HUGE and I mean HUGE lice/mite infestation!!! Need urgent help!

[manny5412]

I have a really huge problems with mites in my coop and on my chickens! At one point I was treating them weekly with poultry dust but the problem is so bad that I couldn't rid the chickens of the mites! I discovered that they were nesting within the cracks of the wood in my coop and they are massive amounts of them in there! I covered the wood with lime for trees but still can't fix it! I've gotten to the point where they are making their way into my trailer! Any other effective solutions without having to cull my birds or burn the coop?

 

[21hens-incharge]

I had my first experience with mites this wet wet summer here in Colorado.

What I did that worked well for me...

I took a large tote and put 3 of the large coffee cans filled with DE in it mixed with about 1/4 can of sevin dust 5%. I grabbed a hen and set her in the tub then worked the mixture all through her feathers paying close attention to the vent area and under the wings. Grab another hen and repeat.
It is very messy and they do not like it at all. ( Wear safety goggles and a dust mask )
I then removed all bedding from the coop and set to dusting the entire coop with the same mixture. I payed special attention to anywhere that wood meets wood.
I did treat the nest boxes with straight sevin since that is where the mites were found.

I did not allow the hens back into the nest boxes for 5 days so I could leave any bedding out and watch for mites.
I repeated the treatment one week later and continue to add DE to all the shavings I put in the coop.

It has been about 2 months of continued wet weather and no sign of more mites.

Side note the mites in the nest boxes stopped moving almost instantly when I put the sevin dust in.
The only area I did not coat in powder was the ceiling since I cannot reach it and was very tired after scrubbing powder into 5 coops.

I hope this helps.

 

[Fluffnpuff]

I have a really huge problems with mites in my coop and on my chickens! At one point I was treating them weekly with poultry dust but the problem is so bad that I couldn't rid the chickens of the mites! I discovered that they were nesting within the cracks of the wood in my coop and they are massive amounts of them in there! I covered the wood with lime for trees but still can't fix it! I've gotten to the point where they are making their way into my trailer! Any other effective solutions without having to cull my birds or burn the coop?

By poultry dust do you mean something with permethrin in it? I sprinkle a permethrin dust (generic garden/poultry dust from tractor supply) in my coop once a month and it keeps the lice off my birds. If i don't use it, the birds will get eat up with it.

I've never heard of a permethrin dust not working for chicken lice/louse/mites. On a few cases i've sprinkled it directly on the back of a heavily infested bird and the louse were dead within 24 hours.

If you are using permethrin and it doesn't work, i'm not sure what the solution would be. It could be the bugs in your neck of the woods developed some sort of resistance to it.

Could you please go into detail on how you use the dust every week? Specifically how much you use and where you use/sprinkle it. I usually sprinkle the dust all over the floor of my coop once a month.

 

[manny5412]

Yes the dust has permethrin in it! Usually would flip the bird upside down and sprinkle some under the wings and on the vent. Just enough for it have a good layer of it and I then take my hand and rub it in.

 

[manny5412]

I had my first experience with mites this wet wet summer here in Colorado.

What I did that worked well for me...

I took a large tote and put  3 of the large coffee cans filled with DE in it mixed with about 1/4 can of sevin dust 5%. I grabbed a hen and set her in the tub then worked the mixture all through her feathers paying close attention to the vent area and under the wings. Grab another hen and repeat.
It is very messy and they do not like it at all. ( Wear safety goggles and a dust mask )
I then removed all bedding from the coop and set to dusting the entire coop with the same mixture. I payed special attention to anywhere that wood meets wood.
I did treat the nest boxes with straight sevin since that is where the mites were found.

I did not allow the hens back into the nest boxes for 5 days so I could leave any bedding out and watch for mites.
I repeated the treatment one week later and continue to add DE to all the shavings I put in the coop.

It has been about 2 months of continued wet weather and no sign of more mites.

Side note the mites in the nest boxes stopped moving almost instantly when I put the sevin dust in.
The only area I did not coat in powder was the ceiling since I cannot reach it and was very tired after scrubbing powder into 5 coops.

I hope this helps.

Yes it has been a really wet summer here in Colorado! What do you mean when you say DE?

 

[21hens-incharge]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diatomaceous_earth

I get the 50 pound bags at the feed store.

Very fine powder that makes a huge cloud of dust when you turn a freshly dusted hen loose and she shakes to reset the feathers that were so rudely messed up.

When I say I dusted the coops it was more like taking handfulls of the mixture and rubbing them into all the wood surfaces and especially the corners where wood meets wood.

 

[manny5412]

I'll have to check my feed store to see if they can get a hold of that for me thanks!

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Buy a 4 ounce bottle of 40% Permethrin and mix a teaspoon full in a gallon of Diesel fuel or used motor oil. Use this to paint all the cracks, crannies, and joints of your coop. Pay special attention to the roost poles because when these mites come out after dark to feed on your chickens they must travel down the roosting poles to get to your birds. By mixing the Permethrin with oil and painting it on liberally you not only kill the mites that you can't see you also destroy the mite eggs hidden in the mites' strongholds and deny them access to the very areas that they need to survive and reproduce.

Google RED CHICKEN MITES

Good luck and good mite hunting.