Help! Mites in my broody box?!?

[katiekuplin]

My broody hen is about 10 days into a hatching cycle and when she went out to poop today I realized her (isolated) brooding box is literally covered in mites! What do I do?

 

[Ameraucanas]

Oh my! That's terrible! Since I have no personal experience with mites, I can't offer you much advice, but this page seems very helpful- http://naturalchickenkeeping.blogspot.com/2012/12/natural-way-to-rid-chickens-of-lice.html.

Good luck!
-Ameraucanas

 

[SIMZ]

Are you sure they're mites? Do you happen to have a picture? Is it the outside or the inside? You'll need to take care of that quickly if it is! I'm sure she's covered as well.

If I were you, I would put her in a small dog crate or something and put the eggs somewhere else while you're treating the hen and the coop. The eggs should be fine for a few hours while you do this as long as they don't get chilled - bring them in the house or something.

I'd suggest cleaning the box out and getting rid of all the bedding and spraying it down (to soaking!) with permithrin spray that you can get at TSC. Then dust your hen with permithrin dust around her vent and under the wings. Wet spray may run the risk of breaking her broodiness, so dust may be better for her. When the box is dry then put fresh, clean bedding in and return the eggs and then the hen.

This could upset her and cause her to not sit anymore, but if there is a mite infestation in her coop, it is going to cause her to be very sick and run down. I've dusted broody hens before and it hasn't caused a problem with the eggs. Keep checking the hen and re-dusting the hen every 5 days or so and keep a close eye on the coop for mites.

Good luck!