Elector PSP: How Often to Use, Safe to Use with Permethrin?

[RememberTheWay]

I have too many birds to catch and soak each one. Plus 8 roosters so is there an alternative?

You can spray them with it

 

[Dabiys]

Hello!

I wanted to post an update incase anyone is ever in the same boat with mites...

The Elector PSP worked FANTASTICALLY. And, it's a one and done... it kills adult, larvae, and eggs, so you don't have to reapply in 5-10 days.

After 24 hours, I didn't see a single mite, so I think the ones I was seeing were dying but not dead yet. So, if you see a couple mites after an Elector dip, don't fret.

I did read that you can spray them under the wings, around the vent, etc, but the soak seemed to work really well. I put 10mL Elector PSP per gallon of water in the sink, soaked her in there for a while, made sure she was nice and drenched, took her out (no rinsing or washing), and she's doing great a week later. Elector PSP is also non toxic to humans and chickens, so you don't even have to wear gloves. I even turned around for a second to turn back and see my chicken drinking the water, and I totally freaked out, but she was fine, and I read it's not toxic to them, anyway.

I'm so relieved, and I hope my experience can help someone out in the future!

Glad I ran into you post. Very informative as well. We have 8-girls that we are going to treat with the Elector PSP. I wasn’t sure which way to treat by either spraying or dipping. After seeing this we are doing the dipping. What size container did you use for this? Would one mix work for all 8-girls? Thanks again

 

[Kbaar]

Hi! Im so glad it worked for you!!!

So I have 3 adult hens that have lice and mites. I sprayed them with Elector PSP and the coop. Well I got pullets without realizing this. they are separated and in separate coops. Should I still just treat them all? I have checked the babies and they seem to not have any. Also I treated the big girls 12 days ago but I still see eggs on one of the girls... maybe spraying wasn't the best and I should just dunk them in it? Thank you!

 

[arazla]

Have you confirmed they are mites or lice? Each bird has to be treated individually with whatever treatment you use. You can dust with permethrin-filled sock, spray with permethrin or Elector PSP, but mites can kill your birds. The coop, nest boxes, and roosts must also be sprayed, and the bedding must be removed far away and replaced. Treating birds by picking them off the roost at night is easier than catching them during the day. I wear a headlamp with a red light to sneak up on them and keep the rest calm.

I know this is an old thread, but I'm thinking of doing a spinosad treatment at night because I can never wake up early enough to do it in the morning. It's the warmest couple days we will have in a while and down to 58 or so tonight. Would it be okay for them to sleep wet at that temperature?
Also, I see a lot of support for Permethrin and that cats would have to really be chowing down on it to be affected. However, I have literally found my formally feral cat taking naps in nesting boxes, chicken play houses, hanging out on roosts, using their dust baths...maybe he gets lonely or thinks he's a chicken. So using Permethrin worries me because I always get nervous and spill it everywhere. Any thoughts on that?

 

[RememberTheWay]

I would

I know this is an old thread, but I'm thinking of doing a spinosad treatment at night because I can never wake up early enough to do it in the morning. It's the warmest couple days we will have in a while and down to 58 or so tonight. Would it be okay for them to sleep wet at that temperature?
Also, I see a lot of support for Permethrin and that cats would have to really be chowing down on it to be affected. However, I have literally found my formally feral cat taking naps in nesting boxes, chicken play houses, hanging out on roosts, using their dust baths...maybe he gets lonely or thinks he's a chicken. So using Permethrin worries me because I always get nervous and spill it everywhere. Any thoughts on that?

Not use permetherin if you have a cat personally. Cats a super sensitive and also lick themselves so anything they lay in or get on them is ingested orally. I've personally experienced toxic poisoning in animals and it just isn't worth the risk to me personally

 

[RememberTheWay]

I know this is an old thread, but I'm thinking of doing a spinosad treatment at night because I can never wake up early enough to do it in the morning. It's the warmest couple days we will have in a while and down to 58 or so tonight. Would it be okay for them to sleep wet at that temperature?
Also, I see a lot of support for Permethrin and that cats would have to really be chowing down on it to be affected. However, I have literally found my formally feral cat taking naps in nesting boxes, chicken play houses, hanging out on roosts, using their dust baths...maybe he gets lonely or thinks he's a chicken. So using Permethrin worries me because I always get nervous and spill it everywhere. Any thoughts on that?

Maybe if you intend to only use a spray directly on the skin of the birds it might be okay, but I would be especially cautious about using any kind of dust on them or the coop and wouldn't use a permetherin spray in the coop and nesting boxes if the cat frequents it. Also, my personal opinion is that because other things are available and just as effective, I would opt for the alternative in this case. Mainly elector psp (or Captain Jack's Dead bug brew if you can't justify the hefty price tag on elector)

 

[turkeysizedraptor]

Mainly elector psp (or Captain Jack's Dead bug brew if you can't justify the hefty price tag on elector)

I have experience with using Capt Jack's in a pinch and wanted to provide that for anyone curious. You have to mix a lot to get close to the effectiveness of an elector psp, that means you're exposing your chickens to the "other ingredients" by just as much. Mine did not get sick from this that I could tell, but I can also tell that getting elector sooner might have saved me some troubles with premise spray, coop, and hens. You're also going to be limited on dosing strength depending on how much you buy at a time. Get it or the 9ml packages online if you're in a pinch, but longterm it's going to be better to invest in the 150usd bottle of elector psp rather than paying 14-20usd+ and shipping each time. You'll have better peace of mind knowing that your measurements from the big bottle aren't potentially watered down, too. That's a concern I've had recently that pushed me to pick up permethrin.

Also, I see a lot of support for Permethrin and that cats would have to really be chowing down on it to be affected. However, I have literally found my formally feral cat taking naps in nesting boxes, chicken play houses, hanging out on roosts, using their dust baths

I've heard that the spray is safe when it's dried, but I would not risk it if you can't supervise the cat. The community cats around my area never get into my chickens' enclosed pen for this to be a worry, but I still worried when I washed my boots off after treatment and would shoo them away from there and the immediate perimeter of the pen.

 

[RememberTheWay]

I have experience with using Capt Jack's in a pinch and wanted to provide that for anyone curious. You have to mix a lot to get close to the effectiveness of an elector psp, that means you're exposing your chickens to the "other ingredients" by just as much. Mine did not get sick from this that I could tell, but I can also tell that getting elector sooner might have saved me some troubles with premise spray, coop, and hens. You're also going to be limited on dosing strength depending on how much you buy at a time. Get it or the 9ml packages online if you're in a pinch, but longterm it's going to be better to invest in the 150usd bottle of elector psp rather than paying 14-20usd+ and shipping each time. You'll have better peace of mind knowing that your measurements from the big bottle aren't potentially watered down, too. That's a concern I've had recently that pushed me to pick up permethrin.

I've heard that the spray is safe when it's dried, but I would not risk it if you can't supervise the cat. The community cats around my area never get into my chickens' enclosed pen for this to be a worry, but I still worried when I washed my boots off after treatment and would shoo them away from there and the immediate perimeter of the pen.

Personally I have never had a problem with captain jacks not working. I mix it to the dilution on the bottle and it works just fine. I recently started making it double the dilution on the bottle but I'm fairly certain its overkill and unnecessary. Like I said it worked just fine prior to doubling the dosage. And before anyone asks- yes I have actually checked the birds over several times after using it at both solutions. And I would like to add that in particularly bad infestations - birds I purchased and or rescued that had heavy loads of external parasites- I have actually witnessed with my own eyes the lice/mites dying. They would be moving and running on the bird then sprayed with the CJs and nearly instantly stop moving and die. From what I understand it acts as a neurotoxin to the parasites but don't quote me on that.

Also- does anyone actually know what the CJs or elector psp are actually suspended in? I'm going to email them to find out.

 

[arazla]

Great comments everyone. I so appreciate all the input. I did end up using CJ's this time around. It smells and seems just like elector PSP as far as I can tell. Would be nice to know what the other ingredients are, but couldn't find it anywhere.

It was actually our 2nd treatment with spinosad after just a couple months. We used one of those 9ml bottles earlier this summer that I had purchased from the chicken chick just in case. But it didn't really spread far enough for 34 birds and a turkey. Let alone spraying the roosts or coops. I ended up making a neem solution for some of the birds that were less infected. So I just wanted to keep external parasites down before we go into single digits. Some of my hens still had lice eggs from before the previous treatment, but hoping they were just dead and hanging on. I will say that everyone that was molting has grown their feathers in and they are all looking beautiful again. Except a couple of the favored hens who I think are suffering some skin issues due to over-mating. It's possible one or two still have lice or mites. I could potentially do permethrin on just a couple, but also somewhat concerned about irritating their skin since one has red thick skin with feather loss around her haunches. I'm trying to figure out what the magic ingredient is for ointment that protects from sunburn and soothes inflamed skin. Zinc oxide? Silver sulphide? I'm not really sure.
At any rate, after buying small amounts of elector psp and captain jacks once now, I think the lesson is that lice will probably keep coming around. We live around lots of wildlife and a lot of people in the area also have chickens, so I should go ahead and invest in the full bottle.

 

[RememberTheWay]

Have you tried adding wood ash to their dust bathing materials? It has to be fresh ash that hasn't been rained on but it does help

Great comments everyone. I so appreciate all the input. I did end up using CJ's this time around. It smells and seems just like elector PSP as far as I can tell. Would be nice to know what the other ingredients are, but couldn't find it anywhere.

It was actually our 2nd treatment with spinosad after just a couple months. We used one of those 9ml bottles earlier this summer that I had purchased from the chicken chick just in case. But it didn't really spread far enough for 34 birds and a turkey. Let alone spraying the roosts or coops. I ended up making a neem solution for some of the birds that were less infected. So I just wanted to keep external parasites down before we go into single digits. Some of my hens still had lice eggs from before the previous treatment, but hoping they were just dead and hanging on. I will say that everyone that was molting has grown their feathers in and they are all looking beautiful again. Except a couple of the favored hens who I think are suffering some skin issues due to over-mating. It's possible one or two still have lice or mites. I could potentially do permethrin on just a couple, but also somewhat concerned about irritating their skin since one has red thick skin with feather loss around her haunches. I'm trying to figure out what the magic ingredient is for ointment that protects from sunburn and soothes inflamed skin. Zinc oxide? Silver sulphide? I'm not really sure.
At any rate, after buying small amounts of elector psp and captain jacks once now, I think the lesson is that lice will probably keep coming around. We live around lots of wildlife and a lot of people in the area also have chickens, so I should go ahead and invest in the full bottle.