3 week old chicks have mites! What do I do??

[eggbert420]

I have been told by more than one person that the reason seven dust is not approved for poultry is because you can never eat the eggs again (ever). So I would do some serious research before using it.

Not true. sevin dust will not hurt your chickens, and you can eat their eggs. I have been using it for over 30 years on chickens, dogs, cats, and some people use it in their gardens.

 

[Raggedyroad]

I'm happy to see some feed back on Seven dust. You just never know when you read something, even if it's from several people. I usually end up doing tons of research but have never had a reason to with this product.
If my hubby and I were the only ones eating the eggs then it would worry me less. Since we share with friends and family I want to be certain there is nothing harmful.

 

[Beenicole2]

If you see them then you already have a serious infestation. I fought these beasts for weeks using natural methods. I finally gave in to using insecticide. The only thing that worked for me was Permethrin. You need to clear and throw away all bedding out of the coop and nest boxes. Aiso remove waterers and feeders. Thoroughly spray every inside surface with Permethrin. Without the birds inside of course. Let dry and put in new bedding. Then spay the birds vent, under wing in the pit and back of neck after they have gone to roost. Being careful not to spay the eyes. I also dumped the food in the feeders and thoroughly scrubbed them and replaced with new food also empty and scrub the waterers or anything else that's portable that you have in the coop. I used Permectrin II for poultry and had to repeat 2 weeks later. I would only buy the stuff meant for poultry and follow the instructions closely. You will need to wear long clothing and gloves, head cover, goggles and a respirator. Not those wimpy paper things either. This is an insecticide.

Luckily they aren't actually living in their coop yet, they were just checking it out for the first time. I'll definitely spray everything down with the insecticide before they make their permanent move. Thank you so much for the advice.

 

[chickens really]

@casportpony

 

[Beenicole2]

They look more like lice to me, but I could be wrong. Either way, treat with a permethin that labeled for use in poultry. If you cannot find permethrin duct or spray, use 5% Sevin (not approved for poultry, but is safe) until you can locate permethrin. Lice and mites can kill chicks, so you must treat them and their coop ASAP!

Thank you so much, we're on the hunt for permethrin today. We completely cleaned out the brooder last night and put in some DE since that was all we had on hand. We'll clean it out again tonight too.

 

[Beenicole2]

Glad you're on it... those little buggers can and do kill chicks. Sadly, DE doesn't work, so make sure you get permethrin dust or spray, and like I said, if you can't get either of those, get the Sevin.

We got the permethrin dust! Thank you again for all of your help!

 

[Raggedyroad]

I have been told by more than one person that the reason seven dust is not approved for poultry is because you can never eat the eggs again (ever). So I would do some serious research before using it.