Chicken Mites

[MissChicken]

My chickens have mites. Sometimes I see clumps of mite eggs under their wings. The mites themselves are quite small and are a reddish colour. They also saw off feathers and cause severe skin irritation. I have already tried LICE powder, but it did nothing. It also appears to transfer from chicken to chicken or through the straw. How can I treat this?!!

 

[fifelakelooper]

Try using Frontline spray under their wings and around vent area. (for dogs ) You can also spray with peretherim spray that you get from TSC.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

http://ohioline.osu.edu/vme-fact/0018.html
this might help

 

[chicken grandma]

Go to a pet store and find a pyrethrin product. In Michigan we can get 'Adam's flea and tick spray', ready to use for dogs and cats. The main active ingredients is pyrethrins which is an insecticide made from flowers. It is a strong poison to the mites and it can injure the birds if not used sparingly (use just a little bit, only as much as you have to).

Make sure you have the 'ready to use' concentration. There is a concentrate that has to be mixed, but the ready to use kind is easier and then you are sure to get it right.

One person should hold the chicken and another person should gently lift a wing and give a squirt under each wing and near the vent. Then let the chickens outside to get fresh air, because the pyrethrins smell strong. Do not spray them anywhere near the face or head.

Don't use the SPRAY mode. Just use a directed SQUIRT. Just get a squirt under each wing and near the vent because that is where the mites like to hang out. Your chickens will preen and spread the insecticide around on themselves.

I like to do this in the a.m. on a nice day so the hens can spend the day outdoors and the smell can go away. It is not a bad smell, just strong.

On a SEPARATE day, spray the perches if they are wood and other wooden parts of your coop where the chickens spend a lot of time. For example, the nest boxes. Mites can live in wood and on the chickens, so we spray our hens one day and then spray our perches another day. Again, spray in the a.m. when the chickens are not in the coop and then let the coop air out all day before putting the chickens back in.

Remember, it is poison to the mites and it can poison a chicken if they are soaked in it. A little bit should do the trick! I do this once per year. We lived in a tropical climate and I had to treat the birds and coop about 3 times a year.