Mites, mites and more mites!!!

[a2ms4chickens]

About a month ago, I noticed that our Birchen MGB was walking on his hocks. Of course I looked him over thinking he hurt himself, and that was the reason he wasn't walking. I couldn't find any broken bones or any indication that it hurt when I was checking him. I also noticed that he would fall over. Also, he has a lot of feather loss that I was attributing to moulting.

I happened to check under his wings and saw these tiny group of black things. (I have never seen a mite, before). Anyway, I got on BYC and found that Sevin 5% dust would kill the mites. So, I immediately gave him some vitamins/electrolyte water and dusted him and all of our chickens with Sevin. (I think these came in from the load of dirt I brought in from the desert). We dusted the whole chicken coop and pens, also. We then repeated it again 7 days later.

I have been checking them almost daily for these mites and all are clean. However, I noticed that this Birchen MGB kept picking at the feathers he has left, and is pulling out the start of new feathers. So, last night I got on BYC again and checked feather picking and mites kept popping up.

So, my DS and I went out to the chicken pen last night and found roost mites on the chickens feet. Also, because the Birchen's wing feathers are so picked, he has not been able to get on the perch, but stays on the ground. He had probably 6 mites around and on his feet.

We immediately got the Sevin 5% dust and went over all of the perches last night. I will be getting the Sevin spray to do the whole pen. I also found that painting the bottom of the roosts with used motor oil should help suffocate the mites.

Does anyone have any other suggestions on how to get rid of these things? They are driving me nuts!!!

Thanks!

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

Ive read that mites are very hard to get rid of. I also read that for mites try using the 10% sevin powder. I would also bathe them with a dog flea shampoo.

 

[gumpsgirl]

It also would not hurt to add some food grade DE to their dusting areas. If they don't have an area, I would get a small, plastic children's swimming pool and put sand in it mixed with DE so that they can dust in it. I also read that Bag Balm is good for their legs and leg mites. After you apply the bag balm, dust with the Sevin 5%. I would probably try the DE first, before I tried the Sevin. Before you dust the coop down you need to clean all bedding out and then you need to make sure that you get the powder into every crack because that's where the mites like to hide.

 

[ivan3]

A lot of member use orange oil? (anyone?) on their roosts instead of motor oil (kinda toxic).

 

[LynneP]

I have a very simple solution. In addition to dusting your birds and cleaning the coop inside and out , top to bottom and starting over with bedding dusted with DE and Sevin, try this:

Hang a Black Flag or Vapona 'no pest strip' high inside the coop, avoiding a spot over food/water. High over the roost is a good place, high enough so that none of your birds can peck it, otherwise put it inside a box or cage covered with hardware cloth. The no-pest strip is a wax rectangle secured in a plastic frame with an attached hook. It lasts three months and is effective for fleas, lice,mites and ticks. Safe to use in home, coop, barn, restaurants. Commercial poultry operations use them every few feet overhead. Also made by other companies and sold under generic labls like TSC and Home Hardware. Contains pyrethins. We've used them for years in our barn- I have never seen a flea tick or other parasite and we support a feral cat colony of over 25 animals. Then provide your birds with sand/DE boxes indoors and out and let them dust themselves!

ps- I would not use motor oil when baby oil will help with the swelling in those legs.

 

[a2ms4chickens]

Thanks for all your posts.

I usually do use DE every week when I clean out their pens and their big area. However, I ran out. So, I do need to get some more. I have had no problems with any bugs until the monsoon season hit. I don't know if the humidity and heat brings them out, but they need to go away!

I will try the 'no pest strips', too.

The motor oil is for the bottom of the roosts, so the chickens should not come in contact with that.

Thanks again for all of your suggestions.

 

[Smoky73]

I read in a chicken book to do motor oil and turpentine to the roosts and have used it before. No ill effects.

Orange Oil works wonderfully too, really works well to kill flies.

 

[shay20]

GRAPEFRUIT JUICE - squezz the juice of a grapefruit onto the birds make sure to get under the feathers rub on the legs, do this in an aera that u normally dont put ur birds, this makes the mites jump off it suffercates them becouse of the acid of the juice.

RUBBING ALCOHOL - get rid of bedding, spray all walls and floor of the coop, the yard where ever they hang out, let dry, then vacume out the areas of the coops, clean out the vacume.

There is a different type of acohol its yellow and it smells good, I use this now on my birds to keep them from getting any mites, so far it has worked, i put it in a spray bottle and spray under there wings near there tail and back of neck, this is also great when they have a fever like when there feathers are growing in it cools them off.

 

[crowboy]

try Elector

PSP $pray in all the cracks and holes in the cages, clean clean everything and spray each bird around the vent and under the wings, all over. Read the directions of course, make it in small batches, it will not be effective once mixed after 4 or 5 days.
I found my mites to be resistant to the 7 dust. I tried a borax bath too, didn't do much.