Best way to prevent chicken mites

[Caleb999]

Hi,
I use straw in my coop, and I heard mites could live there. I was wondering if anyone would have any suggestions on how to prevent them from taking up residence in my coop.
Thanks

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Provide a dry dust bath for your girls- made from woodstove ashes/sand/dirt and food grade diatomaceous earth if desired. Lately I have been just using ashes and that works well. During the summer they use dirt. Make sure it is out of the rain!

Periodically you can spray your coop or dust with poultry dust (permethrin) but frankly I would simply give them a dust bath and wait to see if you have a problem. Once they do have mites the chickens themselves need dusting (everywhere but the face) and repeat every 7 days x 1 for mites and x2 for lice. Be sure to dust under the wings and the vent area.

Hay makes me itchy and I cannot use it at all. So I cannot advise on the straw too much.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/701021/share-your-pictures-of-dust-dirt-baths

You want to avoid making the mites resistant to permethrin. So I only use it when I have an infestation.

 

[3riverschick]

We were discussing this on another BYC thread when a veteran breeder weighed in with the use of Naturewise Feather Fixer poultry feed. Apparently it has a mite fighter technology in it which causes the poop to create an environment inhospitable to mites as it exits the bird. The lady ( not the veteran breeder) who started the discussion was fighting a severe mite infestation and had tried several remedies without success. So she got the Feather Fixer ( 15.00 for 40. lbs. at Tractor Supply) and I have kept in touch with her. She is having good success overcoming the mite problem and her birds feathers, which are re-growing, she says have never looked better. I am impressed and as soon as I finish the feed I have, I am switching to Feather Fixer.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/820282/naturewise-feather-fixer-pellet-anyone-using
Best,
Karen

 

[MeepBeep]

Depending on the size of the coop, No Pest Strips can be a preventative option... They can be cut smaller for smaller coops as well...

 

[Caleb999]

Thanks for the suggestions. Thanks

 

[Caleb999]

Say I was wondering if it would be alright to ask fellow byc'ers about feather fixer feed. I just want to know about any pro's and cons it may have.

 

[MeepBeep]

Say I was wondering if it would be alright to ask fellow byc'ers about feather fixer feed. I just want to know about any pro's and cons it may have.

It probably won't hurt, but I'm skeptical of it's actual overall effectiveness even though some claim it does wonders... I'm a firm believer that correlation does not imply causation, unless there is a controlled study that backs it up the claim... It's claimed to have a natural proprietary mite preventative included, well that is not real quantitative at all and offers little insight as to what is inside... I suspect it might just be a mix of some essential oils that are known to irritate mites, and that probably won't hurt...

 

[aart]

Quote: Agrees x10