HAPPY, HEALTHY HENS
The benefits and drawbacks of spraying the henhouse with malathion, the cause of distorted snouts in Hampshire feeder pigs, preventing and treating lameness in horses, the cause of feline ear swelling.
COUNTRY VET
RELATED CONTENT
A beginner's guide to raising rabbits, including a rabbit barn, pens, feeders and waterers, breedin...
Use recycled kitty litter buckets for easy, homemade and sustainable poultry nesting boxes....
Fresh Eggs From Your Oven Hens How to produce your own fresh eggs without making that trip to a pou...
HANDLING GRAY WATER SURPLUS TOMATOES AND YOUNG HENS April/May 2000 Dear Mother: I love the magazine...
MY SCRATCH HENS LAY GOLDEN EGGS July/August 1975 by Allice Merritt Alice Merritt lives on the outsk...
Andrea Looney, DVM, explains how to roost fowl
pests out of the henhouse and off the hens.
Photos By Jon Reis/Photo Link
Dear Andrea:
I have 45 chickens ranging in age from 10 months to two
years. Last year I sprayed the henhouse once a month with
malathion to keep away lice and mites brought in by
visiting wild birds. I'm not keen on using the malathion.
What are your suggestions?
-Molly StanleyAddress withheld by
request
Dear Molly:
The most common species of mites which infect chickens are
the chicken mite, the northern fowl mite, and the tropical
fowl mite. There are over 40 species of lice that can be
found on poultry. Mites are smaller than lice and while
mites feed on blood alone, most lice can feed on bits of
feather, skin, and blood. Both can cause anemia,
unthriftiness, and even death, especially in young birds.
The chicken mite is particularly serious in warmer parts of
the States. Adult female mites lay eggs within 12-24 hours
of attachment. Some females are so hardy that they can
survive up to 30 weeks or more without food. These mites
can affect turkeys, pigeons, canaries, and several species
of wild birds. Sparrows are thought to transmit the mite.
Malathion is an organophosphate, which are among the most
effective pesticides when used correctly. However, chickens
overdosed with malathion may experience muscle tremors and
even seizures, and it goes without saying that people have
become more concerned about the potentially hazardous
effects of pesticides on the food chain.
Pyrethrins are also effective pesticides and are considered
a more organic form of miticide since they are derivatives
of the chrysanthemum. Permethrin, a pyrethrin derivative,
can be used to treat both the birds and the house at
concentrations of 0.05 percent. This will prevent mite
infestation for up to eight weeks. The most effective
treatment, however, is routine cleaning and monitoring of
both all incoming birds and the facility itself.
First, the litter should be changed on a regular, frequent
schedule. The nest boxes should be sealed yearly with
varnish or paint. Roosts should be treated with
preservative two or three times per year. The house should
be cleaned out and all cracks and crevices steam-cleaned
and treated with a pesticide once the birds are removed.
The building should be closed up tight for an hour or two
following fumigation and then adequately ventilated for an
additional hour before returning the birds. Regular yard or
pasture rotation is essential to the health of any
livestock or poultry.
Page: 1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
Next >>
