Mite infestation with my brooding chickens, 10 days from hatching

I have four banty chickens who are currently sitting on 3 clutches of eggs, due to hatch in 10 days. Today when I went to check on them I was overwhelmed with red mites all around the nest boxes and in the coop. I have treated by coop about 6 months ago with neem, wood ash and diatamacious earth and that seemed to help for the time being. I also have my Ancona duck sitting on eggs in the coop as well.

My questions is what do i do since my chickens are sitting on eggs. I don't want the eggs to hatch into the mites, and have equipment to set us a couple brooders if needed. However, I am always cautious with moving the hens, especially this close to hatching. Any suggestions would be wonderful. I have set up a dust bath with dirt and wood ash next to the coop and put the hens in it once a day. I just know that the coop is the real problem, and am overwhelmed by the little monsters!

Any suggestions would be helpful, my coop sits up on blocks and is very difficult to spray underneath it. Should I attempt to move the clutches to another area and dust bath the chickens?


Thanks for any suggestions, I am overwhelmed with the itchy feeling now!

A poultry science professor that specializes in poultry medicine once said roost mites kill more broody hens than anything else. You are wise to be concerned. You need to treat for the mites.

If it were me I’d forget all the DE, wood ash, and other stuff and get a spray bottle of something made to treat for mites, probably permethrin if I spelled that correctly, and treat the hens, nests and coop. Then do it again in about a week. That should take care of the problem.

Permethrin spray is easy to use; spray the birds on the roosts at night, and the coop, and the setting hens. Don't spray the eggs! One treatment may do the trick, wonderful. Mary

Folly's place said:

Permethrin spray is easy to use; spray the birds on the roosts at night, and the coop, and the setting hens. Don't spray the eggs! One treatment may do the trick, wonderful. Mary

Click to expand...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1134783/permethrin-spray

@danceonweeds, welcome to BYC. Get some 10% permethrin spray.