How do I rid my coop of mites?

[allendianne]

I believe 2 of my 4 hens have scaly leg mites and just began treating them with a spray I picked up at Fleet Farm. I treated all the birds. The 2 that seem to have lifting scales, were year old free range birds when I acquired them, the other two we got as chicks. I am a new urban chicken farmer so am unsure as to how to treat my coop? We live in the cold far north so cleaning my 8X10 coop isnt easy because I cant exactly "clean" it by disinfecting it. My coop floor is bricked and I have about 6" of straw on the floor and I have some straw bales covering the drafty areas of the coop and they line the perimeter of the coop for insulating. Should I remove the straw? If so, how do I keep an otherwise uninsulated building warm enough for the chickens? I have 2 heat lamps that currently keep the temp 20-30 degrees. The chickens are all laying daily so dont seem to be stressed. As I treat their legs, I just want to be sure they arent reinfected.

 

[willowbranchfarm]

The mites only live on their legs not in the coop so you need to worry about treating the coop.

 

[Chick_In_The_Burbs]

Ok, step one is to remove all the bedding, including the bales. As long as that stuff is there it will be nearly impossible short of total chemical warfare to get rid of the mites. Next, step scrub the floors and walls as best you can with whatever you have. A mild bleach water mix would be good, others may have other recommendations for soaps or detergents. Lastly, sprinkle DE liberally and seven dust sparingly but evenly. Then put in new hay/straw and new bales. Be sure the dust has settled before you let the chickens back in, btw. Breathing too much of either could cause mild respiratory issues.

Mites are aggravating. They can hide in the tiniest crevasses and crannies and even scrubbing down an entire coop won't get them all, hence the DE and seven dust to try and get any that are left.

Good luck.

 

[Chick_In_The_Burbs]

The mites only live on their legs not in the coop so you need to worry about treating the coop.

Hummm... My experience is with regular mites, not leg mites so ignore my post. I didn't know leg mites were limited like that.

 

[Suzie]

The simple and cheapest way to treat leg mites is by smothering the legs with vaseline - rub in well up to where the feathers start on the legs - the vaseline suffocates the mites... treat again in a few days and all should be well. the scales will eventually drop off and new ones will appear...! Do NOT scrub the legs with a toothbrush etc... you can cause bleeding and infection!

Good luck

(Messy job but worthwhile)

Suzie

 

[Cknldy]

NuStock. Read the first few posts of 'the road less travelled'. Beekissed describes nustock and how it helps her chickens. Also, i use sevin dust. Some are against it and some are for it. I had some newbies given to me only to discover they were full of lice. Sprinkled some sevin dust on them, bedding, and around perimeter of coop. They were so bad on 6 1/2 wk old chicks that i dusted 3 days straight, then once a week until no signs of lice.

 

[allendianne]

I will keep this is mind. Thanks! Scrubbing the coop out would be impossible unless I wanted to create an ice rink in my coop and I dont think I need any extra humidity considering our weather outside hovers between -10 to 20 degrees. I am hoping this is leg mites only but now wonder if I should be concerned about other mites or louse? Can these critters survive in a Minnesota winter on an animal?

 

[allendianne]

Thank you, I will try this. Since I only have 4, and they dont mind being held, I think I can do this. I believe, looking at pictures, the situation isnt too advanced.

 

[allendianne]

Thank you Rebecca! I am a much older girl, but I LOVE my chickens. I was raised in 4-H and on a beef farm so chickens are new to me! I live in a small city so dont have many people to ask my chicken questions to! I would certainly contact you when I have more questions. Some of the items you mentioned I have not heard of so will check into! Thanks for your input!

 

[allendianne]

The simple and cheapest way to treat leg mites is by smothering the legs with vaseline - rub in well up to where the feathers start on the legs - the vaseline  suffocates the mites... treat again in a few days and all should be well. the scales will eventually drop off and new ones will appear...! Do NOT scrub the legs with a toothbrush etc... you can cause bleeding and infection!

Good luck

(Messy job but worthwhile)

Suzie