Mite Help

[L1H2B3]

Would u please address How To Get Rid of Mites! I was sick fr about two and a half months and couldn't clean out the girl's coop. They came down with a bad case of Mites. I thought one of the girls was being attacked by another so I brought her inside and put her in a carrier. Well, I have an Inside chicken and after several times of bringing the one inside the hse, I saw that she was attacking herself! Within two days from this discovery, they were all itching, including my inside chicken and myself! I've tried DE and it's not working! Yesterday, I slathered lots of Neem oil on my girls. They seem t b worse! I'm applying the Neem shampoo t my daughter and myself. We seem t b doing OK. I'm concerned about my long-haired cat too. I give my cat something called Earth Animal Flea and Tick powder. Could i give this t my girls? Will it harm or help them? It has alfalfa, garlic, spirulina, kelp, papaya, hops, Neem, nettles, Hawthorne. PLEASE HELP. I love them so dearly!

 

[DwayneNLiz]

once the infestation is bad enough you need something stronger like permethrin or ivermectin

i dont know where you are located but can you get either?

 

[Latestarter]

OK... There are lots of posts here dealing with this issue. You need to get either a liquid to make a spray or the powdered form of pyrethrum or permethrin ( "Permethrin is a man-made insecticide whose chemistry is based on natural pyrethrum" http://www.livingwithbugs.com/permethrin_pyrethrum.html )

Mites are normally microscopic and translucent. Lice are normally visible as brownish/reddish specks moving around. You need to dust/spray ALL of the birds and you need to clean out the coop and spray it thoroughly as well paying close attention to cracks and seam where the bugs and their eggs may remain behind.

You will need to re-treat in 7-10 days to kill any remaining vermin that hatched from eggs.

Some folks also use dog/cat flea powders. Some folks have used sevin dust, though that is an actual poison and not specifically made for this purpose. It's also not good to use if you have/care about honey bees. DE can help prevent the issue once it's eliminated by using in the bedding nest boxes (always use only food grade).

Please put at least your general location in your profile as it's often important when asking for advice/help.