Preventative Insecticides/Disinfectants

[Gorsty]

Hi folks

Do you guys routinely spray insecticides or use disinfectants when cleaning out or do you wait until a problem raises its head?

Just thought I should have something on hand - just in case (touching wood) as I type

Any recommendations?

Bye for now

[Two_Sheds]

I didn't know what you meant ... until I sussed that you were posting in the Chicken forum.

You mean spraying the coop, right?

[Gorsty]

Yes, sorry - should have said - meant spraying the coop.

Not myself this morning - headache, sore throat & aching - hope it's nothing serious! Perhaps I should disinfectant myself!!

[Suechooks]

Yes, sorry - should have said - meant spraying the coop.

Not myself this morning - headache, sore throat & aching - hope it's nothing serious! Perhaps I should disinfectant myself!!

Sounds like you'd better start with Tamiflu!

[RichmondHens]

Depends what you want to eliminate/prevent.

For lice on birds, regular dusting is really the only way to keep them at bay. Routinely checking is essential, and preventative dusting (whether they have lice or not). Barrier Healthcare (avail on line) do a good natural dusting powder which has no detrimental effect on eggs. Picking up birds on the roost and looking with powerful torch at base of feathers round vent, tail and between legs is the easiest way (until you get proficient you may need an extra pair of hands) as this causes least stress to the birds - don't do the chasing round the run in the daytime bit - not good for bird or human!

For red mite, regular cleaning and checking of coop/hen house (at least once a week) and spraying product into all cracks and crevices where the mites live and breed. Poultry Shield is the most popular one, but I find creosote substitute used sparingly on the underside of perches and in the corners very effective for both killing and preventing mites. The only drawback with this is you need to have a spare house to put the birds in so the one being treated has time to dry out and air properly before reintroducing the birds.

[Bramble-Poultry]

Hi

Much debate on the subject and of course it depends on what you are trying to eradicate/prevent.

But if you want to keep in a disinfectant then the most commonly available ones over the counter are Virkon, trygene and Hibi-scrub. I keep them in because we need them, but even so i would suggest its good practice so you are not running around like a headless chicken (excuse the pun) if something does go wrong - because you can guarantee it will be at 6:30 on a sunday afternnon when nowhere is open!

Hibi-scrub is actually an antimicrobial skin clenser and is used in vet surgeries as such - for washing hands and also in a dilute form for using in animals. I have used it as a disinfectant but its a tad expensive to use as such - but a great one to have in if you did want to spray yourself down - no seriously - great in an environment where you have ill animals and you are trying not to spread infection! We have some here at all times but then we have a hell of a lot of different types of animals and some are wild animals recuperating!

Trygene was the disinfectant we used at the RSPCA, we scrubbed all of the pens out daily with this - but of course different scenario form a controlled environment where you know what animals you have and what they are carrying so in a home environment everyday is well over the top!

Virkon - the most commonly available disinfectant, available in all farmers/equestrian and feed shops in several formats. I keep a few sachets of the powdered on in mainly beacuse its easier to store in sachets and its personal preference.

Now concentrating on what we do for chickens and not all the other animals - we don't disinfect everytime we clean out. Usually monthly and a dusting when the run is dry as a preventative measure against mites, lice etc. We only disinfect more often if there is an illness in the run. I can't see as there is a requirement for more frequently and "touch wood" we don;t seem to have had any problems thus far.

Yawn you bored of my essay now?
Jennie

[Gorsty]

Sounds like you'd better start with Tamiflu!

Have stayed off work today cos one of my colleagues has "IT ie swineflu" and I've got the same symptoms that she started out with! So far not too bad - no temperature so fingers crossed it's just paranoia on my part but I work at a hospital so asked my boss for advice & was advised to stay home.

Thanks everyone for the recommendations for disinfectants, lice & red mite treatments etc - now know what I should be buying in so I don't hve to run around like a headless chicken, Bramble You can GUARANTEE if you need something it will be always be on a Sunday afternoon or a Bank Holiday, can't you!

BTW Bramble and any of you who followed my previous post on runny poo's in my young Barnevelders - this problem does appear to be getting much much better. Took them off the grass and stopped all the extras for a few days - boring I know for the chucks but ..... it does appear to have sorted it out. They are back on the grass/clover now but still on just pellets. A friend suggested it could be stress related as my POL Warren Alice is knocking my 3 x 12wk Barnevelders about a bit so my OH is busy making a new house & run just for her.

[HayleyB]

Good Luck with 'IT'

I use ***** powder liberally sprinkled anywhere that has been cleaned and prviously a bit pooey.

Red Mite powder around perches regularly

And general lice powder in the nest boxes and the area they dust bath in (floor of stable in wood chip and in old Belfast Sink with ash/sand/woodchip) this means they delouse themselves when having a good wriggle.

[Bramble-Poultry]

Mike works at St Georges in stafford and he was told it was ok to keep going into work as long as he wasn't on Tamiflu! Infection control said they had gone past trying to contain it and were just issuing everyone with a mini bottle of Purell to improve hygeine!!

Suppose its different for clinical staff!

[Gorsty]

I work at Royal Infirmary - we're all being told to be extra vigilent - extra handwashing, extra hand gel/wipes. Only know of a few off with "IT" at the hospital so expect we're not at the same stage as Mikes hospital?! Dont know - my symptoms haven't got any worse (touch wood!) & I do feel a bit of a fraud not going in but there you go

[Bramble-Poultry]

Technically Mikes not had "IT" but daughter came home with it - I was gobsmacked at how quick she went downhill she had an awful temp for 36 hours and then an amazing recovery, now you would never know she'd had it, around 4 days in toatal - I thought perhaps it wasn't as previously diagnosed - but docs comfirmed it with swab and said that Charlotte was actually a "classic case" as in its not that bad if you are other wise fit and heathy - well that was weeks ago after we got back of Holiday in June and shes back to bouncing around as normal.

Mike was prescribed Tamiflu as a precaution as he falls in a high "at risk" group, but never showed signs of it - he had more symptoms form the tamiflu!!

As for me and Alex - neither of us had much more than a bit of a headache and tired and my brother was the same headach, bit giddy and achey but generally ok. So i'm not sure but most people I know who've had it have said its not that bad and felt better after 4 or so days!

better safe than sorry so Gorsty - enjoy the time off!

[Bramble-Poultry]

up at st georges - there are a few people who are cribbing the symptoms off teh NHS website and ringing in with them to have a nice long weekend. convinced of it as up until now we havent really had an issue, but now people who showed no signs at all are ringing up the next day saying "how bad they are" - suspicious if you ask me!! exspecially on a friday.....

[Hilary B]

I work at Royal Infirmary - we're all being told to be extra vigilent - extra handwashing, extra hand gel/wipes. Only know of a few off with "IT" at the hospital so expect we're not at the same stage as Mikes hospital?! Dont know - my symptoms haven't got any worse (touch wood!) & I do feel a bit of a fraud not going in but there you go

Makes sense that hospital staff should avoid infecting patients (who may be a bit more vulnerable to infection than the rest of us). For the rest, containemtn is not an option (I doubt it ever was, with modern global travel options) so better to assume most folk will get it sooner or later, and cope with that.

[bluemoon]

As a matter of interest and as we seem to have wandered vaguely on to the subject; should we keep away from our chickens if we have 'flu symptoms?... After all if we can catch it from them they must be able to catch it from us.

[beulah59]

Since it's not a bird 'flu type strain, I take it they can't catch it from us?