Gah! Mites!

[julie0477]

So about three weeks ago I find tiny little bugs crawling on my eggs in the coop. Ick. So I clean the coop out and keep an eye on my roo and girls. About a week later I find the bugs again. I took a flash light to my rooster and found them under his wings. I cleaned the coop out again and sprayed it down with Poultry Protector and sprayed each chicken. A week has gone by and they are clearly not gone. I am trying to avoid pesticides if at all possible but if I have to, I have to.

After consulting with a good friend of mine who also has a backyard flock, I have decided on a new plan of action. I've ordered 10 lbs of DE from Amazon (great deal). I plan to dust the coops and chickens with this weekly. While I am waiting on it to arrive I plan to buy the Poultry Protector in concentrate (today) and basically bath my chickens in it in our baby pool.

Any one have any better ideas? Think this will do the trick? My poor roo especially is obviously quite uncomfortable by now. If this doesn't work I suppose I will have to go for the permethrin.

Let me know what you think!

 

[TaylorHobbyFarms]

We have also used Poultry Protector over the years with little success.

Now, we use Poultry Dust from Tractor Supply and powder a little on the bottom of our chickens. As long as I do this monthly, the mites stay gone. I have not tried DE, but I have heard both good and bad reports on it.

 

[julie0477]

Ahhh, thanks for the info. I went thru with the first part of my plan. I drenched all of my chickens in the Poultry Guard. Cleaned the coop out and treated that as well. I also put a vaseline/tea tree/peppermint concoction on all of their legs as the rooster looked like he had some scaley leg mites. I still see some mites, but not as many as before. I'm still waiting on the DE (I mail ordered it). If that doesn't work and work well after about a week I'll try the poultry dust you suggested. Thanks for the help! I hate bugs!!!

 

[barbiegirl]

I tired DE in my coop and it didn't work. I used Sevin liquid and tea tree oil and water. The tea tree oil killed the mites on contact!

 

[julie0477]

Well, my DE is being delivered today so I am about to find out. My mite population has dropped dramatically with the Poultry Protector, but they are still present. Tonight my rooster gets a bath (he had them the worst) and their dust bath area gets the DE, plus my two coops. We will see how things look after about a week.

 

[julie0477]

Yay! Just inspected my rooster. Mites are gone. There have been no sign of them
In the coop for days and none on mr rooster. Giddy up!

 

[barbiegirl]

Awesome. My tractor supply guy said the mites are bad this year. Alot of people asking how to get rid of them.