bugs!

[jrabbit]

I just patted around the girls' nest (which is in the most inconvenient corner of their roosting house - where I can't actually "see", so I must feel around). There weren't any eggs, so I walked back to the house and was instantly overwhelmed by a crawling sensation on my arm/hand. The bugs were teeeeeny tiny, like aphid-size. I swatted them off and headed to the garage for the DE. I spread DE all in their house and in their run (they are free-range mostly, but they live in a tractor and are closed up til after I get back from the kids' morning swim class).

Unfortunately, we cannot clean out the house or rake the run til tomorrow night at the earliest, and that will be a stretch. I think that would be the best solution, but I have to make do til we can manage.

Is there any chance the DE will kill the bugs? Can I dust the hens with it? (If I can catch them, that is.) The bag does not actually say food-grade, but we got it at the local feed store, which is really really good about chickens and supplies. (I think it is Rabbit Hill Farm brand, but I"ll have to go outside to double-check.)

I showered just now, but I still feel like my skin is crawling!!!!

The hens have been slacking on eggs this week ... wonder if the bugs have anything to do with that? It's freakin' hot here in Houston, and it just won't rain. (they have plenty of feed & water)

--janis

 

[Ridgerunner]

You might have roost mites, especially if the chickens roost in the nest. This site may help with a better explanation and photos. It is possible it is something else. I'd certainly clean and change the nesting material as soon as reasonale.

Ohio State – Mites and Lice
http://ohioline.osu.edu/vme-fact/0018.html

If it is mites, DE will probably not eradicate them. It is very likely you will have to use something stronger. I prefer Sevin but there are other products.

Mites can affect egg production but so can the heat.

 

[jrabbit]

I just went out the check for eggs again, and i picked up our one hen who seems to be broody and is always on the nest. I held her and looked her over (haha, she's grey, and I'm looking for microscopic brown bugs ... fat chance) - anyway, I didn't get a handful of mites, so my uneducated opinion is that she doesn't have them as bad as the coop.

However, upon returning indoors, I keep felling like my skin is crawling, and I found 3 on me. ick. I'm not a bug-phobic person, but this is icky.

Sux.

Now I need to see if there is any way possible to go muck out the hen house. I just don't see it happening with 3 kids and Houston-heat. and then I have to go to the feed store.

 

[jrabbit]

if I decide to use Sevin, how long do I have to avoid eating their eggs?

 

[Brindlebtch]

Eeeeyyyyeewwww!

I have gotten mites from wild birds before (I rehab) and it is a nasty feeling, isn't it?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Quote:
I spoke to an Ag Professor at the University of Arkansas about this. He said you do not have to avoid the eggs. Do not dust the eggs with Sevin or purposely get Sevin on them, but if you treat the hen and the nest, the eggs are supposed to be OK. I personally would skip a day as I am overcautious about things like this, but the eggs are supposed to be fine.

 

[feather leg farms]

Here is how to put mites and lice in their place. LOL!

Our Barred Rocks had stopped laying. We did everything we could think of to get them back into laying. We gave them higher protein, moved them to another part of the yard, etc. We still got nothing. Finally I asked www.mypetchicken.com what to do for hens that won't lay. I told them everything we tried. They said to check for Mites or Lice. They stress chickens out. This afternoon after we came home, I checked them to see if they had them. Well, you won't believe what I found. Little orange and red critter everywhere. EVEN ON MY SHOWGIRLS, AAAAAHHHHHHH! I dusted them today and we will just have to see in about a week if they are gone. So thanks to My Pet Chicken.com we may be on the fast track to egg production again. YYYYYYYYEEEEEEEYYYYYYY!!!!!!!

Cheyenne

 

[jrabbit]

but what did you dust them "with" ?

 

[purpletree23]

DE is a preventative. You have to use Sevin dust. If it is too hot and you are too busy right now you can pull the litter away from the walls of the coop and dust with Sevin heavily all the way around on the floor. Push he bedding back against the walls. While the chickens are outside take the bedding out of the laying boxes and dust them. Especially in the corners. Put fresh bedding in. You can dust the chickens also. Actually I would recommend it. Mites can actually cause your chickens to become very sick and even die. I have my husband hold then and gently dust under each wing, on their tummys and around their vents and back of the neck. Try not to breath any of the dust in. You or the chickens. In the Fall when temps are cooler (or before) the coop will need a good cleaning out. When I do that I get all of the litter out and spray the walls and floor and every nook and cranny with Sevin liquid mixed with water according to the directions. Let it dry thooughly and replace bedding.

You might also want to consider a wormer like Ivermectin pour on. It is for cattle but works for chickens. At the base of their neck by the shoulders push the feathers apart and ON THE SKIN NOT THE FEATHERS apply 6 drops of Ivermectin. It kills internal worms and I think lice and mites. Repeat that every 6 months.

 

[Lady_Cluck]

Another great option for getting rid of mites and lice is Carefree Enzymes Poultry Protector:

http://carefreeenzymes.com/id36.html

It works great! Kills the bugs (not instantly; read the website to see how it works) AND cleans away the eggs they leave behind. It also does a great job of keeping lice and mites away. It's non-toxic -- no nasty chemicals. And therefore no need to wait or worry about eating the eggs.