Mites?

[NewAtThis8]

So I had this start back in Feb/March- one of my chickens (lowest on the pecking order) had a completely bald butt. I didn’t see anything on her or in the coop so I thought it had to be feather picking. However, over the last month others have come down with similar feather loss. The last straw was this morning I noticed one with feather loss / thinning above one of her wings and her comb/wattles/face looked quite pale despite the hot weather today. I still haven’t seen a mite but I also don’t know what I’m looking for. As a preventive measure I bought LD-44Z (which has permethrin in it) and sprayed down the entire coop, every surface after cleaning out the bedding and nesting pads. While it aired out, I dusted all of the chickens with diatomaceous earth which was traumatic but we got through it. I have two questions; 1- the spray was heavy duty. My entire back yard smells and the ducks which are houses about 10 feet away seemed affected by it even though it wasn’t sprayed in their direction. Is everyone going to be okay?? The bottle says you can spray it directly on (larger) animals so I guess it is but wanted some peace of mind if others have used this before. 2- how long do I wait until I can put new bedding and the chickens back in their run? (Which is enclosed around the coop)? The bottle says when surface areas are all dry but again, that stuff is POTENT and I’ve got all doors windows etc wide open.


Also, anything else I should be doing? First time with anything like this and like I said, I don’t even know if that’s what it is but wanted to be safe. I also did use first Saturday lime and mixed it all through the sand in their run. Rinsed out water and food containers as well.

Thanks!

 

[Debbie292d]

I use diatomaceous earth (food grade DE) monthly in our coop for prevention, but if a breakout of mites, it's going to take weeks for it to kill those, so you'd need something faster and stronger.

I do not know your product, but Permethrin powder is what most use and recommend for treating both chickens and coop for mites/lice. One idea someone had for treating the chickens was to put the powder in a large sock, then pat that all over the chicken. Going into the coop at night when they're roosting is the easiest way to treat them for pretty much anything.

If it says when dry, then I'd go with that as most of this stuff we've used on our lawn says that too and it's what we've done. Hubby fertilizes the lawn way early in the morning while the dew is heavy. We keep the chickens locked up until around noon when it's totally dry.

Feather picking can be from overcrowding, but since you said many of your chickens are showing feather loss and some have pale combs and wattles, I think this is mites wearing them down. I'd start serving them vitamin water every other day, something like Nutra Drench or Poultry Cell.

 

[SourRoses]

DE is really awful for chicken lungs, as birds their airways are even more delicate than ours.

 

[Debbie292d]

DE is really awful for chicken lungs, as birds their airways are even more delicate than ours.

If you throw it around, sure, but we've used it for over 20 years in our two macaw parrot cages to keep fruit flies and pantry moths at bay. Their lungs and airways are way more delicate than a chickens.

The problems come when people apply it incorrectly.

 

[NewAtThis8]

DE is really awful for chicken lungs, as birds their airways are even more delicate than ours.

I know.

 

[SourRoses]

If you throw it around, sure, but we've used it for over 20 years in our two macaw parrot cages to keep fruit flies and pantry moths at bay. Their lungs and airways are way more delicate than a chickens.

The problems come when people apply it incorrectly.

Birds are birds. A very fine powder becomes airborne so easily that even a careful application will disperse some. It's fine to take your own risks with your own animals, but it might be a good idea to add a disclaimer for a controversial practice many warn against.

 

[Debbie292d]

Birds are birds. A very fine powder becomes airborne so easily that even a careful application will disperse some. It's fine to take your own risks with your own animals, but it might be a good idea to add a disclaimer for a controversial practice many warn against.

They've been in business for over 100 years with no disclaimer and still sell it to this day.

Humans even mix it in water and drink it, but I won't. I also don't douse my chickens or parrots with it. It's meant for their cages/coop, and once it settles in the horse bedding pellets in all those places, it stays there doing its job, as a preventative. If by chance any of them got mites, I'd not use it for that.

Thousands of people keep their chickens mite-free, and those who don't may deal with them using chemicals whereas prevention with this is all natural.

I choose to share my experience when someone needs help or asks for suggestions. I don't tell people what to do, only what I do and the successes I have personally.

If you look at your feed, most likely it's in it. Kalmbachs is what we feed, and it's got it in it as do the parrot pellets.

 

[SourRoses]

They've been in business for over 100 years with no disclaimer and still sell it to this day.

Humans even mix it in water and drink it, but I won't.

"They" who? A lot of companies sell DE.

People mixing it with fluid are really silly, as that counteracts any desiccating effect which is supposed to be the main mode of action. Besides the abrading effect from super sharp particles sand papering their insides. Glad you don't do that to yourself.

I doubt my feed has any it, as I use a regular 20% chick feed which is identical to flock raiser.