Poultry Shield

Poultry Shield is one of my top products that I keep in stock for cleaning the chicken coop and I certainly wouldn’t be without it. Poultry Shield is a fungicide, bactericide, and a virucide and is effective against bio-films.

Poultry Shield has two uses. It is excellent at helping to remove organic matter when cleaning out the coop and killing off many ‘nasties’ that can cause diseases but it is also very effective against Red Mite since it can get into the cracks easily, unlike red mite powders.

Cleaning the Chicken Coop

Poultry ShieldPoultry Shield is a very safe product to use if you follow the manufacturers instructions. It doesn’t contain poisons and can even be used in organic production systems. It is bio-degradable and has a low odour. Although I don’t ever clean my chicken houses out with birds in them, the manufacturers even state that providing you don’t spray birds directly, there is no need to remove the birds: This could be useful for spraying in the cracks and perch ends whilst the birds roost at night to kill off any Red Mite that are hiding. Poultry Shield certainly takes some beating for safety but even so, remember to wear rubber gloves and eye protection as a precaution!

Poultry Shield for Red Mite Control.

I have used Poultry Shield successfully in the battle against Red Mite, usually combined with diatom after the coop has dried out. Poultry Shield is a detergent that washes the waxy coating off the mite. The mite dries out and dies within 48 hours. There are two ways in which I use it.

Spraying Poultry ShieldFirstly, if I have a Red Mite infestation, I will mix up some Poultry Shield and wash the house out, concentrating on getting it into all of the cracks in the wood. The second way in which I use it is to mix up a solution in a small plant sprayer any (wearing gloves and eye protection), spray it into the cracks that you can’t get to with a watering can.

I save some on the mixture in the spray bottle to use every few days before the mites have a chance to get a hold again. Compared to most of the sprays available containing pesticides, it’s far safer and much cheaper this way. There is more information on how we treat for Red Mite here on my Red Mite page.

Note: Poultry Shield must come into contact with the Red Mite or Eggs in order to work so make sure you concentrate on the cracks and areas where the mites are hiding.

I find Poultry shield particularly good because it penetrates the cracks where powders cannot. It also destroys the Red Mite eggs which breaks the life cycle of the mite, helping to reduce their drastic numbers.

Dilution Rate

poultry shield 5 litre container

Click to buy from Amazon

Poultry Shield comes as a concentrated liquid. You will need to measure out the amount required (I use an old measuring jug) and dilute it down with water to the correct strength, as recommended by the manufacturer. This is 1 part Poultry Shield to 9 parts water. I usually buy 5 litres of Poultry Shield as it is more economical  but it is available in 1 litre containers too (it’s around £20 for 5 litres, £10 for 1 litre). You can buy Poultry Shield online on Amazon which seems to be the cheapest way to buy it.

The 5 litre tub is the most economical but I bought a smaller spray bottle as well so I can top it up from the large tub (with water) and spray in the cracks. I also mix some in a watering can for my cleaning at 10 parts water to 1 part poultry shield.

Do you have any experiences with Poultry Shield? Please leave me a comment below.

20 Comments

  1. Hi i am thinking about getting some chickens in the next few weeks and i have never kept chickens before so been doing plenty of research i am going to transform my garden shed into a chicken coop and been reading about these horrible red mites are, what could you advise me on making it fully protective of little bugs and things before i buy some chickens? And what wound be the best chickens as a beginner? Thanks x

    • Hybrids are a good start for beginners. Pure breeds vary so much depending on what you choose and what you fancy, it’s hard to make recommendations. Personally, I’m not keen on bantams I like large fowl but each to their own!

      Red Mite powders such as diatom are useful dusted around the perch ends to ward off the dreaded red mite but also poultry shield is good for general cleaning (it is a detergent) and should be used regularly to help prevent red mite as well. (I have pages on both Poultry Shield and Diatom if you’re interested).

  2. Thank you for the simple and concise guide. One question is do I need to hose it off or can I just leave it? My chicken coop is an old shed which would be difficult to hose.
    Thank you.
    Richard

    • I haven’t checked the label, however I don’t believe you need to wash off poultry shield. It’s very safe – it’s a detergent.
      And.. if you have wood shavings or similar on the floor then it should be fine.

    • I haven’t used it indoors before. Maybe best to check with the manufacturer, there’s probably a safety data sheet for it.

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