mite info??

[lisamr]

We just got our 6 laying chickens a few weeks ago and half of them are laying pretty regular now. It is egg-citing!! We are brand new to this. I read about mites recently and it sounded pretty gross. Is it a big problem with keeping chickens or is there some preventative thing i need to do? I really do not like the thought of nasty bugs on my girls.

 

[silkiechicken]

Just check the bases of their feathers on their necks, on their backs, and espeically on their belly/cushin fluff under their tails. I find feather lice to be a bigger issue up here since more than one bird I have gotten has had it. Luckily I kept them in their own area and dusted them clean before going with the rest of my flock. To control it, just make sure your stock doesn't have it, quarentine new birds at least a month and do inspect them, and avoid atracting wild birds near your flock. If you get it, just get some poultry dust from the feed store and after a month or two of dusting on schedual, you should be able to rid of it. You can also look for egg clusters at the little bits of fluff at the base of feathers.

 

[M@M@2four]

Quote:
Yep, I agree. I dust mine with Sevin dust(yes it's spelled that way). You can buy it at Walmart and it's very effective. It costs under $5 for a whole bag which lasts a while. You can find it in their garden section. I always keep it on hand in case I find them.