Mites and such

[Ole rooster]

I saw a post on mites and little thingies chickens get and now I can't find it. So can anyone tell me how they get these and how or what do you do to the coop to prevent getting um. I had much rather prevent, than fight those pest on the chickens.

 

[I'm1chickencuddler]

This is my first year with chickens and we had mites something terrible earlier this year. We bought a 50lb bag of food grade DE(diatomaceous earth) and sprinkled it on everything. I do mean everything! Including the birds. We put mounds of the stuff in the dirt they take their dust baths in. This worked fabulously for almost all the birds. I did, however, have to resort to chicken dust(a permethrin insecticide) for a couple of my birds. When I used that. We were done completely with the mites. I keep a sprinkle of the DE in the nest boxes as I was told the hay and straw used for that is notorious for importing mites and other unwanted little critters. I figured I'd rather be safe than sorry. I keep the coop sprinkled about once a week when I go and clean and scrape everything out for my compost pile. I still put the DE in the places they like to dust bathe. So far this is working out great. The DE is extremely inexpensive and it is completely safe. I hated having to use and insecticide but I would have hated even more to have lost one of my girls to those pesky mites. By the way, the DE is great in your garden to keep pests away and on your dogs and cats for fleas. From what I am told by all the organic gardeners I know(I am one too!) is the DE acts like a razor blade on the bugs that it gets in scratching up their exoskeletons and causing them to dehydrate and die very rapidly. Without poison. The best part. I hope this helps. This was advice given to me when I first joined this BYC and I am grateful to get the info!

 

[Lollipop]

I find DE ineffective and a complete waste of money.........Pop

 

[Bat Cave Silkies]

Totally agree with Pop---and many others will too.

Mites & lice (the 2 most common external parasites on chickens) are usually brought into your flock from wild birds. No way to get rid of wild birds, so we try to prevent infestations with the use of Ivermectin (drop on) each month, along with a spray of Permethrin to the crest and cushion. Sevin dust WILL NOT prevent mites, only lice.

I've raised chickens on & off for the past 35 yrs.....this is the FIRST year I've ever had to deal with lice. In a group of 10 birds, I'd find 1 that was infested. That bird was bathed, dipped in Permethrin, returned to the group, and no new re-infestation.

When the weather permits, we dip each bird in Permethrin each month instead of using the spray.



PREVENTION is the key....

 

[Ole rooster]

Thanks. I'll write that down.

 

[Floridachicken1958]

Quote:
how much 10% Permethrin would you use to a gallon of water?

 

[dawg53]

Quote:
Same here.

 

[welasharon]

Quote:
Same here.

And here.
sharon

 

[CMV]

Quote:
Same here.

And here.
sharon

Me, too.

 

[BigIslandChicks]

I'm1chickencuddler :

This is my first year with chickens and we had mites something terrible earlier this year. We bought a 50lb bag of food grade DE(diatomaceous earth) and sprinkled it on everything. I do mean everything! Including the birds. We put mounds of the stuff in the dirt they take their dust baths in. This worked fabulously for almost all the birds. I did, however, have to resort to chicken dust(a permethrin insecticide) for a couple of my birds. When I used that. We were done completely with the mites. I keep a sprinkle of the DE in the nest boxes as I was told the hay and straw used for that is notorious for importing mites and other unwanted little critters. I figured I'd rather be safe than sorry. I keep the coop sprinkled about once a week when I go and clean and scrape everything out for my compost pile. I still put the DE in the places they like to dust bathe. So far this is working out great. The DE is extremely inexpensive and it is completely safe. I hated having to use and insecticide but I would have hated even more to have lost one of my girls to those pesky mites. By the way, the DE is great in your garden to keep pests away and on your dogs and cats for fleas. From what I am told by all the organic gardeners I know(I am one too!) is the DE acts like a razor blade on the bugs that it gets in scratching up their exoskeletons and causing them to dehydrate and die very rapidly. Without poison. The best part. I hope this helps. This was advice given to me when I first joined this BYC and I am grateful to get the info!

X2

minus the part about "my first year with chickens"​