[andy46]

I was wondering whether anybody on the forum has ever used Dettol to clean thier coops out and fight any red mite problems? i have been reading about it and it contians phenols the same thing that is in crosote and as you can get it from a supermarket it is cheaper to.Any thoughts and advice as i am about to buy somemore poultryshield.

[VeggieVirgin]

I was wondering whether anybody on the forum has ever used Dettol to clean thier coops out and fight any red mite problems? i have been reading about it and it contians phenols the same thing that is in crosote and as you can get it from a supermarket it is cheaper to.Any thoughts and advice as i am about to buy somemore poultryshield.

I have used Dettol in the past, but I think PoultryShield is better, and I don't think Dettol is any cheaper anyway.

[Casey76]

Dettol is not an insecticide, but a bacteriocide.

a) it isn't licensed for use in poultry houses and therefore shouldn't be used

b) is highly unlikely it would be effective against red mite.

[VeggieVirgin]

Dettol is not an insecticide, but a bacteriocide.

a) it isn't licensed for use in poultry houses and therefore shouldn't be used

b) is highly unlikely it would be effective against red mite.

It works in the same way as PoultryShield, i.e. it damages the mites' waterproofing, and it does work, though it is less effective.

It's a general disinfectant, so there's no reason why it shouldn't be used for normal cleaning.

[Casey76]

Whether or not the surficants in Dettol breakdown the waxy coating of Red mite is neither here nor there.

Dettol is licenced and marketed as a household biocide (kills bacteria, fungi and viruses).  It isn't marketed to kill, stop, prevent, etc red mite.

Therefore this forum cannot condone or encourage the illegal use of a household chemical.

[VeggieVirgin]

It's not illegal to use Dettol as a general disinfectant, to clean a chicken coop. Whether it kills red mites or not is neither here nor there.

[andy46]

I was only asking as a chicken breeder on another site has used it for years and not had any problems and as i am a bit of a newbie i was just wondering whether anyone else has used it or knew more about it.Sorry if it has caused any offence

[Trillium]

You didn't cause offence at all. The point is that there are certain legal guidelines this site must follow to not run afoul of the law, and encouraging the use of 'wrong' products is one of them. Products should be used as outlined by the manufacturer's instructions and warnings. If someone chooses to not abide by these, that is their problem. Long term affects by misuse have not been adequately studied by your acquaintance who uses it so we would encourage you to purchase the correct product until you are much more familiar with effects of what you use.

Just because someone has used something for a very long time doesn't mean it's safe or healthy for anyone concerned.
Just because someone has used something for a very long time without apparent aftereffects doesn't mean something is not brewing up into a quiet storm for them.

With chemicals, always use caution and common sense. We'd like to keep our members, and their livestock, safe and with us for a long time 

[joyfull]

I can only echo what Trillium has written.

[wildwitchy]

See my answer Andy on Julia's hens for the anti red mite liquid.

http://www.solwayfeeders.com/products/mite-ex-liquid-100ml-p3253-c89.html

[Prod]

Touch wood since I started keeping chickens this year I have not (yet) had red mite. Perhaps it is because I am becoming a 'grumpy old man'  but I believe in buying  the right product for the right job.  Dettol is a strong detergent but, along with bleach, it is not advised to use it on cat's lttter trays  so maybe  in the long run it could cause problems with chickens.  I'm also sure that £ for £ poultry sheild is more economical.   Having said all that (for what a novice opinion is worth)  my neighbour cleans her coop  with a high pressure steam cleaner. She says it gets into all the crevices, does no harm to the chickens or the coop, but 'melts' the little nasties.  Each to his or her own I guess!!!!

[joyfull]

yes steam cleaners are great to use whereas power washers will simply blast the redmites out and they will simply crawl back in.

[wildwitchy]

Dettol is posionous to cats-anything with phenol in is toxic to cats.

 Bleach shouldn't be used because they don't like smell and it will discourage them from using the tray.

They will do it elsewhere. Just washing up liquid is ok.

[Jomtie]

I alternate a steam cleaner with PoultryShield and have had no red mite at all but perhaps I've just been lucky. 

[ehs284]

Whilst I agree with the general consensus that Dettol is not a great anti-mite treatment and wouldn't use it for that purpose myself, there are a couple of points which I think are worth a comment in relation to the question.
Dettol - traditional liquid in a bottle -  active ingredient is chloroxylenol (C8H9ClO). It can be toxic to animals, even humans, if ingested or inhaled and is banned as a pesticide in Australia where it was used to control cane toads. Dettol brand other substances such as disposable wipes product contain other chemicals  which may be toxic so beware confusing brand names with active ingredients.

The fact that a substance is not licensed for a use does not automatically make it illegal to use it. Guidelines are not law, but generally for laypeople they should be followed. Professionals (vets, doctors etc) make judgments on use and can prescribe 'off licence'.

There are many substances which are generally considered  safe (often labelled GCS) which have been used for a very long time and have never had modern testing but are accepted whilst there are other (safe) substances which are not licensed or marketed for a use because it is just not worth the manufacturer spending the large amounts of money on obtaining approval.

Bleach (thin/old-type sodium hypochlorite) is not a detergent but often detergent and odour producers are added to make it more effective/nicer. It has the advantage that the final breakdown product is salt, so is quite good for cleansing where it cannot be guaranteed to have been rinsed away.