getting rid of mites naturally?

[chickmagnet123]

you could you ashes from a fire, wash them in it one by one, then leave a bit of it in there to dust them selves with it when they want to. wash them when it gets dark there a bit drowsy so easy'er to catch

 

[chooks4life]

you could you ashes from a fire, wash them in it one by one, then leave a bit of it in there to dust them selves with it when they want to. wash them when it gets dark there a bit drowsy so easy'er to catch

Whether this is safe to do or not depends on what the fire was built of.

If chemical firestarters or fuels were used, this would be dangerous. Some woods are also too acidic to use.

I wouldn't personally think dusting or washing them in ashes is necessary since if enabled to they will 'wash' (dust bathe) themselves in it anyway. It just needs to be available. If water is added to ashes and they are soaked in it, they will use their mouths to clean themselves and like cats can overdose on something harmful that way.

That said, your idea there might work well in cases of severe lice infestation. But plenty of things would too, I guess it depends on what you find works best for you.

 

[PJFrymier]

Do you have a dust box for your chickens to bathe in? Before I ever got my first chicks I had spoken with several "old-timers" about the "old" way of preventing and/or treating mites, lice etc.. The number one answer I received was making sure the birds have a place to dust bathe. We took a plastic swimming pool and put dirt from our gardens in it. I also put appx 1 tbs of wood ashe from our stove and mixed the two together. You cannot use very much wood ash as in large amounts it is toxic to birds. So far in 5 years of having chickens I have not had a problem. Not sure how wood ash works to kill the pests but it has been very effective for me as I cannot use any insecticides due to well waters and protected endangered lizards here. I just cover their box when not in use allowing them to bathe when weather permits or at least once a week in the warm temps.

 

[chooks4life]

Quote: I believe it's got to do with the fineness of the particles and the acidity of them; theoretically they'd clog up orifices/feeding apparatus in the parasites and burn them and their eggs. Some ashes are too acidic though depending on tree species.

Good on you for not using chemicals! Your circumstance doesn't really prevent you, just your ethics, I know plenty of examples of people recklessly and illegally using chemicals irrespective of the guaranteed damage to the delicate areas they and the resident wildlife inhabit...

 

[PJFrymier]

Do you know what types of tree ashes are to acidic? Most of the wood we burn is oak, hickory and locust. The wood is very cured as we are still using from a bad storm from several years ago.

 

[chooks4life]

Do you know what types of tree ashes are to acidic? Most of the wood we burn is oak, hickory and locust. The wood is very cured as we are still using from a bad storm from several years ago.

Sorry, I don't know which for sure; someone on this forum said Ash was too acidic but asides from that I don't know, it'd be very localized; I'm in Australia so most ash we use is eucalyptus and pine and some hardwoods and I haven't seen any problems with that. That said, my birds have always freeranged so if they didn't like it, they'd dustbathe elsewhere and chances are I wouldn't pay attention to that as long as they were lice free, and I used multiple other things like D.Earth as well as dietary parasite controls like sulfur in the form of garlic.

If you cage them as a rule, you would be more likely to see any potential problems become a lot more likely to manifest. I wouldn't give them straight ash at any point, but mix it at a smaller ratio like one handful of ash to ten of soil. You can use other things like diatomaceous earth too.

I'd guess you'd have to seek information from those in your location and/or experiment, like make a few different ash/dirt combination 'baths' separately but freely available, and spend some time observing and seeing if they avoid any or frequent another. Also watch for reddened eyes, sneezing, etc. After a week you'd have a good idea what they don't want.

Best wishes.

 

[chickmagnet123]

i meant like dust bathes, but with ash you could just have a bonfire, but dont use gas or what ever just a normal bonfire then you could use the those ashes (wait at least a day or two to put the ash on them) it will suffocate the lice and mites on contact then leave like a bucket or tub of it in there coop they will "dust bathe" in it to

 

[gleier]

I used to keep a big bag of lime in my chicken coop and spread a thin film every so often to keep down any infestations. Also used it in the horse stalls and the areas where the horses stood around for long periods of time. Chickens are free range but sleep in the chicken coop at night. Well - - - have not used lime for a few years and have just found out that we now have a huge infestation of mites. So - - tomorrow will buy a new bag of lime. It really works for both sanitation, smell and bugs. Use sparingly. A little goes a long way. Just plain old cheap commercial lime.

 

[chooks4life]

I used to keep a big bag of lime in my chicken coop and spread a thin film every so often to keep down any infestations. Also used it in the horse stalls and the areas where the horses stood around for long periods of time. Chickens are free range but sleep in the chicken coop at night. Well - - - have not used lime for a few years and have just found out that we now have a huge infestation of mites. So - - tomorrow will buy a new bag of lime. It really works for both sanitation, smell and bugs. Use sparingly. A little goes a long way. Just plain old cheap commercial lime.

Agree. I always used this with the poultry and it also kills parasite eggs as well, and pathogens in the soil, excess or unhealthy fungi, and other issues. I used the deep litter method and lime was essential to getting it functioning.

 

[Maat]

Today I find mites