Help Please! RED MITES

[bristolegghead]

I have been hit with Red Mites. I visited the wooden coop ( a converted wooden shed) in the dark last night and was horrified to see the 3 hens sat on the floor not on their roosts and lots of red mites - some grey , some brown crawling around everywhere. Some of these got onto my arms also so I showered straight away and all ok I am determined to get rid of these things as the hens are not looking their best and i've heard the mites can make them anemic and more suseptible to diesease. I am going to clean the hen house well with strong detergent tonight getting into all the nooks and crannies, spary all of it with the strong detergent and wait for it to dry before letting the chickens back in, dust the hens with red mite powder and dust the bedding also. Im also going to put vaseline around alot of the house to stop the mites in their tracks. Does anyone have any advice if this will work? I have ordered some Diatomaceous Earth (smite powder) which I will use long term and I plan to re apply the detergent (diluted jeyes) every 4 days until they are gone. Other than a blast of hot weather last week is there any reason why the red mites have come? The hens are well fed and watered and have lots of space.The coop is cleaned out regularly and there is rarely poop on their roost or egg boxes/ When will the hens start to roost in their proper place again rather than on the floor? I think it must be a bad infestation if they are not going up anywhere to roost? Thanks

 

[JerseyGiantfolk]

Yes clean the coop. Wood coops have more of a problem with mites because they have those little nooks and crannies in them. Be sure to rinse the roost and the laying boxes.

Since this sounds more of a big infestation, I'd use chemicals first like "Adams PLUS Flea and Tick Mist" you can sprinkle a little DE in if you'd like.

Spray the hens for mites too. Spray under the wings, around the vent, the abdomen, along the inside of the tail feathers, on the hackles and around the Uropygial Gland (oil gland at the base of the tail feathers (also shown in the link in my signature)). That's where the mites like to hang out on the hens.

Spray the coop with mite/flea spray too.

Good luck.

 

[bristolegghead]

Thanks for the reply. I cleaned out the coop and drenced it all with a strong detergent spray. This seemed to kill most of them. I then sprayed all of the house with an insecticide which apparently kills or crawling insects - pethryin or something - . I burnt all their bedding. I then doused the chickens in red mite powder liberally and waited for the coop to dry before letting them back in. I visited them overnight and they seemed to be far less distressed than the previous night - I did see a few mites crawling around on them, they were still squatting on the floor rather than on their perches above . This mornng there were alot of dead mites all over the coop and the hens seemed more active. I think they actually looked better and their combs were redder but that might just be my imagination! Im going to repeat the whole process in 3 days and keep my fingers crossed. Any advice would be welcome

 

[yo burrill]

Good luck!!! I had a bout with Mites a few years ago. Lost a few baby chicks that were just hatching to them. I dusted the coop and birds with livestock lice powder and that seem to work very well. Didnt see any more after that. Over the 10 plus years that Ive had chickens off and on Ive had one bout with mites and two cases of lice.

 

[JerseyGiantfolk]

Thanks for the reply. I cleaned out the coop and drenced it all with a strong detergent spray. This seemed to kill most of them. I then sprayed all of the house with an insecticide which apparently kills or crawling insects - pethryin or something - . I burnt all their bedding. I then doused the chickens in red mite powder liberally and waited for the coop to dry before letting them back in. I visited them overnight and they seemed to be far less distressed than the previous night - I did see a few mites crawling around on them, they were still squatting on the floor rather than on their perches above . This mornng there were alot of dead mites all over the coop and the hens seemed more active. I think they actually looked better and their combs were redder but that might just be my imagination! Im going to repeat the whole process in 3 days and keep my fingers crossed. Any advice would be welcome

Awesome! Just clean out the coop regularly (like once every 1-2 weeks) to keep the mites down. I'm sure your hens feel happy now!

 

[bristolegghead]

The mites seem to be gone but the hens are still not roosing up high. They just squat on the floor of the coop at night. Not s ure if they will ever return to their roosts even though the roosts are mite free and clean now?? Also I have noticed a few mites on me even when I am in my own house! :s Do you know if these mites can infest human homes?

 

[yo burrill]

That I dont know.....

 

[JerseyGiantfolk]

The mites seem to be gone but the hens are still not roosing up high. They just squat on the floor of the coop at night. Not s ure if they will ever return to their roosts even though the roosts are mite free and clean now?? Also I have noticed a few mites on me even when I am in my own house! :s Do you know if these mites can infest human homes?

Swallows (the birds) can build nests around your home with mud and straw- sometimes harboring mites and bedbugs. So it's best to just keep your home clean all around. I mainly bring fleas from the chicken coop inside my room; but since I vacuum, all is well. I've never had mites in my house (or jacket) after cleaning the coop because I have some remaining mite dust on me.

 

[bristolegghead]

I defeated the red mites with 3 deep cleans using disinfectant, red mite powder on the hens and liberally using the DE stuff all around the coop. No evidence of a red mite for 4 weeks

 

[Folly's place]

I had a miserable mite episode last spring; clean out pyrethrin powder, spray UGH!!! I also had a horrible asthma flairup myself because of the powder with a useless face mask.. Wear a really good mask!! Some of my birds were weak and anemic; if yours are, they should recover and go back to their roosts. Mary