I'm under attack by Mites, Lice and Rats

[Billy Mahone]

Hi guys,

I've been having mites and lice problem for a while now and my chickens have not been laying any eggs for the past 2 months as a result of this.
It would appear by reading a few of the reads and the general advice on here is that the preferred solution is permethrin.
Unfortunately this does not seem to be available in Australia as I've tried to look for it everywhere....

I ended up removing absolutely everything from within the shed that i keep my chickens in and have been cleaning it regularly.
After cleaning the shed, i make a spray bottle of 2 cups of water, 1 cup of oil and 1 tablespoon of washing up liquid and spray this on the bench and around everywhere (saw a lady use this solution on youtube for mites)

This appears to have worked abit, however every night, these bastards are still coming out of their holes..... :/
I have so much pure hate for these mites and lice..
My chickens are scratching themselves all day long even after applying Diatomaceous earth and some other poultry dust for mites.

Theres are also rats that are constantly making holes in and around the shed..
I killed 3 small ones with poison and caught a big bastard about 1 month ago, however there seems to heaps more as theres holes almost everyday after covering them...
I'm scared to use the food poision for rats as my young chickens might end up eating it...

Would appreciate your help or advice. Thank you

https://twitter.com/x/status/1363092440526249985

https://twitter.com/x/status/1363092716742086657

https://twitter.com/x/status/1363093001501777927

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Can you check with your local feed or pet store to see if they have Permethrin Powder/Spray (it may be like a Garden Dust/ProZap). Pestene and Avitrol may be something to look into as well.
If you can get Elector PSP (Spinosad) this would likely be more effective.

I would think a total clean out would be needed with such a heavy infestation. Mites even infest the wood in your coop.

For rats, trap them if you are not able to safely poison them. Look for traps that have a cover or make your own "cover" out of hardware cloth (just weight the homemade cover down with a brick or rock so the birds don't knock it over).

I'm sorry that you are dealing with all this, hopefully you can get it all under control.

 

[coach723]

In my searches a product called Maldison 50 comes up.
https://www.vetnpetdirect.com.au/products/maldison-50-insecticide
https://talkinghens.com.au/chicken-parasites-lice-and-mites/
I use electric traps for mice, they make rat sized ones. It's an enclosed box, the rodents are electrocuted when they go inside, safe for use around birds and in the coop.

 

[Billy Mahone]

Can you check with your local feed or pet store to see if they have Permethrin Powder/Spray (it may be like a Garden Dust/ProZap). Pestene and Avitrol may be something to look into as well.
If you can get Elector PSP (Spinosad) this would likely be more effective.

I would think a total clean out would be needed with such a heavy infestation. Mites even infest the wood in your coop.

For rats, trap them if you are not able to safely poison them. Look for traps that have a cover or make your own "cover" out of hardware cloth (just weight the homemade cover down with a brick or rock so the birds don't knock it over).

I'm sorry that you are dealing with all this, hopefully you can get it all under control.

Thanks for your reply.
This comes up when i do a search for permethrin for one of our hardware stores which is suppose to have anything and everything... I have no idea if its he same as what you guys use?

https://www.bunnings.com.au/multicrop-1l-pyrethrum-long-life-insecticide_p2961421
https://www.bunnings.com.au/bayer-25g-coopex-insecticide-sachet_p3011010on one of our big

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Thanks for your reply.
This comes up when i do a search for permethrin for one of our hardware stores which is suppose to have anything and everything... I have no idea if its he same as what you guys use?

https://www.bunnings.com.au/multicrop-1l-pyrethrum-long-life-insecticide_p2961421
https://www.bunnings.com.au/bayer-25g-coopex-insecticide-sachet_p3011010on one of our big

I would take a closer look at the Coopex and read the manufacturer's instruction for application. It may be something you can use for treating the coop/housing.

 

[Maiahr]

There are alfamethrine and deltamethrine too, which are supposed to be better.
What are the active ingredients of Maldison?
The article above mentions Lice Away product, which is a fully natural. Has anyone used it?

I have used permethrine based spray + Neem oil. It works but my problem are the bugs which are ON the chicken. I have way too many chicken and cannot spray them one by one.

The article also mentions ivermectin, which the pigeoners here use internally (in the water) for pigeons against external parasites and I am thinking of trying it as well in the chicken water.

Do you have Neostimysan based products down under? They are effective too, we use them here to bathe the chicken in a bucket.

 

[Victoria_S]

For the rats maybe try storing any feed in metal garbage cans with locking lids at night and make sure no feed is left out on the ground at night. I am also at war with rats and this method seems to have kept them at bay, at least for now.

 

[Maiahr]

There is also a chemical carbaryl, which is used here against lice, you may have some products containing it in Australia.

 

[BDutch]

This is a real bad infestation. If possible I would buy /make a new rat-proof coop on the other side of the premises asap and break down/burn the old coop.

Put poultry dust on the chickens and keep the chickens outside as much as possible a few weeks when moving them to the new coop. Or quit having chickens for at least a year.

 

[HollyWoozle]

EDIT: I realised after posting that this is an old thread!

I'm sorry you are dealing with this, mites really suck! We had a pretty bad infestation a few years ago but we did manage to get on top of it and I am sure you can too.

I can't easily see what you have available over there. Until very recently we couldn't get permethrin-based products for poultry keeping here in the UK, but I started with ant powder which I realised had permethrin in it (and lice powder for horse stables which I noticed also had it in). Maybe you could see what is in your equivalent products for those purposes. Maybe this? https://www.amazon.com.au/Rentokil-PSA135P-Crawling-Insect-Powder/dp/B00L18WHO2/

What has also really helped here is that I put vaseline on any crevices/notches on their perch so that there are no hiding places for the mites. I know then that the chickens are roosting somewhere mite-free overnight. The vaseline has stayed put for many months now and didn't take long at all to apply, so perhaps that is worth a go for you too, just as an additional measure.