[Rusty Hatpin]

Hi everyone. I was out in the loft a little while ago with my husband and we noticed a fly on one of our young birds. We watched it burrow in to the feathers on the bird's back so Mike caught the bird and we inspected it and sure enough the fly came out and flew aroung but we got it. We watched the other birds for awhile and they seemed to be scratching quite a bit. We were discussing giving them Ivomec sheep drench in their bathwater (3cc's per gal). Is there a better way to treat your birds or is this the recommended application?Thankyou.

 

[The Pencil]

Here in Australia we use a popular product called Coopex made by the Bayer Chemical Group. It is a permethrim based powder mixed in water. I mix a quantity of Coopex up with warm water and a teaspoon of dishwashing liquid in a plastic bucket. The dishwashing liquid is to allow the water to soak the feathers and penetrate through the bloom on the bird I dip each bird up to the head and release it into the loft. It flys around for a time till it finds its perch and in doing so spreads the product around. This lasts for 3 months. I also use Ivermectin in the feed for hair worms and other problems with the lice and mites however a quicker way in my opinion for the Pigeon Fly is the Coopex.
Hope this helps
TP

 

[LUCKYT]

Well, the best thing i have used is the"shell' no pest strip kind of thing. Must be used VERY carefully. Pigeon Flies are noted for leaving the Bird if a topical Pest product is used, and reinfesting the bird, after the Chem. wears off, not to mention the Pupae around the loft. Dave

 

[altgirl35]

yuck, i had my first baby pigeon come in with those creepy fast nasty things last summer, i don't have a coop, i just used pyrethrin spray so not much help. so sorry, i can't express how much i hated those little flies.

 

[LUCKYT]

altgirl35, you are RIGHT, they are the worst Pests out there as far as i am concerned. If you see your birds "stamping" their feet, it is most likely pigeon Flies. Dave

 

[george simon]

Hi everyone. I was out in the loft a little while ago with my husband and we noticed a fly on one of our young birds. We watched it burrow in to the feathers on the bird's back so Mike caught the bird and we inspected it and sure enough the fly came out and flew aroung but we got it. We watched the other birds for awhile and they seemed to be scratching quite a bit. We were discussing giving them Ivomec sheep drench in their bathwater (3cc's per gal). Is there a better way to treat your birds or is this the recommended application?Thankyou.

Use the IVOMEC in the bath water,clean the loft and keep it clean. Be sure to give your birds a bath once a week, use the IVOMEC only when you are sure that you have pigeon fly. Be sure that you clean up the dropping at least every other day, flys lay their eggs in the dropings,THE YOUNG FLYS FEED ON THE DROPPINGS UNTIL THEY BECOME ADULTS then the find a host (a pigeon) to feed on they are blood suckers they transmit a blood protozoon this will cause poor results in racing birds.There for you need to control this fly even if you do not race as they drill holes in the new feather growing in during the molt.During shows most judges consider birds with these pin holes as unfit and knock them out of competion in the first go around so wheather you race or show your birds you need to get this fly out of your loft. GEORGE

 

[RodSD]

The Pencil,
Welcome and thanks for the tips!

George,
Thanks for the tips as well.

 

[Guest]

I posted a thankyou reply yesterday and I couldn't get it to go thru. I wanted to thank Pencil, Altgirl, Lucky T and George Simon all for great advice. We are probably going to go the Ivermec and pest-strip route. Hope this one goes thru. Thankyou once again. Cheryl