Mite Infestation

[DiamondSwan]

Hello! I'm sorry about your mite problem. What a bummer. My poor chickens and I (and husband and kids) had to deal with this last year.

@azygous is the one that guided me through my treatment. I hope she doesn't mind me tagging her. But she was such a great help to me.

Anyway, I bought a bottle of Elector PSP, that is a concentrated bacteria that'll play hell with mites. I diluted it (9ml/gal if I recall correctly?) in water in an empty lick tub, and one by one, dipped every single mite-y chicken. Then let them run around and dry off in the sun. Cleaned out the coops and used the same to spray in all nooks and crannies.

Luckily, that was the end of that little (big!) problem!

Maybe that isn't an option for you, but it can also be used to spray the chickens and not dip them. I had too many to spray...

Good luck to you!

Hi!

This sounds simple enough. I looked up the Elector PSP, and it seems pretty safe with people swearing that it works, but it's... $148 or more.

 

[Meg-in-MT]

Hi!

This sounds simple enough. I looked up the Elector PSP, and it seems pretty safe with people swearing that it works, but it's... $148 or more.

I know, it's crazy expensive. I paid $175 or $180

How many chickens do you have? What sold me was ease of treating 100+ chickens at the same time. The bottle is tiny, but I still had some left after treatment. The stuff was gold. I know the overwhelming feeling.

Also, no egg withdrawal! Handy

 

[DiamondSwan]

Save your energy.
DE will NOT cure mites.
Lysterine might kill some of what’s on them by drowning (some of them) but will not address the thousands that are walking around in your coop tonight clamoring to climb on a nice juicy chicken for another blood meal.

Get a permethrin based horse and stable spray that is a “fly repellent”.
Generally a spray bottle costs Less than $10.
Or the permethrin concentrate and follow the dilution directions carefully.

Clean out your coop.
Dispose of all bedding.
Spray the entire coop. Get the edges, corners, nooks, crannies, and all FOUR planes of the roost PLUS where it connects to the wall.

Then spray each chicken with 2 squirts in each of these locations:
Under each wing,
Above and below vent
On back
Top and under neck

Repeat in 10 days.

Edited to add if some of your birds are infested chances are they all are since they commingle.

Good luck.

This is a much better price. Is this it? And is it safe?

 

[DiamondSwan]

I know, it's crazy expensive. I paid $175 or $180

How many chickens do you have? What sold me was ease of treating 100+ chickens at the same time. The bottle is tiny, but I still had some left after treatment. The stuff was gold. I know the overwhelming feeling.

Also, no egg withdrawal! Handy

I suppose it would make more sense for a very large flock... I couldn't imagine treating that many -- I have 14.

 

[staceyj]

This is a much better price. Is this it? And is it safe?

View attachment 1677940

YUp exactly that!

 

[DiamondSwan]

YUp exactly that!

Is this something people commonly use to treat mites? Just want to make sure that it's safe.

I'm also wondering what to treat the shed with. I don't think there's any mites, but I want to make sure there's no insects or pests hiding away.

 

[azygous]

Yes, I appreciate the sticker shock when considering Elector. I am a very frugal person, existing on a poverty level government retirement check. But I did the math. One eight ounce bottle is highly concentrated and it requires a mere quarter teaspoon in a quart of water to mix a hand spray solution to treat your hand full of chickens.

But where Elector is really economical is that it requires only one treatment. I bought it around three years ago because my chickens had lice. One treatment, and they haven't come back, and several had nits glued to their feathers.

I've used it since as a very quick and easy treatment for scaly leg mites. Again, one treatment was all it took. There is nothing wrong with permethrin. It's an all natural product and very safe for chickens, but it requires several follow up treatments. It could get very involved spraying the premises. One treatment with Elector and you're done. And you've only had to buy one bottle of it, and you'll have plenty left over to last you years.

Recently I used Elector to get rid of darkling beetles that were in my run and were pretty numerous around the foundations. These beetles, not the same as meal worm darkling beetles, carry bacteria that can be deadly to chickens. The Elector finished them off, and I was careful to snatch up the exposed dead ones so my chickens wouldn't eat them. I bet you haven't heard of this dangerous bug. Not too many chicken people have, though these beetles are pretty much everywhere and survive the coldest winters by hiding under foundations and in the ground under rocks.

 

[FrankieDoodle]

Hi! When we had mites a few months ago, we dusted the entire coop & all the birds with poultry dust. We did it everyday for maybe three or four days, and that got rid of them. We caught our mites quickly before it got too bad, so if it was more severe you might need to try something else.

 

[DiamondSwan]

Yes, I appreciate the sticker shock when considering Elector. I am a very frugal person, existing on a poverty level government retirement check. But I did the math. One eight ounce bottle is highly concentrated and it requires a mere quarter teaspoon in a quart of water to mix a hand spray solution to treat your hand full of chickens.

But where Elector is really economical is that it requires only one treatment. I bought it around three years ago because my chickens had lice. One treatment, and they haven't come back, and several had nits glued to their feathers.

I've used it since as a very quick and easy treatment for scaly leg mites. Again, one treatment was all it took. There is nothing wrong with permethrin. It's an all natural product and very safe for chickens, but it requires several follow up treatments. It could get very involved spraying the premises. One treatment with Elector and you're done. And you've only had to buy one bottle of it, and you'll have plenty left over to last you years.

Recently I used Elector to get rid of darkling beetles that were in my run and were pretty numerous around the foundations. These beetles, not the same as meal worm darkling beetles, carry bacteria that can be deadly to chickens. The Elector finished them off, and I was careful to snatch up the exposed dead ones so my chickens wouldn't eat them. I bet you haven't heard of this dangerous bug. Not too many chicken people have, though these beetles are pretty much everywhere and survive the coldest winters by hiding under foundations and in the ground under rocks.

It sounds like it works wonders! I wish it was a little cheaper though...

Do you think it works for other insects as well, such as spiders and ants etc? I want to make sure we get a fresh start in the new location. And mites only live where they can feast, right? Not in an unused shed? (It's made out of large bricks with a concrete floor, has one window and a metal roof, and it stays pretty cool inside.)

 

[azygous]

Don't assume because a building has been unoccupied, there are no blood sucking insects. I know for a fact that ticks can survive years without a "meal". Bed bugs survive weeks without a "meal", and mites can survive up to half a year.

Elector is effective on flies, beetles, and mites and fleas. I can't tell you if it's effective on ants, but I don't know why not.