Mites! Good or bad species?

[fishnet1971]

I have jsut had a horrible run in with the fowl mites. the BAD MITES... so to speak. I have had grain mites (the cutelittle white mites) they are totally different from the fowl mites. You can tell the difference. If they are the fowl mites, get them treated NOW!!!! i just lost my best roo to them. The fowl mites can kill you birds and do it quickly. You will need to treat the entire coop and bird if it is. It is not a big dollar to do, just lots of work. I pulled my coop apart and sprayed with permitherin I got from TSC. I then dusted the birds with POultry spray from TSC (a permitherin dust). BURN the beding. I can hold mite eggs for weeks. 7 days later do the same thing again. It took my birds from top notch beautiful birds down to heck. please please please get on them if they are fowl mites.

 

[tom e]

So here's what we did today. Broke down the roosts and made new ones, dumped all the litter into the compost (that was a chore), sprayed every beam and joint I could see with Grants ant spray (active ingredient is permethrin)- sprayed a furniture outside the coop and left in the sun. Then we tarped the coop and set off two roach bombs- active ingredient is cypermethrin. Then put down new shavings, and dusted everything with sevin.
Tonight we'll catch all the birds and give them a drop or two of pour on ivermectin.

I know people recommend burning the litter, but I just can't bring myself to waste that much compost. I believe it will be blazing hot (160 F or so) tomorrow, but do you think that's enough? It's too much raw material to waste for me.

Still didn't ID the mites, just decided there were enough of them to make it worth while, and they were red and black, so probably not grain mites.

What do you all think?

 

[tom e]

So my girlfriend and I both got several bites while cleaning the coop. That seems to solve the riddle for me, and I'm glad I treated it.

How long before I need to do it again? And how long before I apply ivomec pour on again?