Battling Mites - Need Input

[buffy-the-eggpile-layer]

Hi everyone, and Happy New Year. My 2022 is off to a rollicking start battling mites. I first noticed them crawling around one of my chicken's vents who I have been treating for EYP. She was teeming with them, and her mates were too (though to a lesser degree). This must've been recent as I've had my poorly hen examined by a vet two weeks ago. I'm thinking it's due to the very unseasonably warm weather.

Anyway, I sprayed each chicken fown with permethrin yesterday, and thoroughly cleaned/treated their coop. Yet hours later, my sick hen's vent was still teeming with mites
I sprayed again and it seemed to work. This morning, however, I noticed them once again crawling around her vent.

So, is this normal? How long does it take for permethrin to do its job? Is it safe to spray her again today? Should I try other methods? It will turn freezing cold in a day or so, which may help me a bit, but I understand that won't kill them (plus my sickly hen sleeps indoors at night). Thank you!

 

[azygous]

First of all, it would be helpful to know if you are dealing with coop mites or lice, the latter being less of a nuisance.

Mites are related to spiders and have eight legs, and lice are in a different family and have just six legs. Scrape one off a chicken butt onto a saucer. Get a hand magnifying lens and examine it. Count the legs. If you only see six, it's a louse not a mite, and permethrin will take care of them.

If you see eight legs, you have coop mites which are more serious as they actually suck the blood of your chickens while they roost at night. They live in deep cracks and crevices and come out at night. They do not normally live on the chicken, while lice do. Lice are the lesser of the two evils as they feed on dry skin, not blood. Elector PSP is what I recommend if you find your bugs have eight legs. Deep spraying of the coop with this product should take care of them.

 

[buffy-the-eggpile-layer]

First of all, it would be helpful to know if you are dealing with coop mites or lice, the latter being less of a nuisance.

Mites are related to spiders and have eight legs, and lice are in a different family and have just six legs. Scrape one off a chicken butt onto a saucer. Get a hand magnifying lens and examine it. Count the legs. If you only see six, it's a louse not a mite, and permethrin will take care of them.

If you see eight legs, you have coop mites which are more serious as they actually suck the blood of your chickens while they roost at night. They live in deep cracks and crevices and come out at night. They do not normally live on the chicken, while lice do. Lice are the lesser of the two evils as they feed on dry skin, not blood. Elector PSP is what I recommend if you find your bugs have eight legs. Deep spraying of the coop with this product should take care of them.

I will take a closer look this afternoon. When I was inspecting before, there were little gray bugs and red bugs crawling around. Red and irritated/scabby around vent. This happened so fast with my sick hen (EYP)--her vent did not look like this a couple weeks ago.

I can't yet invest in elector psp. Have read about captain jacks as an economic alternative. But since a have been treated with permethrin yesterday, I'm scared to throw too many things at them.

 

[MyHappyGirls]

I have battled mites a couple times… the trick is to stay on the treatment every 7 days. What I did was alternated with permethrin, neem oil mixture and spinosad. I got rid of them after about a month but I kept up the weekly spray of the coop for another month. I made a mixture that was enough to spray the coop, under the wings, legs and back of the neck and bootie of the hens.
It seems to come back every year for the last few years so around spring time I am just going to spray the coop weekly again. And if I notice the hens have them again I will treat them too.
I think the mice and wild birds bring them in. Good Luck

 

[Eggcessive]

You will also need to clean out your coop bedding, and treat roosts, nest boxes, and the coop for mites. Mites hatch out every 5-7 days, so treat the chickens every 7 days at least once or twice again. Permethrin dust is best in cold weather applied to the skin and feathers. The spray is better for treating the coop. The common red roost chicken mite stays on chickens is on chicken only at night in the darkness. It then hides in the cracks and crevices of the coop in the daylight. The northern fowl mite is on chickens 24/7. Here is a good link about mites:
https://poultryhealthinspection.ucd...-files/treatment-of-lice-mites-of-poultry.pdf

 

[buffy-the-eggpile-layer]

You will also need to clean out your coop bedding, and treat roosts, nest boxes, and the coop for mites. Mites hatch out every 5-7 days, so treat the chickens every 7 days at least once or twice again. Permethrin dust is best in cold weather applied to the skin and feathers. The spray is better for treating the coop. The common red roost chicken mite stays on chickens is on chicken only at night in the darkness. It then hides in the cracks and crevices of the coop in the daylight. The northern fowl mite is on chickens 24/7. Here is a good link about mites:
https://poultryhealthinspection.ucd...-files/treatment-of-lice-mites-of-poultry.pdf

How much permethrin dust do I douse them with, and do I use it just around vent and under wings? Is it safe to really smother them in it?

I've got confirmed northern fowl mites here. Just bathed my worst hen who is also fighting eyp though I still see them on others. Should I still wait a week before re-treating? They were sprayed yesterday and two had a double dose.

 

[buffy-the-eggpile-layer]

@Eggcessive @azygous this is the worst hen after bathing. She is also fighting EYP. I noticed scabs and roughy, scaly yellow patches of skin around her vent. Is this from irritation from the mites? I sprayed her with vetericyn after and then liberally rubbed coconut oil over the patches.

 

[buffy-the-eggpile-layer]

I have battled mites a couple times… the trick is to stay on the treatment every 7 days. What I did was alternated with permethrin, neem oil mixture and spinosad. I got rid of them after about a month but I kept up the weekly spray of the coop for another month. I made a mixture that was enough to spray the coop, under the wings, legs and back of the neck and bootie of the hens.
It seems to come back every year for the last few years so around spring time I am just going to spray the coop weekly again. And if I notice the hens have them again I will treat them too.
I think the mice and wild birds bring them in. Good Luck

Thank you! We've had an unseasonably warm winter which I think has exacerbated things. It's gonna turn freezing in the next day which I hope will help my battle.

 

[Eggcessive]

How much permethrin dust do I douse them with, and do I use it just around vent and under wings? Is it safe to really smother them in it?

I've got confirmed northern fowl mites here. Just bathed my worst hen who is also fighting eyp though I still see them on others. Should I still wait a week before re-treating? They were sprayed yesterday and two had a double dose.

There are different methods of dusting with permethrin. Some use a sock or stocking as a puff to dust the chicken, while some place the dust and chicken’s body inside a pillow case to work the dust through the feathers, preventing the dust from getting into the nostrils and beak. It helps to use a mask and gloves, and make sure the dust coats the skin. Here are a couple of videos:

 

[Giantmoma]

I will take a closer look this afternoon. When I was inspecting before, there were little gray bugs and red bugs crawling around. Red and irritated/scabby around vent. This happened so fast with my sick hen (EYP)--her vent did not look like this a couple weeks ago.

I can't yet invest in elector psp. Have read about captain jacks as an economic alternative. But since a have been treated with permethrin yesterday, I'm scared to throw too many things at them.

Elector Psp is supposed to be great stuff. Should be for 140.00! I'm battling depluming mites and that 140 went right out the window!! I'd make sure what mite you're battling