Can bird mites cause a rooster to crow in the middle of the night?

[wordsretainpower]

Crowing is more of a territory/behavioral thing than a sign of discomfort. I wouldn't think mites would contribute to a rooster crowing at night.
Have you actually seen mites or are you just assuming that could be a problem? I would skip the DE as it can cause respiratory issues and check the birds thoroughly to see if there's a mite issue. If there is, use permethrin as directed on the bottle until they're gone.

Pretty much we narrowed down all possible issues and finally came to the theory maybe bird mites were the problem... At first, I thought it was headlights from a car on the road so we blocked his pen off, then we thought it was predators so I made sure to be out there as soon as the crowing started to see if there is anything stalking the pen...(I really thought that could be the problem, but there is never anything out there) We also have cameras that would be able to pick up movement...but nothing... lol I have played detective as much as I can in hopes to fix this... I guess I will just update in a couple of days as to whether or not the changes we made today helped any...If not he can live on a barn and be as loud as he wants at all hours of the night haha.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

If keeping roosters where you are isn't allowed, there is your answer. You shouldn't have them if they're not allowed in your area

 

[wordsretainpower]

If keeping roosters where you are isn't allowed, there is your answer. You shouldn't have them if they're not allowed in your area

#1 we didn't try to. Tractor supply misgendered two of them, we already got rid of one, #2 We are going to rehome this one if we can't get the issue handled... I already stated that we are rehoming this one this weekend if we can't get the problem resolved. So how was this even a useful comment? You can have them as long as they aren't a nuisance and he just started becoming a nuisance these last few weeks. Smh.

Also a lot of people will take unwanted roosters to kill them and eat them. I didn't want that for my rooster because I already stated I was attached. I am not certain that won't become his fate eventually at the barn, I hope not but...that is what happens a lot of times.

 

[SueT]

Permethrin kills poultry mites. The mites should be obvious tho. I’ve used this on day old chicks and dusted the entire coop and it took care of it right away, no reaction. I got it at TSC.

 

[kcan2]

This is a really random idea, but by any chance is the coop parked near any kind of outdoor electrical box, or something else that may be imperceptibly vibrating or making low-key noise/surging in the night? Do you have any pumps that go off in the night that he could be hearing, or are there any nearby?

 

[wordsretainpower]

Permethrin kills poultry mites. The mites should be obvious tho. I’ve used this on day old chicks and dusted the entire coop and it took care of it right away, no reaction. I got it at TSC.
View attachment 3287903

Thank you. Any advice in that regard is much appreciated, like I said we are new to chickens, this is our first flock...and we were pretty much taking stabs in the dark after everything else was ruled out. I will save this picture in case we actually do have poultry mites...I am thinking we didn't... I never saw any and I looked for them but I just figured they were super tiny and I couldn't see them! Thanks

 

[wordsretainpower]

This is a really random idea, but by any chance is the coop parked near any kind of outdoor electrical box, or something else that may be imperceptibly vibrating or making low-key noise/surging in the night? Do you have any pumps that go off in the night that he could be hearing, or are there any nearby?

That is interesting...hm.... Let me think... could a solar-powered light cause vibration? We have one out by the coop...but it stays on all night long...I am going to move it away from the coop just in case...That was an interesting thought! Thank you!

 

[TX Chick Noob]

Mites can definitely be a problem and drive them from their coop. But have you checked the birds to make sure that is the issue? Also diatomaceous earth has very little effect on parasites and can be very harmful if inhaled (to both you and your chickens). [Typed some of this before some other people replied and just now had a chance to post it.]

Here is a link to a thread that may help…

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/treatment-for-mites.1491328/#post-24870828​

Two more issues might be light and ventilation. You said you blocked off light from their coop, so they still have enough natural light inside to be able to get in and get “ready for bed” before sunset? And is there sufficient ventilation? (I think the recommendation is at least one square foot of ventilation per bird. I can’t remember who it is that usually posts all the good specs and info on that. What kind of bedding are you using?

And what age are the birds? Rising hormone levels in “teenage” birds can also contribute to a lot of things.

Tagging a few more experts for more advice. @azygous @Mrs. K @3KillerBs @Wyorp Rock @aart

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[raingarden]

Our roosters and every rooster in the neighborhood have a crowing contest about 2:00 every night. There are probably a dozen roosters that are close enough for us to hear. As far as I know, it has always been this way. The two o'clock chorus only lasts a few minutes. Then they all start again at first light, then another short chorus in mid-morning and again in mid-afternoon.

 

[wordsretainpower]

Mites can definitely be a problem and drive them from their coop. But have you checked the birds to make sure that is the issue? Also diatomaceous earth has very little effect on parasites and can be very harmful if inhaled (to both you and your chickens). [Typed some of this before some other people replied and just now had a chance to post it.]

Here is a link to a thread that may help…

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/treatment-for-mites.1491328/#post-24870828​

Two more issues might be light and ventilation. You said you blocked off light from their coop, so they still have enough natural light inside to be able to get in and get “ready for bed” before sunset? And is there sufficient ventilation? (I think the recommendation is at least one square foot of ventilation per bird. I can’t remember who it is that usually posts all the good specs and info on that. What kind of bedding are you using?

And what age are the birds? Rising hormone levels in “teenage” birds can also contribute to a lot of things.

Tagging a few more experts for more advice. @azygous @Mrs. K @3KillerBs @Wyorp Rock @aart

​

damn...Yeah I was unaware that diatomaceous isn't good for getting rid of poultry mites...Ughh....This is all very helpful. I am going to look into what bird mites look like and really comb through their feathers to see if I can see any or not... He's defo a teenager, He's almost 9 months old... I am not sure the name of the bedding but its the standard stuff... Ventilation is an interesting thought...Perhaps there isn't enough. We built the coop ourself with giant shipping pallets that I got from my job....They were 8ft by 4ft ... so we used a bunch of those to pretty much create the coop...We didn't add windows and it only has a door to get in....They can still see whether it is light or dark based off of two sides of their pen if they are outside of the coop... One wall of the pen is entirely blocked off from the road so that car headlights wouldn't be an issue...(We tried narrowing down everything lol ugh) Ventilation might be the issue. Thank you. Do you recommend we add windows?

we had a bunch of these things that were 8ft by 4ft, some we cut down, but just imagine a bunch of these going together with one singular door...and that is our coop haha