[ANHBUC]

Suggest the opposite of filling gaps - make all big ones, then you can clean and get DE or something else into the gap. Oil. grease, vaseline in the gap will stop their antics. Steam will kill, but only if it makes contact; a lot will condense without doing any good. If you really don't want to use Ficam you could use pyrethrins with the DE. Cheap, legal and safe, they irritate and make the mites more active so speeding up the process of desiccation.

Are pyrethrins licensed for use on poultry in the uk ehs284?  If they are do you have a link for the information confirming this and any egg withdrawal period?   

[mohs.ayaz]

Thanks guys i will stick with PS AND DE. Can i make the slurry with PS mixed with diatom does it still have the same effect? Im makin a new coop myself using smooth plywood.
With the 8ltre sprayer i can easily spray the coops and the run.

Is jeyes fluid same as virkon s? Or virkon s is better?

[ehs284]

Pyrethrins are not licenced for poultry, though they are for pigeons and caged birds. I suspect the reason is that the licencing is not worth it for a natural and non-trademarked product. They are used in many human over the counter treatments for lice and the only restriction is on the concentrate which is for professional use. They are licenced for organic use on animals and crops. Because they are not licenced there is no official egg withdrawal period, but Johnson's Veterinary advise withdrawal for two days if home use eggs and seven days if for sale. However, the advice (and the non-licence) refers to birds which are actually treated directly with the product and thus will ingest substantial quantities whilst preening.  My suggestion was to add pyrethrins to the DE slurry where they would be contained. The idea is not to kill the mites with the pyrethrins, but to cause them to be more active and thus rub away their cuticles at a faster rate. The transference of active ingredient to the birds would be miniscule in this situation.
No xxx-cide should be taken for granted and whilst this group is often regarded as the safest of all pesticides, care is still needed; note particularly that they are very dangerous for aquatic organisms.

[ANHBUC]

Thanks for that information ehs284.