How to keep mites/maggots/flies off chickens?

[avery_pittman05]

Does anyone know ways or things to purchase that prevent mites/maggots/flies from getting on chickens? Any advice is greatly appreciated!

 

[Perris]

are you dealing with an infestation, or just looking for advice on prevention?

 

[avery_pittman05]

are you dealing with an infestation, or just looking for advice on prevention?

Im currently dealing with one infestation and am looking for advice on prevention to prevent this from happening again.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Does anyone know ways or things to purchase that prevent mites/maggots/flies from getting on chickens? Any advice is greatly appreciated!

Im currently dealing with one infestation and am looking for advice on prevention to prevent this from happening again.

An infestation of what?

For lice and mites you can use a Permethrin based poultry spray or dust.

For maggots - that is generally when a bird has a poopy bottom, some type of injury or illness and flies lay eggs that hatch. It's called FlyStrike. Prevention would be to keep bottoms clean and address any wounds/injuries that you flock may have.
You can read about that here: https://the-chicken-chick.com/flystrike-in-backyard-chickens-causes/

Flies are attracted to poop, so keeping your run and coop cleaned/rake and fairly tidy will go a long way in keeping the fly numbers down.

 

[avery_pittman05]

An infestation of what?

For lice and mites you can use a Permethrin based poultry spray or dust.

For maggots - that is generally when a bird has a poopy bottom, some type of injury or illness and flies lay eggs that hatch. It's called FlyStrike. Prevention would be to keep bottoms clean and address any wounds/injuries that you flock may have.
You can read about that here: https://the-chicken-chick.com/flystrike-in-backyard-chickens-causes/

Flies are attracted to poop, so keeping your run and coop cleaned/rake and fairly tidy will go a long way in keeping the fly numbers down.

I am mainly dealing with a maggot/ fly problem with one of my chickens right now so I appreciate the link you provided. With the mites question I mainly wanted information for prevention so I appreciate the advice you left above.

 

[Marie2020]

I'm usually the natural freak here, so here's my take on fly butt. I give my ladies a soak in a natural oil soap, Castile with a little Epsom salts and vinegar then I rub oil around their bottoms and finally when they are dry I rub benonite clay into them. Also I add clay into their dust bath.

If I find one day that these methods stop working I will be asking the good people here what to do, because there's a lot of knowledgeable folks in this place.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I am mainly dealing with a maggot/ fly problem with one of my chickens right now so I appreciate the link you provided. With the mites question I mainly wanted information for prevention so I appreciate the advice you left above.

Do you have a bird that currently has FlyStrike? If you do, then the maggots need to be gotten rid of quickly, they can damage tissue, cause infection and if not addressed soon, the bird can become very sick and die.

 

[Deenok]

I tell you my best friend has been diatamatious earth. DE. I prefer food grade for my birds but mites and insects of all sorts hate it. It feels like powder to us but kills them by shredding them. I sprinkle liberally in the coop and on the run weekly. It’s amazing.

 

[Deenok]

And for the flies it stinks but take a 2 liter and put a can of sardines and the juice with a cup of water in it shake it up and put a hole in it a little smaller than a dime again it stinks but we caught hundreds in 3 days. We didn’t even know there were that many day one and 2 didn’t do much but I guess day three was extra stinky to them bc we got every fly within miles. They fly in and can’t get out. Good luck

 

[Perris]

lots of good advice above; I hope this sorts the issue for you @avery_pittman05 .
Good luck!