Mites: I've tried EVERYTHING

[mak1]

take a peroxide sprayer spray peroxide inside the coop and spray cooking oil where u think mites mite live.

 

[SIMZ]

Hi everyone! I'm on page two of this thread, but I just wanted to vent!

We've been battling northern fowl mite for at least a year and I could scream! Just when I think we've finally done it I'll find a chicken completely infested again. For the last month I've been ON IT and dusted EVERY chicken about every 5 days until we were mite free (3 weeks of dusting). Then on the next weekly check my rooster had a few mites and we dusted him thoroughly. Exactly one week later, we went to redust him and he is completely and totally infested with a scabbed up vent again. It's unreal.

I'm hoping I find a great bit of wisdom in this thread that I haven't already tried. Honestly, the thoughts of having to check and dust a coop full of chickens every week for the rest of my life makes me want to get out of chickens......

 

[SIMZ]

? http://www2.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef516.asp

Northern Fowl Mites are usually a relatively easy parasite to rub out (we helped our neighbors with an ugly infestation - primarily Eprinomectin (an Avermectin like ivermectin but with a zero withdrawl time - in ruminants) with two treatments (applied directly to skin) ten days apart. Adams tick and flea is sold about everywhere and is for use in dogs and cats. However, this will help clean up butts that are heavily infested (apparently NFM's prefer the feathers near rooster fundaments instead of hen fluff and will often be the first to be colonized). The `Red' mites are much harder to treat for (if it is of interest, Tea Tree oil is a potent acaracide and can be painted/sprayed into cracks and crevices - do NOT apply directly on the chooks - if other preparations aren't available) as they can remain in a viable state for an extended period and then start infestation all over.

Really? Is this why it seems that my rooster keeps getting these things? Has this been anyone else's experience, too?

 

[chknoodles]

All these cures sound great, but I was told to paint the coops every year..mites can hide in the smallest of cracks, nail holes, etc. and painting will seal those areas. We use a semi-gloss paint and paint inside and out to seal any access to the wood. Seems to work, no mites here. Plus painting keeps the poops from sticking to the wood and everything cleans easier. Wood roosts get removed and bleach cleaned at least once a month. Hope this helps.

 

[CGinJCMO]

This is an off-label use because no one knows if it is in the meat and/or eggs but I'm not getting many eggs right now anyway. I'm using ivermectin pour on for cattle. Just three drops, I've been told will kill mites, lice and internal parasites like worms. I didn't have a good dropper last weekend when I tried it so I'm not sure how well medicated they are so I'm not sure if I can say I've effectively used it and tomorrow's dose will be their first dose or second dose. My fingers were in the medicine so much that I'm sure I was medicated and I felt no adverse effects but now I have a better dropper to give them their medicine-one on the neck and and one under (I'll get close) each wing for a total of three drops on the skin for each chicken.

CG

 

[Fancychooklady]

Hi everyone!  I'm on page two of this thread, but I just wanted to vent!    We've been battling northern fowl mite for at least a year and I could scream!  Just when I think we've finally done it I'll find a chicken completely infested again.  For the last month I've been ON IT and dusted EVERY chicken about every 5 days until we were mite free (3 weeks of dusting).  Then on the next weekly check my rooster had a few mites and we dusted him thoroughly.  Exactly one week later, we went to redust him and he is completely and totally infested with a scabbed up vent again.  It's unreal.

I'm hoping I find a great bit of wisdom in this thread that I haven't already tried.  Honestly, the thoughts of having to check and dust a coop full of chickens every week for the rest of my life makes me want to get out of chickens......

Identifying the mite is half the battle. Ivermectin in ruminants stays in the rumen for a period of time making it more effective in ruminants. However in chickens it is absorbed and processed much quicker, so you have to treat more often and the dose required can be Lethal. Spinosad ( elector ) is a relatively new product , but shows much promise.

http://parasitipedia.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2540&Itemid=2816

 

[speckledhen]

Offering another coop solution, Orange Guard citrus oil based spray. Safe to spray into cracks and crevices in the coop, will kill mites (heck, even kills termites, I found out), smells wonderful. I use it when I do a complete coop cleanout. I agree about painting the inside-that does help, but some cracks are quite wide around inserted areas like nestboxes and even painted areas can have places for mites to hide, so Orange Guard is something I've used for years. Orange Guard is not for spraying ON the chickens, however! It is safe to spray in their environment.

When I sand roosts periodically, the unpainted ones, I oil them with a rag dipped into a bowl of veg oil infused with a drop or two of tea tree oil as an anti-bug solution. Remember, though, that tea tree oil is very aromatic *be careful about aromatics around chickens* so a little goes a long way.

Invermectin pour on becomes ineffective over time as a wormer for chickens. Trust me on this, from personal experience.

 

[Mehjr10]

http://www.amazon.com/Monterey-Spinosad-Organic-Garden-Insect/dp/B000BWY3OQ
Work's for the mites for me and fleas on the Dogs.

 

[kacklinghen]

what kind of paint ? will the toxins hurt the hens? I am new and we just built a coop so no mites but I want to prevent any occurring.

 

[Fancychooklady]

http://www.amazon.com/Monterey-Spinosad-Organic-Garden-Insect/dp/B000BWY3OQ  
Work's for the mites for me and fleas on the Dogs.

As mentioned in my post above elector is the trademark for spinosad as an insecticide .
The science is here.

http://www.mapress.com/zoosymposia/content/2011/v6/f/v006p282-287.pdf