Ever Been Bit By Northern Fowl Mites?

[CMV]

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Yes. It works alright to deter them. I use it, but I still get mites fairly regularly in my flock due to the close proximity in which my birds live with wild birds. Apparently, a memo has gone out in the wild ground bird populations of my area that my yard is a "bird friendly" zone. I have ruffed grouses, woodcocks and an occasional turkey that have set up housekeeping in my yard. It wreaks havoc with any biosecurity I might attempt, but it is really neat to show my daughter the wild cousins of our chickens up close.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

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I sprinkled copious amounts of DE all over the bedding once a week and they still got Northern Fowl Mites. But I didn't dust the birds. Maybe that's what got me.

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

Yes...we have them very bad here. It was a very wet spring and the wild birds are the worst carriers. I just recently invested in 5/8" nylon wire to cover the tops of my runs (it was 2" wire) and the sparrows were coming in & spreading their mites! I also got small mortar tubs from Home Depot put in potting soil, ashes from the wood stove, food grade DE & Sevin dust. Each pen has a dusting bowl. I stripped all of the coops down to bare wood, coated everything in Sevin dust (especially the roosts & nest boxes) & then mixed more Sevin dust & DE into the pine shavings I put down.

I think prevention is the greatest thing--and since switching to the smaller wire, the sparrows are unable to get in.

 

[GardenerGal]

Sparrows are a big problem here too. They can squeeze thru the tiniest opening. If they can get their head thru, their body will get thru too. I have to hardware-cloth everything to keep those little "mite delivery vans" out of the coop.