How can I treat lice and mites?!?!

[Hmeddaugh]

I have a rooster who has some frostbite so I brought him inside to treat and noticed he has mites! How do I treat the coop and chickens fast and effectively? I read to use food grade DE but then read it’s a bad idea. Help!! I have 8 of my neighbors chickens in my coop because her burnt down and I’m not sure if they came from them?

 

[Watermelon123]

For mites my go to is permectrin. You can sometimes find a specific "for chickens" spray at the feed store, but I prefer the concentrated stuff.
Its something like 20mL/gallon, I don't typically use much more than that. Spray the birds, coop, and roosts once now then again in about a week. Make sure to get the areas around the vent and under the wings, as thats where mites like to hide. I haven't messed around with DE enough to say whether or not it works, but I haven't heard good things about it.

This year has been bad for mites, i've had to treat mine on multiple occasions. It certainly is possible your neighbor's birds brought over mites, it can be hard to tell who got mites from who. I wish you the best of luck!

 

[Hmeddaugh]

For mites my go to is permectrin. You can sometimes find a specific "for chickens" spray at the feed store, but I prefer the concentrated stuff.
Its something like 20mL/gallon, I don't typically use much more than that. Spray the birds, coop, and roosts once now then again in about a week. Make sure to get the areas around the vent and under the wings, as thats where mites like to hide. I haven't messed around with DE enough to say whether or not it works, but I haven't heard good things about it.

This year has been bad for mites, i've had to treat mine on multiple occasions. It certainly is possible your neighbor's birds brought over mites, it can be hard to tell who got mites from who. I wish you the best of luck!

Thank you! I’ve had nothing but problems now that winter has started! My first year with chickens I’ve had to treat for coccidia right before winter then we have had a few freezing days (I’m in Wisconsin) and now a few of my roosters have mild frostbite except the one in the house has it starting on a toe and now the lice/mite issues. It’s very discouraging I love my chickens but all these issues makes me want to give up. I feel like a bad chicken mom!

 

[Hmeddaugh]

Another thing about having to put stuff on the birds I am in Wisconsin and we have below zero temps so I don’t want to freeze them. We have a heat lamp in the coop but lately with it so cold it feels like it doesn’t do much.

 

[Watermelon123]

Thank you! I’ve had nothing but problems now that winter has started! My first year with chickens I’ve had to treat for coccidia right before winter then we have had a few freezing days (I’m in Wisconsin) and now a few of my roosters have mild frostbite except the one in the house has it starting on a toe and now the lice/mite issues. It’s very discouraging I love my chickens but all these issues makes me want to give up. I feel like a bad chicken mom!

Another thing about having to put stuff on the birds I am in Wisconsin and we have below zero temps so I don’t want to freeze them. We have a heat lamp in the coop but lately with it so cold it feels like it doesn’t do much.

It seems to be like that all over. My best show bird had his comb frostbitten with that first big freeze, and some respiratory thing ran rampant through my coop this spring. They're all okay now but man was it a battle.

I haven't had a problem treating with permethrin in the winter (you never want to soak them), but I havent had to deal with below freezing weather with my birds (spoiled birds get a heater).
Without going the spray route, you can use sevin garden dust. Just put some dust on and work it into the feathers. Treating the coop is much the same, just sprinkle it around, making sure to get the perches, nests, and corners of the coop.

 

[Hmeddaugh]

It seems to be like that all over. My best show bird had his comb frostbitten with that first big freeze, and some respiratory thing ran rampant through my coop this spring. They're all okay now but man was it a battle.

I haven't had a problem treating with permethrin in the winter (you never want to soak them), but I havent had to deal with below freezing weather with my birds (spoiled birds get a heater).
Without going the spray route, you can use sevin garden dust. Just put some dust on and work it into the feathers. Treating the coop is much the same, just sprinkle it around, making sure to get the perches, nests, and corners of the coop.

Thanks again!! What do you use to heat your coop? I feel the heat lamp is pointless but I’m so scared about fires. Just in October my neighbors coop started fire because of a heat lamp I had to run over and save all of her chickens call the fire dept and then try to catch all of them.

 

[Watermelon123]

Yeah the chance of fires are always on my mind when using a heater, but I think the chance is worth it to keep them warm, because many of my breeds are not cold hardy.

My "coop" is a 10x12 shed, so I can get away with an inexpensive space heater on cinder blocks (It was about 30 bucks). The one I have automatically turns off when it overheats or tips over so I feel comfortable leaving it in there for an amount of time. The cord is connected to the garage with a covered extension chord.

 

[aart]

I have a rooster who has some frostbite so I brought him inside to treat and noticed he has mites! How do I treat the coop and chickens fast and effectively? I read to use food grade DE but then read it’s a bad idea. Help!! I have 8 of my neighbors chickens in my coop because her burnt down and I’m not sure if they came from them?

They may have came from neighbors birds, if you didn't have them before that.
Permethrin dust might be better in freezing temps.
DE won't kill lice or mites, so don't bother using it.

Frostbite might be because of too many birds in a coop without enough ventilation?
Might start a new thread here showing pics of your coop, inside and out,
and how many birds you have.

And another new thread here for the bird with frostbit feet.

 

[Hmeddaugh]

They may have came from neighbors birds, if you didn't have them before that.
Permethrin dust might be better in freezing temps.
DE won't kill lice or mites, so don't bother using it.

Frostbite might be because of too many birds in a coop without enough ventilation?
Might start a new thread here showing pics of your coop, inside and out,
and how many birds you have.

And another new thread here for the bird with frostbit feet.

That really could be an issue having to many birds? I had to take in my neighbors birds because of her coop burning down so I know we have to many birds but not sure what to do about it. I feel bad she has no place for her chickens and didn’t have time to build a new coop because winter.

 

[aart]

That really could be an issue having to many birds?

Yes, lack of ventilation so moist ammonia laden air has nowhere to escape can only be made worse by an overcrowded coop.
If you post some pics if your coop in a new thread here , inside and out, with dimensions and how many birds we can help you make improvements.