Did mites kill our chick?

[ChickensinAfrica]

Today one of our 1 week old chicks died and we noticed it was covered in mites. It was doing fine until we moved it into its new coop. There are 3 more chicks. We do not have any access to commercial mite killer because we live in southern Africa. What can we use as an alternative as mite killer? We cannot move the mother and chicks back because the mother has a habit of pecking and chasing our other hen that is sitting on eggs.

 

[sourland]

Absolutely. You must clean and spray the coop and treat the birds or you may very well lose the other chicks and even the hen.

 

[LittleBird123]

You can rub some Diatomaceous Earth into the chicks and hens feathers, also sprinkle a bit in their coop after you clean and wash it all out. Do this for about a week or until you no longer see mites. Just make sure you don't get any in their mouth, nose, or eyes.

 

[Cellomama2]

I've been using DE for three days now with no luck on my chicks. How long does it take to see an improvement?

 

[lazy gardener]

I would not expect DE to control a mite infestation. To OP: can you get any type of garden insecticide? Permethrin? Sevin? What insecticides are available to you there?

 

[ChickensinAfrica]

I would not expect DE to control a mite infestation. To OP: can you get any type of garden insecticide? Permethrin? Sevin? What insecticides are available to you there?

That's the problem, its hard to get anything that will not kill the chickens. I don't even know if you can get Diatomaceous Earth here.

 

[ChickensinAfrica]

I'll check a few of the stores around here though.

 

[Cindysrescue]

I used the soap and oil spray on this website and it worked really well. I sprayed down the coop with it.
www.fresheggsdaily.com/2013/02/mites-how-to-prevent-them-and-treat.html?m=1

I also put wood ash in the dust bathing areas and rubbed wood ash into the chicken's feathers. It sounds ridiculous, but it worked in my flock.

 

[Swiftbow]

My poultry book (Storey's Guide to Raising Poultry) had a guide for mite control we've been (mostly) following. Mix up vegetable oil (we use the old stuff from our deep fryer) with kerosene in a 50/50 combination. Then paint that onto the roosts and woody spots where mites can hide. We haven't had to yet, but the guide says you can paint it on the chicken's legs, too, to kill what's already on them. The suggestion is to paint it into the roosts about once a month.

The coop only smells like fried chicken for an hour or so, so it PROBABLY doesn't freak them out.

 

[ChickensinAfrica]

Now using soap and oil spray(Neem oil seems to work best) and it is working very well 2 chicks made it and are strong and healthy. Also just today 4 more chicks hatched and are doing fine with way less mites in the coop.