Bugs/Mites

[Jody Vrieze]

Is it possible to to have an infestation of bugs/mites during an unseasonably warm and rainy winter in my coop? What's the best way to eradicate it. There are even bugs crawling on my eggs. Help!

 

[U_Stormcrow]

YES. Mites love wet warm weather. I spray the coop with permethrin mix using a pump up garden sprayer when I have to treat it. Others prefer elector PSP (again, mixed with water, in a pump up sprayer) for coop treatment. Both work.

Both can also be used to treat your birds.


Good luck!!!

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Also, @Shadrach asked an excellent question in a related post. Its a question you should ask yourself. What kind of bugs (and if mites, which mites?) specifically.

 

[Jody Vrieze]

YES. Mites love wet warm weather. I spray the coop with permethrin mix using a pump up garden sprayer when I have to treat it. Others prefer elector PSP (again, mixed with water, in a pump up sprayer) for coop treatment. Both work.

Both can also be used to treat your birds.


Good luck!!!

Thanks so much!!

 

[Jody Vrieze]

Also, @Shadrach asked an excellent question in a related post. Its a question you should ask yourself. What kind of bugs (and if mites, which mites?) specifically.

I'm not sure. They're tiny and black.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Cell phone camera??? Maximum zoom.

Pictures might help.

If they are crawling around the coop, and you have a way to do so, pick them up w/ a piece of tape - they hold still better that way.

Or treat both the birds and the coop.

 

[Eggcessive]

If you are in the US, you can find Gordons or Martins permethrin 10 concentrate 8 ounces for under $12, that has to be mixed with water 1 tsp to each quart or liter of water. Use it in a spray bottle or garden sprayer for chickens or the coop facilities. Other brands may have a different mixing ratio. TSC carries the ones above. For the birds permethrin dust may be preferred so that chickens are not chilled when wet. That may be used at 7-10 day intervals. It killed the live lice or mites, and when repeated, kills the new bugs before they can reproduce. The coop spray will last up to 30 days. Be sure to remove all bedding, and treat roosts, nest boxes, and the coop before adding new bedding. Straw and hay can harbor mites. This link has pictures of both lice and mites close up to help identify them:
https://the-chicken-chick.com/poultry-lice-and-mites-identification/