Millions of mites

[superchemicalgirl]

Just got back from vacation and found millions of brown mites all over the basement where I've been quarantining 3 chickens I got at a swap on 08.01.10.

Found out they had worms and assumed they had mites. I treated them with Wazine for worms in their water and permethrin dust for the mites on 08.21.10. On 08.31.10 I retreated them with the permethrin dust and gave them each a hefty dose of ivermectin/praziquantel.

Today I got home from a 3 day "vacation" and found the cardboard box brooder and the floor COVERED in brown small mites. Covered. And really really thick.

I just took them out and put them in a small wire cage on newspaper and dusted them with permethrin again.

Now I don't know what to do.

I'm certain I'm just spreading the mites (especially when I tried to burn the cardboard box in my woodstove, gave up on that quickly). I don't have anywhere else to quarantine these guys so it has to be in my incredibly infested basement. Should I leave them in the really small and uncomfortable wire cage?

Please help. Thank you.

 

[Brahma Mamma]

Go and get that wood ash out of your stove and spread it on the floor. Wood ash kills mites. Also, you might try an old tire or something similar to put the wood ash into for the chickens to take their dust bath.

 

[ThePolishPrincess]

We tried permethrin in a combo with a few other small things and it did nothing for our mites. Switched to Sevin dust and the mites cleared up in 2 weeks. Carbaryl (I think that's the active ingredient in the Sevin) seemed to work a heck of alot better than the permethrin. We noticed the really big difference was that that Sevin stuck to the feathers and skin alot better, for a lot longer.

 

[superchemicalgirl]

Nothing funny about this!!!


Will try and find Sevin dust but it's a bit late in the season up here to find stuff like that.

 

[muddyhorse]

when you teat for mites you have to retreat in 7-10 days to get the new ones that hatch out. you can use the liqid seven and spray down the basement get the cracks really good.

 

[superchemicalgirl]

I did retreat in 10 days with the permethrin, that's why I don't get this.

This is what I get for picking up chickens at a swap.

 

[ThePolishPrincess]

I didn't mean it like that. I edited my post; I didn't mean that to be taken so literally. I know your situation is not funny, I just went through a huge infestation myself a few months ago and those were some very stressful months. I was only using an expression. I'm sorry if it was taken otherwise.

I'd never jest about the welfare of an animal.

 

[Gator113]

I'm kinda new to all of this. If you don't see mites on the floor or walls or whatever, how do you know if your chickens have mites? Do they lose feathers? I have had our girls for over a year and I have never seen any mite. Other than making sure they have a dust bath available, we have never treated them. Is their something else I should be doing?

I don't know if it makes a difference, but they are free ranged all day and just locked up at night, except during the worst weather.

 

[superchemicalgirl]

It's ok, and I'm sorry too. I'm just stressed out (I wanted to come home and unpack and putter around before work tomorrow and now I've got to deal with a gigantic infestation)... so sorry for being hypersensitive.

Does anyone have any advice for whether I should leave these chickens in the cramped and uncomfortable wire cage or put them into another cardboard brooder?

 

[ThePolishPrincess]

I don't think there's a huge difference as far as the mites are concerned. In which case, I'd keep the birds comfy. If you can't get your hands on some Sevin in a store, try ordering it online.


Our birds had mites so bad, they were crawling with them and itching their heads and everywhere they could reach (they are Silkies, and these birds are magnets for pests). We bought these birds from a breeder, and were certain these birds had the mites long before we got them. We tried 2 different lice shampoos for humans (as was suggested), poultry dust with permethrin, and DE. None of them really worked. Sevin took care of the problem right away. I know how stressful this is. The Silkies managed to pass it on to our layer flock (we had a field day with the Sevin when I found out) but after re-dusting, everything is good still. We had thought seriously about culling the Silkies if their mites didn't clear up. I hated that though, and I was up for some nights all night just thinking...for months! Then we found the Sevin. I know how horrible it feels, but you wouldn't be the first to cope with the little monsters. We've learned alot ourselves. Just wanted to let you in on our tragedy and let you know that everything turned out alright in the end.

Oh, and I also said that. "NEVER getting full grown birds from a breeder EVER AGAIN!!!" What a tough lesson to learn. I pay for the birds, not the pests they bring with them. I try to check before I buy them now.