Can mites or lice live in the winter?..

[Frankie Ruiz]

ive never encountered mites or lice on my birds... but i wonder.. can they live in the winter? winter weather goes down to about 25 degrees Fahrenheit and lower in some cases where i live. will mites be able to withstand that type of climate??

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

I have not dealt with lice but Northern Fowl mites can survive on the bird (I don't know about the red mite which lives in the coop).

 

[Frankie Ruiz]

thanks, do you know what treatments i can give my birds to prevent mites and what i can do to prevent mites in the coop? ive heard of using DE but i want to know if there is anything else or is that the best thing to use

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

Ivomec for the birds and Permethrin spray for the coop will kill them

 

[Frankie Ruiz]

thanks for the info, do you think that stuff will be available at a local feed store?

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

thanks for the info, do you think that stuff will be available at a local feed store?

It should be
Ivomec is a popular wormer for lots of animals, and the other is the main ingredient in most flea sprays

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

I let my chickens bathe in woodstove ashes mixed with DE all winter, then switch to DE and sand for summer. Of course make sure they are cool ashes with no embers.

DE and woodstove ashes are fine as prevention but for an infestation chemicals are needed in my opinion. Make sure to retreat at 7 days for mites and 7 days x 2 for lice.

You can give them a concrete mixing pan to bathe in, or something similar...keep out of rain.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Ivomec for the birds and Permethrin spray for the coop will kill them

I buy the spray permethrin too and it works great...also the permethrin dust works for dusting the birds. I shake the dust everywhere in the coop too sometimes.

 

[Frankie Ruiz]

sounds great, thanks guys. i heard of ACV being used in water to worm chickens can i use that too?

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

sounds great, thanks guys. i heard of ACV being used in water to worm chickens can i use that too?

It's "good" for them, but it won't have any effect on worms.
One of the biggest benefits is it keeps algae from growing in the waterers