Do you get chicken mites on you often?

[Hillbilly Hen]

Has anyone used Orange Guard to get rid of the mites/lice? I have heard that it can be used to prevent them but does it get rid of them?

 

[yourtotalimage]

We have a mite - y problem, though haven't seen excessive behavior...just for the last week I come out of the coop feeling buggy & saw one on my friend yesterday. Probably came with the grown Rhode Island Reds we got & didn't check them over. We are using the deep layer method, with pine shavings and a covering layer of DE food grade & alternating. The matted down layers are about 4 inches or more after a month of doing this, and I wonder if we need to remove all the layering, clean, spray with citrus oil and then start the layering over. Plus, dust the birds with DE, of course. We have 24. As we are new to the 'layering', we don't know if there is any way that is better than another. Any suggestions/comments on the layering, the mites or anything else:rolleyes?

 

[catterbug]

I am confused about throwing eggs away when having to dust for bugs? Do I throw them away and for how long?

 

[gsim]

According to posts I have seen on this forum, DE cannot get rid of an infestation or treat a chook that has already got mites. It can prevent them from starting tho. Some put it in their litter and in their dust bath areas.

If mine get mites, I am going to dust them with 10% sevin dust which will kill them, pronto. I likely will dump the eggs in the garden soil.

Gerry

 

[St George Farm]

Well, this answers my question about all the itchy bites I have since getting grown chickens! We got them from an Amish farm and when I came home from being in their barn to pick out my chickens - I had bites all over. I was wearing shorts and a tank top and the chickens were flying all around as the owner tried to catch them. So now, I have these chickens with some kind of infestation. My four are not friendly yet (2 weeks) so I don't pick them up. But every time I go into the coop with shorts on I get another itchy bump! I've started to wear pants, socks and long sleve shirt which seems to help.
Our coop is new as is all the bedding etc. Should I still clean it out and start over? Should I use oil and DE and Sevin on the birds? What about the eggs? How long do I have to throw them away for after I dust the birds???

These are the first chickens I ever had and I've been reading the forum every day for information - thanks to you all!

 

[kbunny]

OK, don't see this question here yet: How do you know if you have mites in the first place???

Today I spotted a red mite on the outside of the coop, but it seemed bigger than chicken mites are described as being - I could clearly see its legs. So I'm thinking it might have been a spider mite.

My chickens have been in their new coop 5 days. I notice that they are preening more than they did indoors in the brooder, though it is not constant. They seem to preen the most right at sundown. Don't know if this means anything. I thought it was just something they do. But then I read that mites are more active at night.

I've inspected several of the chickens both in daylight and at night by flashlight, making sure to check the skin under wings and around the vent, and could not see anything on them.

Nonetheless, since seeing that mite today and then reading up on the subject I am totally paranoid I have them! I am for sure starting with DE tomorrow. Guess I didn't quite realize that it is supposed to be used preventatively.

But anyway, what are the ways to tell if you have bugs (and what kind)?

 

[gsim]

Quote:
Re-do the litter/bedding and add sevin dust 10% to the floor and in bottoms of nests. Dust each chook thoroughly too. Re-do in maybe 10 days to take care of eggs. Once you have killed them off, you are not likely to have your flock re-infested. Wild birds landing and mingling with your birds can cause parasites to infest your flock. I do not free-range and so have not had a problem yet in my two years of doing this. All of mine came from same breeder (Mlyers in Ohio) so since I have never taken in any other chickens, seems my flock stays clean of parasites as far as I can tell.

Gerry

 

[nefarmgal]

Is the "Poultry and Garden Dust" from the feed store the same as Sevin? How long do after application do you have to wait to eat the eggs? Do the mites make the eggs unsafe to eat or the chemicals used to treat the mites? This is my first infestation with mites as well.

 

[crazypolish57]

yes they do .one day i wet down to put them in for the night ,when i came up i saw them on me

 

[gsim]

You do not have to throw any eggs away. The sevin dust does not affect them whatsoever. You can buy it most anywhere in garden dept of any store. Do take care to get the 10% and not the 5%. Double potency, and a wonderful flea powder to keep around your dogs' neck and in their ears. Great for keeping ticks off too.

Can be mixed with carboryl which is what 'flea powder' is made of.

Gerry