How to Prevent Mites
Of course the first line of defense against poultry mites is prevention. Keeping your coop litter clean, disinfecting the coop on a regular basis, not over crowding your flock, and keeping them away from wild birds is a good start.
Also helpful is the use of diatomaceous earth in the coop (especially in the cracks and corners), in the nest boxes, in the dust bath areas, and even on your birds.
But sometimes even the most proactive chicken owner will find mites on their hens. If you find yourself in that position, here's some ways to combat the infestation.
How to Get Rid of Mites
There are commercially available sprays and powders to help eliminate mites once they're present. It's a good idea to spray the coop and the surrounding environment as well as your hens. Make sure to get the litter, the nesting boxes and both sides of your birds.
There are also pest resin strips available for mites and lice. These are often placed in nest boxes or near food/water containers to make sure all chickens are exposed to them.
Some chicken owners periodically dust their hens with pest control powders made especially for lice and mites as a preventative measure and can be shaken onto the birds, especially under the wings, and around the vent areas.
All of these methods come with directions which need to be followed in order to successfully treat the mites without harming your flock.
A Note About Red Mites
Remember when dealing with red mites that they don't live on your chickens, but in the cracks of the coop. Thoroughly disinfect your coop and pay special attention to those problem areas where mites might be hiding. If you have access to a pressure washer, that's all the better. And some people have reported using a wet dry vacuum to clean the coop prior to disinfecting it (although if you do this, I'd suggest that you designate the vacuum to coop cleaning only and not use it in other ways around your house and property).
A Note about Scaly Leg Mites
The old-timer chicken farmers suggest using petroleum jelly (like Vaseline) on the legs of your infected chickens. This will suffocate the mites and kill them. This is a non-toxic, inexpensive home remedy, but it's also messy.
There are also sprays for leg mites available through a veterinarian.
Fowl tick and chickensOf course the first line of defense against poultry mites is prevention. Keeping your coop litter clean, disinfecting the coop on a regular basis, not over crowding your flock, and keeping them away from wild birds is a good start.
Also helpful is the use of diatomaceous earth in the coop (especially in the cracks and corners), in the nest boxes, in the dust bath areas, and even on your birds.
But sometimes even the most proactive chicken owner will find mites on their hens. If you find yourself in that position, here's some ways to combat the infestation.
How to Get Rid of Mites
There are commercially available sprays and powders to help eliminate mites once they're present. It's a good idea to spray the coop and the surrounding environment as well as your hens. Make sure to get the litter, the nesting boxes and both sides of your birds.
There are also pest resin strips available for mites and lice. These are often placed in nest boxes or near food/water containers to make sure all chickens are exposed to them.
Some chicken owners periodically dust their hens with pest control powders made especially for lice and mites as a preventative measure and can be shaken onto the birds, especially under the wings, and around the vent areas.
All of these methods come with directions which need to be followed in order to successfully treat the mites without harming your flock.
A Note About Red Mites
Remember when dealing with red mites that they don't live on your chickens, but in the cracks of the coop. Thoroughly disinfect your coop and pay special attention to those problem areas where mites might be hiding. If you have access to a pressure washer, that's all the better. And some people have reported using a wet dry vacuum to clean the coop prior to disinfecting it (although if you do this, I'd suggest that you designate the vacuum to coop cleaning only and not use it in other ways around your house and property).
A Note about Scaly Leg Mites
The old-timer chicken farmers suggest using petroleum jelly (like Vaseline) on the legs of your infected chickens. This will suffocate the mites and kill them. This is a non-toxic, inexpensive home remedy, but it's also messy.
There are also sprays for leg mites available through a veterinarian.
Ticks cause anemia, weight loss, decreased egg production, and general weakness in chickens. In the South, where this type of tick is most common, it can cause serious illness and even death in chickens. If you suspect ticks, go out and get a chicken several hours after dark and examine the skin closely in a good light. When filled with blood after their nightly meal, they’re large enough to see easily.
Ticks are difficult to control. You don’t treat the chicken; you treat its surroundings. This means spraying housing and treating pasture areas and trimming or removing weeds and debris around poultry housing. Ask a vet for recommendations on tick control products.
Chickens and chiggers
Chiggers are nasty little bugs that don’t mind feeding on humans as well as chickens. Chickens get chiggers when they roam grassy areas or come into contact with hay or straw that’s infested with them. Chiggers cause great distress to chickens. They may appear ill and have no interest in eating or drinking. Their feathers appear fluffed up, and they scratch their skin a lot. Young birds sometimes die from heavy infestations.
The control of chiggers is the same as with ticks: You treat the environment. In addition, any hay or straw stored close to chickens may need to be moved or destroyed.
Don’t try to eliminate parasites by spraying your housing with old-time remedies like kerosene or fuel oil. These products are environmental pollutants that cause more harm than good, and using them this way is illegal. They also can have toxic effects on your birds because they can be absorbed into your bird’s skin.
Chicken lice
Lice are long, narrow, tiny insects that move quickly when you part a chicken’s feathers. The eggs are small dots glued to feathers. When your chicken has a heavy infestation, you can see the lice scurrying around on the bird. Unlike human lice, chicken lice don’t feed on blood; they eat feathers or shedding skin cells. There are head lice, body lice, and lice that live on feather shafts.
To control lice you have to treat the birds directly — treating the environment doesn’t work. Permethrin, natural pyrethrum, and carbaryl dust are effective insecticides for lice, but you must consult a vet for the correct way to use them on chickens.
How to Get Rid of Your Chickens' External Parasites
Chicken parasites are a given in most backyard coops. External parasites — lice, mites, fowl tick, and chiggers — are the creepy-crawlies found on the outside of the chicken, so common that earlier poultry tenders didn’t even bother treating chickens for them. That said, these pests can cause anemia, damaged feathers, weight problems, poor laying, or — in young birds — death.
Signs of external parasites include:
- Seeing them crawling on the chickens or in the coop
- Being bitten by them yourself
- Noticing chickens with broken, chewed-looking feathers and reddened skin patches
- Seeing chickens doing a lot of scratching and picking at themselves
- A drop in egg production
- Anemia with pale combs and wattles
- A fluffed-up or sick appearance
Many people today are still willing to let nature call the shots, and they don’t worry about treating their chickens for parasites. If your chickens are acting healthy and producing as you want them to, you may decide to not to treat them for parasites.
For those with small flocks that are handled frequently and that are confined at least part of the time, parasites may be unacceptable. Most external parasites that affect birds don’t live on humans, but a few will take a bite out of you if they get on you. You don’t want parasites on you, and you may want your chickens to be as comfortable and healthy as possible. You also may want optimum production. These are good reasons to choose to treat your birds for parasites.
