HortaChickenist
In the Brooder
Hola fellow Chickenologists,
This will be my first year raising birds end of this month and after first defeating an outbreak of dry fowl pox mother nature as decided to test my resolve yet again with a mite infestation and we have had over a foot of rain in the last three weeks (Jax, FL)
My coop maintenance is routine and I run....ran...a clean ship up til now..pine shavings changed every other week in our run...DE mixed in and a spray of IC3 concentrate with every change on the flooring (they are relegated to the run due to heavy predators in our area but plenty of space to roam.) Coop is sand floor and is also dusted, raked and sprayed with the IC3 and DE in the nesting boxes and in the sand flooring along with PDZ.
DE isn't doing it...dumped out a nesting box full of DE and full of mites!!! I bleach and wash out the nesting boxes every other week. Strange thing I haven't seen mites on the birds but I'll chalk that up to my bad eyesight...cause there's no way with all these mites running around they aren't chomping on my ladies. (All Layers BTW)
Going to do a spraying of the IC3 with mineral oil (recommended on the label) anyone have experience with this and did it work? How many apps to get things under control? Suggestions for meds for putting on the birds....btw I'm not into bird washing plus I have 22 and limited time given our 4 acre garden/orchard. I guess time to nuke the place until signs of mites subside.
This will be my first year raising birds end of this month and after first defeating an outbreak of dry fowl pox mother nature as decided to test my resolve yet again with a mite infestation and we have had over a foot of rain in the last three weeks (Jax, FL)
My coop maintenance is routine and I run....ran...a clean ship up til now..pine shavings changed every other week in our run...DE mixed in and a spray of IC3 concentrate with every change on the flooring (they are relegated to the run due to heavy predators in our area but plenty of space to roam.) Coop is sand floor and is also dusted, raked and sprayed with the IC3 and DE in the nesting boxes and in the sand flooring along with PDZ.
DE isn't doing it...dumped out a nesting box full of DE and full of mites!!! I bleach and wash out the nesting boxes every other week. Strange thing I haven't seen mites on the birds but I'll chalk that up to my bad eyesight...cause there's no way with all these mites running around they aren't chomping on my ladies. (All Layers BTW)
Going to do a spraying of the IC3 with mineral oil (recommended on the label) anyone have experience with this and did it work? How many apps to get things under control? Suggestions for meds for putting on the birds....btw I'm not into bird washing plus I have 22 and limited time given our 4 acre garden/orchard. I guess time to nuke the place until signs of mites subside.
