I found mites on an egg and believe they are on the combs of at least two of my hens. :(

[Soon2BChixMom]

I totally understood your original post to spray the roosts and such and did not take it that I would be using the spray on the chickens. I will use the bath as a last resort. I’m too nervous to just try it. I’ve only had these chickens for a week going on two now. Before I got them, I had never even picked up a chicken and I can’t ever remember petting one either!

But, I should add that I’ve had plenty of other animals -in the house and around the farm (for the kids 4-h).

 

[Folly's place]

Sick chickens are the last birds that should be bathed, it's just one more major stress that they won't be able to handle. Spray at night while they are roosting; easy and effective, and not too hard on them. Mary

 

[Kiki]

Get some Permethrin based spray and use it on the coop and birds asap.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

I'm happy to use an approved and safe product for chickens; permethrin spray. It's inexpensive and easy to use, and no egg withdrawal it. permethrin dust is harder to use and way more expensive! spinosad is also approved, but much more expensive; I'm saving it for when permethrin no longer is effective.... Products approved for pets are usually not approved poultry, especially laying hens. Read the label!!! If it doesn't have directions for laying hens or poultry, just don't use it. It's not necessary to do flea baths for your chickens! Too stressful, basically a waste of time. Mary

Permethrin in it's natural form (pyrethrum) has been used as an Insecticide for maybe 1,000 years and counting. In fact it seems to be as effective today as it was in Napoleon Bonaparte's day when the French tyrant used powered cresumthium flowers to delouse the French Army. The easiest way to confer resistance to an insect pest is to depend on only one insecticide. If you have concerns about the continued effectiveness I recommend that you use a series of miticides so that the next application kills any survivors from the previous miticide application.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Bathing a chicken is an unnecessary cruelty. Chickens have an oil gland at the base of their tail feathers. This organ is called the Pope's nose if you want to verify my information use Google. Chickens use the oil produced in this gland to both dress and waterproof their plumage. Shampoo, detergent, dawn, and ALL other soaps destroy the natural oils on a chickens' feathers. This can result in a ratty appearance or unthrifty look to your flock as well as pneumonia etc if your chickens get caught out in the open during a thunderstorm. Has anyone ever wondered what your hen or rooster was doing when they buried their heads among their tail feathers then began pulling their feathers one at a time through their bills? Well they are renewing the natural oil coating on their feathers.

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

So the permethrin dust says not to put in their nest litter? Which I assume is because that's where you get the eggs from. I got poultry protector spray for all other parts of the coop. Is it ok in the nest boxes?

 

[Pater est Pullis]

Is DE ok to use on the bottom of the nest box, with the nesting pad on top, for added protection? I was also planning on dusting wall studs and joists, with DE, my next cleaning.

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

Is DE ok to use on the bottom of the nest box, with the nesting pad on top, for added protection? I was also planning on dusting wall studs and joists, with DE, my next cleaning.

Some people use DE as a preventative. Some say it doesn’t work -especially once there is an outbreak already. As a preventative, I don’t see any harm in it as long as you have the Food safe version.

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

I’m pretty excited. I just got done dusting the girls. I’m not sure who was more nervous, them or me! I had to work fast as to clean the coop/run so that they could get to their roost. I had locked them into the run extensionto get all of that accomplished. They were knocking on the door. “Um, hey lady, we need to go to bed!”
I let them into their regular run and they got all settled into the coop. I finished doing what I could do using the poultry protector spray on places that I couldn’t dust. I dusted the new pine shavings in the run.
I then was ready to get them out, so opened the side door and grabbed the nearest one. I sweet talked her the whole time, but got all of the parts that needed dusting done. Put her back in and grabbed the one that laid the egg with the mites. She was a little more aggravated with me, but let me do my job. The 3rd one wanted to fly and the fourth just squatted down for me. I did see little specks of something to verify the mites, but none moving.

Some of their vents were dirty. Like poo dirty, do I need to do anything about that or just let it be for now? There wasn’t anything bad about it, just a little poo here and there.

 

[pasuit]

I havent used permethrin but I think I'll try it. I have used the dawn, cooking oil and water. It helps and it can be sprayed on the chickens without hurting them. I also use the Adams Flea and Tick apray and diamatious earth. Adams can be sprayed on the chickens also.