How To Tell If Your Chickens Have Mites

[JSossong]

How do you tell if your chickens have mites? I don't think mine do but I want to be on the lookout as a new chicken owner. Their coop has hay in it and I heard that mites can thrive in that environment. Just want to take any precautions I can.

Thanks!
xxx

 

[ChickensRDinos]

You can see the bugs--they are small and a dark red-brown and move. I find that the best way to check is to look under their wings, on the side of their bodies where the feathers are thin and downey. Lift the feathers so you can see down to their skin--thats where the mites will be. If an infestations gets bad enough you will see the bugs in the bedding and around the coop. Grooming and dust bathing is normal behavior but if they start to looking like they are always grooming and picking and pulling then that is a sign that something is up.

There is also poultry lice which I have never seen personally but from pictures you can see from egg build up on the feather bases.

 

[foreverlearning]

The problems are that you can get already mite infected hay and mites are really hard to find because they do not stay on the bird during the day. Since you know you will have a problem at some point then it is time to get proactive. Get a good stain or some neem oil and treat all the wood inside the coop. You may also want to fill in the cracks between the pieces of wood with caulk. Mites hate neem oil so this is going to be your best bet for going natural. Then I know it can cost a little more then other things but you will want to sprinkle a little DE on fresh hay added to the coop. DE is a preventive that takes time to kill a mite but it is in no way a treatment of an infestation. DE is very sharp to tiny things and either rips them apart from the inside when they eat it or scrapes their shell making them dehydrate slowly. Check your birds vents at night time only as this will be the most likely time to find them. They are really tiny red dots and can be found either on the skin while eating or on the tip of the feather. Treating mites is really hard to do and no matter what way you go with it, it requires at least one more treatment exactly 7 days from the first to get the hatchlings. I prefer sevin 5% dust as the most complete treatment on both birds and the coop. I have recently learned that spraying the birds and coop with neem oil also works really well. I have not tried that treatment yet but have had friends have really great success with it. Remember that any treatment requires a full coop clean out to be successful. If any of your birds combs start looking pale search for mites. You may also want to look into the deep litter method. Many that use that method have reported less problems with mites and lice. If you do get mites do not stress yourself out, just follow the plan to get rid of them. Some areas are more likely to get them such as hot humid areas.

 

[JSossong]

Thanks guys!

@foreverlearning what is neem oil and where can I get some? And DE?
Sorry, I'm new to all this chicken stuff!

I also may just break down and start using sawdust instead of hay. If it will help in the long run then why not.

 

[foreverlearning]

Thanks guys!

@foreverlearning what is neem oil and where can I get some? And DE?
Sorry, I'm new to all this chicken stuff!

I also may just break down and start using sawdust instead of hay. If it will help in the long run then why not.

http://www.ask.com/wiki/Neem_oil You can find it at health food stores in both the cooking oil isle and in the organic pesticides. Just put in spray bottle either straight or 1:4 mix with water (water being the 4 parts) and spray. It does have a strong smell but it isn't bad so you may want to do like many with 1:4. You can also order it online at amazon and many other stores.

DE stands for Diatomaceous Earth. It is a powder made from some sort of sea shell used as a pesticide and in food. You can find it online or in TSC (Tractor Supply Company). You want food grade not pool filter grade. Here is some info and links for you: http://www.richsoil.com/diatomaceous-earth.jsp and an amazon search so you can see prices: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_n...d+grade&rh=i:aps,k:demetrius+earth+food+grade A little sprinkle will work just fine so it lasts a long time. Mites hide in wood and long grasses so if you planned on composting you might as well stay with hay as it composts better then pine shavings. I don't know how quickly sawdust composts so I can't advise you on that.