Mite treatments?

[KimKat33]

Hello everyone,

I am sure this has been asked plenty of times, but has anyone heard of something I can add to a chicken's drinking water for mites? Otherwise, what can I do to help them out? They are not keen on being handled and frankly, I do not want to chase after them. Even when they are roosting at night - they are still aware of everything and run around the coop.
I know treating the premise is important and once this upcoming storm passes I plan on treating it with permethrin and adding some powder to their substrate (I have sand in the coop)
I thought I had the mite situation under control, but recently due to warmer weather, it seems like things have skyrocketed.
I know mites are more of something to control and almost impossible to eradicate - especially since I allow free-ranging.

But all last year I struggled with egg production - and I have 4 hens, last year before a fox attack it was around 13 laying hens. Currently, I know only one is laying (my only EE so I know for sure its her) and all are under 2 years old. I am tempted to just cull and restart.

Could their reason for poor production be mites? They don't seem anemic as their combs and waddles are still red - especially during the warmer weather. They still roost at night on the bars and the one hen that is laying does lay in the boxes. I clean out the poop weekly from the coop as well.

 

[Penpal]

Garlic. It makes them taste bad. I use granulated garlic, but you could use garlic powder. I don't know if they would eat chopped garlic. Just put it in their food. Figure one pinch per bird. Do this every day for a week. After that, once a week.

 

[Debbie292d]

I thought I had the mite situation under control, but recently due to warmer weather, it seems like things have skyrocketed.
I know mites are more of something to control and almost impossible to eradicate - especially since I allow free-ranging.

Ours free range and are eating under the same wild bird feeders as the squirrels, chipmunks, morning doves and other wild birds, yet, they have never gotten mites albeit SLM (scaly leg mites) which silkies are prone to.

As a preventative, to keep them out of our coop, we've used food grade diatomaceous earth (FG DE) twice a month for 7 years.

For the SLM, we use other things (Nu Stock, vaseline, Ivermectin).

If I had a breakout, I'd use Permethrin. I would dust the entire coop and every chicken with it, and keep cats out of the coop for a day.

For yours, it could be more than mites and I'd start giving them some probiotics and vitamins in their water. Probiotics can be Greek yogurt, fermented grain, Hydro-hen powder, etc. For vitamins, we use Poultry Cell in their water once a week or so.

 

[KimKat33]

Garlic. It makes them taste bad. I use granulated garlic, but you could use garlic powder. I don't know if they would eat chopped garlic. Just put it in their food. Figure one pinch per bird. Do this every day for a week. After that, once a week.

I already put garlic in their water lol

 

[nuthatched]

Garlic won't do a thing and can harm them as it's toxic to birds.
Possibly ivermectin but let me look.
Can you add permethrine powder to the sand now? Some mites are tough and requires elector psp.
Mites can cause low egg production.

 

[KimKat33]

Garlic won't do a thing and can harm them as it's toxic to birds.
Possibly ivermectin but let me look.
Can you add permethrine powder to the sand now? Some mites are tough and requires elector psp.
Mites can cause low egg production.

I never heard of garlic being bad for chickens. Other animals yes, but not chickens. :O
Ivermectin I think has a withdrawal period yes?
And I can add the permethrin to the sand now. I usually add a combination of barn lime and DE to it anyways.
Elector PSP is too expensive.
I know mites can cause low egg production, but its almost as if these hens never started in the first place. Plus - it doesn't seem like they are anemic. They are all bright and alert and not lethargic.

 

[Stravager]

I never heard of garlic being bad for chickens. Other animals yes, but not chickens. :O
Ivermectin I think has a withdrawal period yes?
And I can add the permethrin to the sand now. I usually add a combination of barn lime and DE to it anyways.
Elector PSP is too expensive.
I know mites can cause low egg production, but its almost as if these hens never started in the first place. Plus - it doesn't seem like they are anemic. They are all bright and alert and not lethargic.

Isn't there a test that you can check their vent/pelvic region to determine if they're actually laying? Something to do with finger span and color/moisture?

 

[nuthatched]

I never heard of garlic being bad for chickens. Other animals yes, but not chickens. :O
Ivermectin I think has a withdrawal period yes?
And I can add the permethrin to the sand now. I usually add a combination of barn lime and DE to it anyways.
Elector PSP is too expensive.
I know mites can cause low egg production, but its almost as if these hens never started in the first place. Plus - it doesn't seem like they are anemic. They are all bright and alert and not lethargic.

It's toxic to all animals, especially birds and cats. It's even toxic to you and me in the right amounts. Onions, garlic, etc, can harm anything in the right amount.
Nix the DE, it doesn't really work for mites and is pretty bad for you and them to breathe.
If they're not all laying, it doesn't matter about the optional withdrawal time .
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/mites-on-chickens-prevention-treatment.76797/

 

[Penpal]

Garlic has 1/15th the amount of thiosulphate and disulphate as onion.