Where did these mites come from?

[Tilly56]

I'm sorry, I can't find that fact sheet. I've scoured my 'history', tried searching for it again - so frustrating!

I hope your friend can get on top of it. It's a tough battle when you have a big outbreak. I was thinking I might paint the inside of my coop with neem as a preventative as we are in for a warm, wet spring here. I do not want to go through what I went through last summer! We've already trapped two huge rats under our run (which is elevated to keep our birds out of the mud) and I'm pretty sure that was the source of my outbreak.

No problem JaeG, thank you for looking - I'll have a look on the French websites and I'm sure I will find some information. We had a rat, too, running round near the coop.... it seems to have moved somewhere else, though... thank goodness!!

 

[chickengeorgeto]

I've found permethrin spray concentrate to be the best, easiest, most cost effective product for killing mites and lice, but that's here in the USA. Pyrethrum would be the organically approved alternative. In France, I have no idea. A serious infestation (and I've had one!) will not be managed be ash, DE, or any other such things. Bathing stressed out anemic birds won't fix the problem, and will probably kill some of them. Mary

Pyrethrum was used by Napoleon Bonaparte to treat his troops for lice, If it'll work on a Sargent, then you know that it'll work on a chicken.

 

[Tilly56]

Pyrethrum was used by Napoleon Bonaparte to treat his troops for lice, If it'll work on a Sargent, then you know that it'll work on a chicken.

Somehow appropriate for an English girl to advise a French man to treat his hens with something used by Napoleon..... he might think it's a plot!!!!