Chicken Mites Everywhere!

[ChickenJill]

I have determined that my coop is infested with Chicken Mites. They come out at night in the nest boxes. The chickens look normal, but if I even Touch the coop they are crawling up my arm.

Question: What do chicken mite bites look like? I have flat tiny red dots on my arms and legs like pin pricks that I can only see with magnifying glasses. Is this from the mites?

I set off a bug bomb and mites crawled to the outside of the coop and died there but I still get mites on me when I go near it.

I want a Natural way to treat this. Should I just keep the chickens out of the coop in their run area until I get this fixed? From what I read they are living in the coop and come out at night to feed on the chickens, not really living on the chickens...

How do you use tea tree oil and does it help? What about something with the word Orange in the name?

 

[chicmom]

Jill, I would tackle this by sweeping out every speck of bedding in the coop, and then treating it with a spray. Don't worry about going natural because you've got a really bad infestation from what you've described, and sometimes the natural stuff just doesn't have enough strength to kill them. I believe you've got to treat twice, to also kill eggs that have hatched, but I might be mistaken on that. I would dust each chicken, and then dust again in two weeks too, to kill any baby mites that hatch before they reach maturity and start the cycle all over again.

So sorry you're going through this. What a job. I'd just head to the farm store and buy a spray for the inside of the coop, and maybe inside the run too.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

I agree with chicmom. Time to bring out the tough stuff to get those mites! Mites can kill chickens.

http://msucares.com/poultry/diseases/disparas.htm
here's one link


Caution: You do not want those mites getting in your home. I'd remove clothes in garage and put right into washer on hot. Take shower after chicken chores until infestation gone.

The red mite (chicken mite) is happy to live in a person's home. They can live 6 months or so without a chicken blood meal and make humans miserable if they try to nibble on you.

Make sure to retreat the coop and chickens every week until the infestation is gone. I'd use permethrin spray myself on the coop as the above article mentions at the bottom of the page. They sell poultry dust at the feed store and I'd treat the chickens too as mites can get on them even though they are supposed to live in the coop (red mites). Northern Fowl Mites do live on the chickens (you say that is not what you are dealing with though).

You can use Orange Guard for prevention maybe (tea tree oil is aromatic and not good for chickens at all) but really- for an infestation you do need some chemicals IMO.