cognizant of the build resistance issue.

Keep up the fight, best of luck.

 

[feather16]

Okay, great thank you! I haven’t heard or tried elector PSP.

I really appreciate everyone who responded to this thread!

 

[feather16]

Thank you so much, Ted!

 

[rosemarythyme]

Because winter started I had to switch to a powder insecticide. I am in Canada and was unable to get a powder for of permethrin so did some research and found 99.5% sulphur recommended so purchased a 50lb bag at my local feed store (cheap and does not build resistance). I dusted all the birds on a weekly basis and also mixed the sulphur into my dust baths. This regime has eliminated the mites so far... Note that sulphur is safe to use on a continued basis and I will keep using it my dust baths.

Elemental sulfur was my next recommendation, though I wasn't sure how well it would work on red mites as the sulfur would go on the chickens themselves, instead of the housing. Don't think "dusting" a coop would be terribly effective. But nice to hear from someone's experience that it works well against mites.

 

[Ted Brown]

Elemental sulfur was my next recommendation, though I wasn't sure how well it would work on red mites as the sulfur would go on the chickens themselves, instead of the housing. Don't think "dusting" a coop would be terribly effective. But nice to hear from someone's experience that it works well against mites.

I should qualify that I had Northern Fowl mites so did not dust the coop thinking along the same lines as you, did do my nests and along the roosts.

My coop is built from pine boards/battens so riddled with cracks, my nightmares are of a red mites infestation, the reason that I have moved to a covered run and eliminated free range.

 

[cmom]

I like the Omlet Eglu cube and Go Up. They are quite expensive, but they're super easy to clean and I've never had any issues. They're great for a small flock.

 

[cmom]

Maybe this will help. I had a mite issue too. I have previously posted this, the best product to get rid of the mites and lice in my opinion is permethrin which is very cost effective. I don't know what your mixture is but here are some guidelines posted below. The first thing I tried was DE. My birds weren't improving after treating them for a couple of weeks. I used the poultry dust on the birds and in their nest boxes and sprayed inside of the coops, every crack and crevice, on and under the roosts, ceiling, walls, floors, anywhere the pests can hide. It's best to clean out the coop before you spray. I use pine shavings in my coops. Wear special clothing including a mask and gloves. Permethrin only kill live pests, not the pests eggs. TSC and Amazon carries the permethrin powder, premixed spray bottles and the concentrate. I use the concentrate. It did not affect the birds but I did keep them out of the coops while it dried. I spray my coops as needed and when I spray I do weekly spraying for 3 or 4 weeks then stop as I don't want the pests to develop a resistance to the permethrin. Repeated weekly spraying is necessary because again, it does not kill the pests eggs and as an added benefit is there is no egg withdrawal period. There are other products available but much more expensive and in my opinion the permethrin works great. Good luck...

 

[cmom]

Since you're not seeing any mites on the birds during the day, you probably have chicken mites which only come out at night and feed on the birds. I use a headlamp so I have both of my hands free to inspect the birds after they roost. Again, good luck...

 

[cmom]

Elector PSP (Spinosad) is good too but quite expensive. According to their fact sheet, repeat sprayings may be needed for the elimination of mites. Some people say once is enough but probably didn't read their fact sheet. " Re-apply every 14 days as needed".