Mites. Ew ew ew ew!

[Nigellas]

We recently added a new hen to our flock and I think she brought in the mites. I went to gather eggs today and they were covered with little black bugs. BARF.

How do I treat this? I'm SO grossed out.

 

[FrenchHen]

Get some poultry dust from the farm store or garden center and dust everything, including the birds.
There's lots of information on here if you want to search. Some folks use DE to control the crawlies.

 

[Cloverleaf Farm]

Take out ALL the shavings, put down a layer of food grade DE, (when I know I have mites, I also sprinkle in some poultry dust). Put down new shavings. Treat ALL the birds with Ivermectin, or Eprinex (which is what I use, as there is no egg withdrawl - if you use Ivermectin, you can't eat the eggs for 2 weeks). Also, use poultry dust directly on the birds, focusing on vent area, under wings, or wherever else you've seen bugs. Repeat the whole process in 7 days. Watch everyone closely for recurrence. Good luck...mites are NOT fun to deal with, besides the yuck factor!!