best way to get mites out of tiny cracks and cravices

[Freia]

So we established in an earlier thread that I have mites in my coop. It's old, made of wood, and has lots of good hiding places.

Tomorrow I'm going to clean it out and dust with sevin.

Before dusting with Sevin, I'm going to clean really well. What's the best way to get these little buggers out of their hiding places in cracks and crevices?

Pressure-washer? (blast 'em out!)
Bug-Bomb?
Apply the hot air-gun or blow-torch to the cracks (careful not to ignite the whole thing)?

I'm going to win.

And I'm wondering why all the advice I'm finding is saying to dust the birds with Sevin too. I thought the mites weren't on the birds during the day?

 

[purpletree23]

Seal up the coop really well and set off two bug bombs. Leave for at least three hours. That'll get em!

Remember to take out everything including the nest boxes. If the roost is old and has a lot of hiding spaces make a new one. Sprinkle everything with sevin.

The mites will stay on the chickens during the day eating the whole time.

Go get'm tiger!!! Kill kill kill.

 

[Freia]

Seal up the coop really well and set off two bug bombs. Leave for at least three hours. That'll get em!

Remember to take out everything including the nest boxes. If the roost is old and has a lot of hiding spaces make a new one. Sprinkle everything with sevin.

The mites will stay on the chickens during the day eating the whole time.

Go get'm tiger!!! Kill kill kill.

Die die die!!!! That became my mantra today...

Thanks for the pointers. I can do that.

It was a long day. This morning as I was eating breakfast, a coyote was staring in my kitchen window ("does she see me - is the coast clear for my chicken-breakfast??"). I released the hound and loaded up the .22 and surveyed the fenceline again. At least I found the entry-point and plugged it up. Then I happily went out to collect the eggs and found the mites on the eggs.

Seriously??!??!??!? Does everything want to kill my birds? I feel like such a hopeless chicken-mommy. I can't be too bad. In 2.5 years, I've only lost one to predators/pests/parasites. I was about to just bring my poor little babies into the house and torch their coop today.

 

[purpletree23]

Don't give up. You're not a bad chicken mommy if you are willing to do all this work. I know.....I've been there. If the coop is old and the outside isn't sided (I'm getting a picture in my mind that it's old) you can spray pesticide on the outside. Buy a gallon, put it in a pump sprayer and go to town.

Maybe a new coop is in order.

 

[Freia]

That coop is older than I am. That's mighty old...

A new coop has been on my wish-list for a very longmtime now. Maybe I'll finally get one after this.