HELP MITES

[Chicken gurl]

My flock has been battling mites for about a month now. DE will lower the numbers of them but the next week, they are all back. I am worried about my oldest hen, 5 year old Easter Egger. Her bum fluff is matted with poop, but it started before we got infested with mites. we have washed her several times but it always comes back. She is acting normal and laying still.

The mites are mostly on my laying hens, my younger ones (haven't reached laying age yet) have very few, which i don't understand because they feel the need to sleep in the nesting boxes. I could really use some other ideas. I was thinking of wash them all with Dawn dish soap and then putting a little bit of coconut oil in the worst areas, the spraying a mix of oil, water, and dish soap in the coop and roost. then dusting down the run (again). I don't know how well that will work though

 

[teach1rusl]

We've ended up with mites here 2x in the past 7 years, both times after a long winter and using straw for bedding (to help with the cold). I will not use straw again, no matter how cold it gets.

Here's what worked for us:

On my two birds that had them the worst, I bathed them - used dishwashing liquid (the water looked terrible there were so many!). Using an eye dropper, I applied 2 drops of Frontline Plus dog flea/tick repellent on each bird's neck (you have to make sure you're getting the liquid on the skin - not just the feathers. If your birds aren't tame, then you'll need to pick them up from the roost late evening and do this. If you don't have Frontline Plus, then a good dowsing around the vent area (again - making sure you get skin - not just feathers) with Frontline spray will work too (I've used THAT with my tiny seramas, as I was afraid I'd put too much of the dropped med).

The biggest pain is that you will need to remove and replace ALL bedding, including what's in your nest boxes. Before putting in new bedding, I sprinkled DE all over the floors and in the nest boxes. I also misted the roosts with the Frontline spray.

Ideally, you'd treat the birds again in about 10-14 days, just in case any mite eggs survived the spray and hatched.

I know many people do NOT like using chemicals, but it wiped out the mites in my flock (about 30 birds among three coops). It was not a fun couple of days though!!

 

[Chicken gurl]

Thanks for the advice!!! I know dusting them was a pain... I ended up getting a handful, putting a hand on their back and cupping my hand in the butt fluff. As far as dusting goes that method was easy and covered all of their butt, did get some nasty glares though. I will have to give your method a try, dusting doesn't seem to work too well.

 

[teach1rusl]

The thing with dust is that you often end up with more on YOU than on the birds. At least with drops, it's very strategic. Adams flea and tick spray may work as well - but Frontline is my go-to spray around here. Works on chickens, alpacas...plus dogs and cats

 

[BrushyHillGuide]

To help prevent bugs I've put dusting boxes in my 2 coops and I put quite a bit of DE in the dirt. They use it a lot before we get around to letting them out to free range in the mornings. So far so good; but, if min ever get mites, I'm going straight for the Frontline.

Can you apply Frontline plus to chickens? I'm curious if 1/2 the dose for a cat would work to keep them off a chicken for a month?


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[pauleberly]

Adding DE to their bedding and run will help with mites alot. We also mix in apple cider vinegar with the water and it should help deter mites and other bugs such as fleas (used this with dogs for years)

 

[teach1rusl]

Can you apply Frontline plus to chickens? I'm curious if 1/2 the dose for a cat would work to keep them off a chicken for a month?

I would use an eye dropper or Q-tip to apply - just a drop or two should be fine...maybe one drop on the skin of the back of the neck and one down around the butt area - since that's where mites seem to prefer. I would NOT suggest half a vial, even of the cat size.

 

[FarmerMac]

I would use an eye dropped or Q-tip to apply - just a drop or two should be fine...maybe one drop on the skin of the back of the neck and one down around the butt area - since that's where mites seem to prefer.  I would NOT suggest half a vial, even of the cat size.

Question about the eggs, if you use front line, can you still eat the eggs or do you have to put the in the trash?

 

[teach1rusl]

Question about the eggs, if you use front line, can you still eat the eggs or do you have to put the in the trash?

Honestly, I don't know!! We continued eating our eggs with no problems. But since it's a product normally used on dogs/cats, there's no "food/egg" withdrawal period warning... If anyone in your family has any sensitivity issues with Frontline when using it on your pets, I'd hold off eating the eggs. You'll have to use your own judgment.

 

[FarmerMac]

Thanks, I read somewhere in here about treating chickens with a chemical, I can't remember the name but they said that the eggs were no good for about a week. I never used front line, sometiems i dust them with DE and later soak them in warm water with lice soap to treat them.