How do i clean the coop after dusting for mites?

[islandchick75]

I have 5 hens in an 8 by 9 foot wooden coop, with a 12 by 12 foot outdoor run. I recently discovered mites, and after cleaning out the coop and dusting both the coop and the hens, i am now wondering what to do next? How long before we can eat the eggs again? Does the pesticide in the dusting powder just go away? Or will i need to clean the coop again in a few weeks to get rid of the powder/residue? (Would i need to hose it down to completely rid the coop of the powder or is it ok to just leave it?) i also noticed mites on their combs, which i covered with petroleum jelly. I covered their legs with petroleum jelly as well, just in case. I am not sure what else i can do? And how can i prevent mites in the first place? I definitely do not want to dust on a regular basis, because even with a mask i still developed lung congestion. I have heard the deep litter method prevents mites, but thats what i was using before the mites. I also have heard that using a dust bath with sand/DE/wood ash helps? But according to the lady at the feed store, nothing works beside the dusting powder. There is so much information out there it is quite confusing! I also have a problem with one hen bullying one other hen i have put the bully hen in a crate for now. Any advice on that topic also appreciated! Thanks!!

 

[Judy]

If you have a heavy infestation, you may need to remove all the litter and apply a miticide to all the surfaces, then repeat the whole process in 10 days, because the poison does not kill the eggs, which will have hatched by then. Be sure you spray the underside of the roosts and ito cracks. You can use several products, Sevin dust or liquid to spray surfaces, pyrethrin/permethrin, flea/tick spray for kittens, even a new product, Spinosad. DE is nearly useless, but wood ash in their dust bath is definitely helpful. The truth is, if you have chickens, you will have some of these bugs, though. They are carried by wild birds. I just sprinkle a light dusting of Sevin in the nests and here and there on the coop floor occasionallly, only a few times a year. I don't try to remove residue. Litter is changed once a year. I've never found a bug on a hen -- though I'm sure there have been some. See links.

The classic method for dealing with a bully is to remove it from the flock completely, so they don't see or hear each other, for a week. When you reintroduce the bully, she will be like a stranger, a new bird, so at the bottom of the pecking order.

http://ohioline.osu.edu/vme-fact/0018.html

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/818674/are-these-some-kind-of-egg-clusters/0_20#post_11897957

 

[islandchick75]

So if i just leave the dust in there it won't harm the eggs? can the eggs be eaten right away if washed, or should i wait a couple weeks? thanks for all of the info!!

 

[Judy]

I don't know of any egg withdrawal after dusting for mites.