MIRACLE WAY TO KILL MITES

[Country4ever]

How big is your coop? Did you have bedding down on the floor?

 

[irishlotfarms]

How big is your coop? Did you have bedding down on the floor?

first off, I LOVE your username! I have a 4ft by 8ft coop with a 4ft by 10 ft run attached to it! do you want me to upload a pic of it? I have 1 cm by 1 cm hardware rug on the floor for ease of clean. The solution combined with wood ash is VERY good please whip up a batch of it!

 

[IronEagle]

I just let the chickens bath in the wood ash, and spray the coop with the solution

Irishlotfarms,
Thank you so much for your reply, I appreciate the info!

Sadly I tried the solution and it did not work for me. (also tried wood ash and DE in the previous week, also to no avail) Could be that they are different mites or it could be that my coop has a sandy floor and it was hard to cover with the solution completely. The day after using it the mites were still persistent so I had to issue a red alert and launch the photon torpedoes. I drove 2 hours to the nearest feed store/veterinarian and bought the "dusting powder" the vet recommended. It is not organic and it is a chemical (absolutely against everything I normally do) but the degree of infestation called for total annihilation and this is the only option available here. (we had to set up an "airlock" inspection area at our door to make sure they weren't getting into the house!)

Since I do not want to ever have to do this again I have made some changes to how we do things in and around the coop. I will no longer just put treats onto the ground in the run. This tends to attract racoons at night to clean up anything left behind and I think racoons brought the mites in. I also made a "raised" feeder for the FF so that the gals can't scratch the food onto the ground as easily. I will also remove the broody hens from an empty nest and immediately lock them out of the coop during the day. I had a sitting broody girl when I saw the first mite and am pretty sure they set up shop on her and migrated from there.

My friends down the road have never had mites in the 20+ years of chicken keeping here. They believe it is because they have dogs that guard the flock keeping racoons and other local birds away day and night. I have a guard goose instead of a guard dog and she does set off the alarm on people and stray dogs but could care less about the foraging birds and I am constantly battling racoons at night when she's sleeping. I guess it goes to show the symbiotic relationships different animals can have! (now if I didn't dislike dogs so much...)

Thanks again for your help!
IronEagle

 

[irishlotfarms]

Irishlotfarms,
Thank you so much for your reply, I appreciate the info!

Sadly I tried the solution and it did not work for me. (also tried wood ash and DE in the previous week, also to no avail) Could be that they are different mites or it could be that my coop has a sandy floor and it was hard to cover with the solution completely. The day after using it the mites were still persistent so I had to issue a red alert and launch the photon torpedoes. I drove 2 hours to the nearest feed store/veterinarian and bought the "dusting powder" the vet recommended. It is not organic and it is a chemical (absolutely against everything I normally do) but the degree of infestation called for total annihilation and this is the only option available here. (we had to set up an "airlock" inspection area at our door to make sure they weren't getting into the house!)

Since I do not want to ever have to do this again I have made some changes to how we do things in and around the coop. I will no longer just put treats onto the ground in the run. This tends to attract racoons at night to clean up anything left behind and I think racoons brought the mites in. I also made a "raised" feeder for the FF so that the gals can't scratch the food onto the ground as easily. I will also remove the broody hens from an empty nest and immediately lock them out of the coop during the day. I had a sitting broody girl when I saw the first mite and am pretty sure they set up shop on her and migrated from there.

My friends down the road have never had mites in the 20+ years of chicken keeping here. They believe it is because they have dogs that guard the flock keeping racoons and other local birds away day and night. I have a guard goose instead of a guard dog and she does set off the alarm on people and stray dogs but could care less about the foraging birds and I am constantly battling racoons at night when she's sleeping. I guess it goes to show the symbiotic relationships different animals can have! (now if I didn't dislike dogs so much...)

Thanks again for your help!
IronEagle

Im so sorry for the late reply I have been very busy. Any way the recipe isn't something that kills the mites right away, it might kill 100 a day. Hope this helps!

 

[Janzales]

Awesome! I'll have to try it if ever I need it!


I've heard people say D.E doesn't work on birds for mites or lice. I had an OEGB cockerel who was infested with lice when I got him. I mixed up water and D.E and sprayed it on him using a spray bottle. The water dries, and the D.E coats his feathers and skin. Killed all the lice, and they haven't returned.

How much water and D.E. In what size spray bottle?

 

[topochico225]

How much water and D.E. In what size spray bottle?

This is an old thread, so you probably won't get any responses.

 

[chickengirl2020]

I was having a serious mite problem in my coop so I started looking for natural solutions, and found the greatest recipe:
2 cups water
1/2 cup cooking oil
2 tablespoons dish soap
that is all! i sprayed it allover the coop, and checked on it 10 minutes later, I found piles of dead mites!!!

So, it worked on the coop. That’s great! But what about chickens themselves? How did you treat them?

 

[Sally PB]

This is a very old thread. If your chickens have lice/mites, you might want to start your own thread about it. You can also search for threads to find information. A lot of people use permethrin for lice and mites.

 

[Desibri]

Hi Irishlotfarms,
I'm also having a mite problem. I've set out to try this method today and have everything I need to make the solution. Did you also spray the chickens?

I first noticed the mites about three days ago and have been monitoring the infestation. At this point I have never seen more than 1 mite on each chicken and no eggs or waste in their feathers - but I know this can escalate quickly. I'm 1 week away from being able to get to a supply shop (the closest is 2+ hours away) for the dust I used last time so I have to try something today to try to contain this until next week.

Just as a side note, the two times I have found mites I had a broody hen who just would not stay off the empty nest. Suspecting she is an easy target for the mites to take hold.

Thank you for any help you can provide!
IronEagle

You can bathe your chickens using dish soap, or any surfactant soap, like common shampoos, to kill mites and wash away eggs. Just lather rinse repeat. But for direct application to birds, do not use the mix with oil. Oils and petroleum based products will negatively affect the birds ability to regulate its body temperature. It will leave greasy residue on feathers.
For on animal applications, if you are hesitant to use pyrethrin or permethrin products, I’ve found bathing in soap (I use antiseptic soap) once a month keeps mites from becoming a huge infestation.