Keeping a the coop clean (prevention) - sulfur vs DE vs pyrethroids

[NestingMillenial]

Another thread about dust baths made me want to post this and ask.

I know the subject of coop cleaning has been discussed before but as far as I could find, sulfur was brought up as a side comment. I'd like to ask more about the pros and cons of it as opposed to pyrethroids and DE to routine deep cleanings of the coop.

Sulfur smell is not great but it's also a low toxicity solution for chickens and their environment, so I am pretty interested in that.

Could you guys chime in with your experiences and what you use to deep clean your coops once in a while? And why you chose that over sulfur, for example.

My initial idea of deep cleaning the coop was to clear litter and dust, then disinfect (maybe with white vinegar), let dry, and then dust sulfur all over it, like I have seen people do with DE or pyrethroids.
But I also read about some using a liquid formulation of sulfur and lime, to do the same (actually I think I read it could be used as bath for the chickens themselves too)

I'd love to hear what you guys think about all this!

 

[rosemarythyme]

I have never tried sulfur myself, but here's a good article on it: https://entomologytoday.org/2016/07/18/battling-chicken-mites-with-bags-of-brimstone/

 

[NestingMillenial]

Really interesting, thank you!

I had found two articles myself but missed this one, so that's great!

Here is what I had, in case that's of interest to others too!
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1056617119305975 -> shows sulfur (in water solution) is the most effective and longest lasting traitement for mites
and
https://resjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2915.2011.00997.x -> shows that sulfur in dust bath actually successfully treats the whole flock, even the birds not using the dust bath!

I didn't find anything about just cleaning the coop with it though, but it stands to reason that it might work. I wonder if the smell would really be bad, in a well ventilated coop for example...

 

[rosemarythyme]

Smell is supposed to be the big downside, but from the sounds of it it is effective with prolonged exposure and does not lead to reduced effectiveness/resistance even if used over time.

If I had repeated mite issues (I had a mite problem once about 2 years ago?) or were in a situation where there's regular risk of exposure I think the stink would be worth the trade off of keeping the problem under control.

 

[NestingMillenial]

Would you say that it's not worth making it part of the deep cleaning routine for a coop?

I might be overestimating the risks of mites and lice - they just seem so common on this forum that I assumed it'd be good to preemptively treat the coop a couple times a year!

 

[rosemarythyme]

I personally would not include it as routine unless you already have an issue that doesn't seem to clear up or are in an area that tends to have issues with mites (especially if wild birds can easily get in the run). In general I would not recommend preemptively treating for mites.

* (I haven't dealt with lice so can't really weigh in on that.)

A dust bath or access to areas with loose fine dirt helps a lot in keeping mite populations down on the birds.

IF you want to treat preemptively, I think sulfur is probably the way to go. Overuse of permethrin can cause resistance to build up, and as you noted there's environmental concerns as it kills off beneficial insects like bees and can leech into water sources as well (which is a concern for me as my chickens live next to a creek).

 

[saysfaa]

..,they just seem so common on this forum ...

The people most likely to talk about mites and lice on a forum like this are the people who have had a problem.

I wouldn't have responde to your actual question because I've never had either. Or looked into it enough to have any contribution to make. Since I'm here, I haven't treated at all. Deep clean to me means brushing with a dry, soft- bristle brush.

 

[Ted Brown]

I use Sulphur preemptively in both my dust baths and in a lingerie bag hung over my pop door.

Done in response to two episodes of NF mites about 18 months ago.

I will qualify its effectiveness as I also stopped free ranging my flock after completing a covered (tin roof) run. I built the roof to provide year round access particularly during our snowy winters and predator and pest protections.

 

[NestingMillenial]

Ok that makes sense, thank you all!

My chickens are currently free ranging all day in our backyard, in which there are squirrels and birds (not many though, because my city has a large feral cat problem) at times, and I'm sure a large quantity of nocturnal visitors too. Would that change your recommendation about treating preemptively or still not worth it?

If not, I'll put aside the idea of dust-spraying the coop with sulfur every time, and keep it as dust bath and maybe a dust bag too, like you were describing, Ted!

 

[aart]

I personally would not include it as routine unless you already have an issue that doesn't seem to clear up or are in an area that tends to have issues with mites (especially if wild birds can easily get in the run). In general I would not recommend preemptively treating for mites.

Ditto Dat!
Goes for lice too.