Mites: I've tried EVERYTHING

[gwenakinyi]

I cannot get rid of mites in my coop. Here's what I've tried:

At the first appearance of mites, I used a few drops of ivermectin on each chicken. Removed all bedding, raked out all detritus in the run, and thoroughly sprayed absolutely everything with neem oil (1 TB concentrate mixed in a gallon of water).

Two weeks later, the chickens still had mites, and bad. I covered each hen in permethrin dust, removed all bedding, sprayed everything down with neem oil, and repeated this process (dusting chx, cleaning coop) every 7 days for 3 weeks. On week 3, I washed the chickens in Dawn dish detergent with an apple cider vinegar rinse. The mites finally seemed to be gone, and the chickens started laying eggs again.

3 weeks later, the mites are back. We found them on some eggs, and found 3 of the 6 girls have them, 1 has them bad. Two of them have nits at the base of their feathers. WHAT DO WE DO???? I'm so frustrated. They're nasty little buggers, and we can't seem to shake the problem.

We have a DE dust bath for them at all times in the chicken run. Has anyone else had a persistent problem with mites that wasn't cured by the common methods???

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Did you also remove the nestbox shavings?

If I skip this one little step I have the same results as you. So look around in your coop for the hiding spot, I say!

Also- by using sand on the floor of my coop and using a kitty litter scoop (after raking it with a small plastic stiff rake) to remove the solid poo every other day, I have found that my mite problems are soooooo much less than when I used shavings. I basically cannot use shavings all over the coop because of mites.

I treat every 2- 4 months and repeat at 7 days to keep mites away, as a preventative program because if I don't I get an infestation. I have been in tears over mites many times but have now found the secret!!

You can also use sand inside the nest boxes, if you use the covered kitty litter pans like I do for nest boxes. They are plastic and there is no place for the mites to hide. I refuse to go back to wooden boxes.

Also some mites can be resistant to permethrin. Sevin dust isn't labeled anymore for chickens and thus it is illegal to use on poultry now- too bad as it worked so well.
Edited to add: sand in the nest boxes is what I use now for broody hens sitting on their chicks that have hatched, since I can get the chick poo out with my kitty litter scoop daily. I wouldn't recommend it for just egglaying necessarily...I haven't had to deal with a broken egg in it yet and don't know how well that cleans up. However, I love being able to just toss the shavings (in the egglaying boxes) and hose down the kitty litter pan with dish detergent and a scrub brush/water if messes occur...much better than wood boxes that don't dry out quickly with a wipe down.

 

[War Chicken]

Reptile owners have used predatory mites to rid their animals of pest mites. They only eat other mites and once their food supply is gone they will starve to death or disperse. You'll have to clean out all insecticides or wait for them to dissipate before adding them, obviously.

http://www.dlblanc.com/coloherp/cb-news/Vol-28/cbn-0101/SnakeMites.html

I've read that ivermectin doesn't work on feather mites. If so, that would explain why it didn't seem to work.

 

[gwenakinyi]

Quote:
Yep, nestbox shavings were all removed, and the nestbox was sprayed with neem oil as well.

Quote:
What an interesting idea! I've never heard of this. We use the deep litter method, but maybe I should try sand instead. It seems impossible to get around the fact that the whole coop and nest box are made of wood! There are just so many crannies to hide in. I've tried drenching the interior with neem oil, but apparently I'm missing them somewhere.

Quote: What do you treat with? Permethrin? DE?

 

[gwenakinyi]

Reptile owners have used predatory mites to rid their animals of pest mites. They only eat other mites and once their food supply is gone they will starve to death or disperse. You'll have to clean out all insecticides or wait for them to dissipate before adding them, obviously.

http://www.dlblanc.com/coloherp/cb-news/Vol-28/cbn-0101/SnakeMites.html

I've read that ivermectin doesn't work on feather mites. If so, that would explain why it didn't seem to work.

Wow, I've never heard of predatory mites! I wonder if they work on fowl mites? I could call the company and ask. My local farm and garden place recommended trying the ivermectin--he said it would even kill the nits--but obviously not so.

 

[Brookliner]

What is your coop made of. If it is wood ... Is it painted inside? If it is not painted or if it is next time you clean it out you might want to get some silicone caulk and seal up all cracks and crevices. This way you can eliminate all hiding places that mites can hide. Good luck with your mite problem.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Quote:

Yep, nestbox shavings were all removed, and the nestbox was sprayed with neem oil as well.

Quote:
sand on the floor of my coop

What an interesting idea! I've never heard of this. We use the deep litter method, but maybe I should try sand instead. It seems impossible to get around the fact that the whole coop and nest box are made of wood! There are just so many crannies to hide in. I've tried drenching the interior with neem oil, but apparently I'm missing them somewhere.

Quote: What do you treat with? Permethrin? DE?
I treat with Permethrin dust and shake it all over the coop as well. There was a nice thread on sand:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/444759/got-sand-you-should
62 page thread!

 

[gwenakinyi]

What is your coop made of. If it is wood ... Is it painted inside? If it is not painted or if it is next time you clean it out you might want to get some silicone caulk and seal up all cracks and crevices. This way you can eliminate all hiding places that mites can hide. Good luck with your mite problem.

It's wood, a combination of 2 x 4s, plywood, and rough cedar siding. Not painted. Caulking is a good idea.

 

[Arica]

I dust as in completly cover the hens with DE i also cover my coup in de under the beding.

 

[ivan3]

Are there any trees nearby or over coop/run (wild bird nests?). Have you tried Adams tick and flea spray on the most heavily infested areas of the chooks? Do you have a jeweler's loupe and/or magnifying headset (ID precise offender)? I'd think, at this point, some liquid preparation would be most effective.

If you haven't read these already - some ideas on more intensive treatment:

http://www.poultry.uga.edu/extension/documents/NorthernFowlMites_French.pdf

http://animalscience.ucdavis.edu/phi/PHI/Lice & Mites of Poultry.pdf