Mites! How do I get rid of them?

[gilcamp4]

Yeah, they are getting everywhere. He wasn't a big rooster though he was a small bantam roo. But one of my bigger hens is acting just like my rooster was before he died. I really hope she doesn't die too. I will try to buy that stuff today and clean out everything.

have you taken the dead chicken to the votech vet to see why it died, mine had mites but you could see it right away as the legs show scales on them and I clean them with vasaline at night and it kills the mites and the scales full off my girl picked it off after a while

 

[BarbHicken17]

have you taken the dead chicken to the votech vet to see why it died, mine had mites but you could see it right away as the legs show scales on them and I clean them with vasaline at night and it kills the mites and the scales full off my girl picked it off after a while

No, I don't plan to either.
He is already buried

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Vaseline is a NATURAL substance that is 100% totally ORGANIC by the scientific definition of the word "ORGANIC". That means that Vaseline is derived from living or formerly alive organisms that have a basic biology arising from the Carbon atom which is currently the basis of all life on the planet Earth.

The only good that will come from spraying your chickens with garlic juice is that it will reduce the time that you need to marinate a chicken before stewing it.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

The deer was shot on November 18th
He died last Wednesday.
Why should we start a new thread?

Okay I'll take a look.

Yeah.

I thought starting a new thread would give you some fresh eyes and maybe more of them to help get it figured out with your lady while she is still alive. Instead of some who might have thought this thread has already taken it's finish.

What kind of floor does your barn have? Is it dirt? What are you using for bedding? You might want to throw some sand or pebbles in there for grit. Crop blockage could easily cause the symptoms you describe.

What made you think these boys needed to be rescued from the woods? Did you realize that your actions MIGHT be causing stress and therefor immuno suppression, then introducing to a completely new environment where they are being exposed to whatever bacteria is in your ground or that your birds carry that they might not have developed any resistance to?

As long as you are rescuing without proper quarantine, you may not be able to get this under control. The deer might have nothing to do with his passing and may be coincidence. Or it may be a clue in the puzzle.

My pleasure. I use it every 1 or 2 weeks as a preventative on my chickens.

Some people may have better results than others. I used that on my dog that had mites (that cause mange but not the contagious type) and it didn't work. But neither did many other prescribed products. Took months to get rid of them off JUST the 1 dog rescue who had weakened immunity and got tape worms and blah blah. My other two dogs had zero issue. Vet said yes they have mites somewhere on them but the dogs natural immunity kept their population from exploding.

But still I question... Preventative??? What if you simply don't have them. Are they building a resistance to something that you use all the time now instead of it "working" for generations to come when you really need it?

And another thing I'm curious about... on people, onion or garlic can be absorbed through the skin. You can rub it on the bottom of your foot and have it make your breath smell (I've heard anyway). IF that's true.. Will you end up with garlic flavored eggs, or even meat?

I guess if you aren't worried about losing your whole flock then rescuing is awesome. But how many times have you seen someone "rescue" a baby bison (national headlines were made) or other animal just for it to get a death sentence that it may or may not have had in the first place. I don't mean to sound ugly or discouraging... just to say that sometimes good intentions lead to VERY bad realities. I'm not trying to change you or your heart, just sharing information that may lead to a better or different understanding for you. Having volunteered at a wildlife rehab center gives a little different perspective. If I could I would rescue EVERY single dog at the shelters. But there comes a point when you have to consider the health and well being of ALL animals involved, not just the ones who seem to be neglected. But the ones who currently reside under your care.

I keep a stag pen myself, for breeding and eating. Even boys that seem to be fine for the longest time will have fights, sometimes leading to the alienation and depression of the loser. He may even be kept from the feeder. And other boys (even girls) will join in and kill or cannibalize someone who is failing. Nature, as beautiful as it is... sadly is also very brutal. I do find it funny that people are like save the roosters yet buy and eat chicken from the store which led a very sad and miserable life. If you really wanna save the roosters, vote with your dollars and quit buying store bought chicken. Find a local farmer who does it RIGHT, and enjoy the fruits of the earth as they were meant to be. All our boys live great every single day. Scratching in the dirt and mowing the grass but still having a fully formulated nutritionally balanced feed. They have a lot of really good days, then one bad moment that's over before they know it.

Even though you think you have plenty of room, and you might... the recommended amount for chickens is 4 square feet indoor and 10 square feet in the run. It would be more than that for rooster and ducks. They also need lots of visual barriers and some enrichment that helps them enjoy their daily lives. Like colorful things to peck at or hanging a head of broccoli or cabbage just out of reach so they have to jump to get it.

I agree with the most recent poster... even "natural or organic" doesn't mean safe. Poison is poison, think.. lead and arsenic are organic yet poisonous. Fire is natural but still deadly. And even things like calcium or potassium that are NECESSARY for us to stay alive, when out of balance can kill very quickly.

Do you plan to take fecal samples or the next bird that passes in for testing?

Best wishes getting this figured out!

Please consider developing a routine for quarantine if you are going to continue rescuing.

And I won't personally feed my roosters layer. Too much calcium fed long term to non layers can (doesn't mean will) cause kidney issues and even failure. For this reason aside from having many chicks, broody's, roosters and juveniles I use a flock raiser with 20% protein and offer oyster shell free choice on the side for layers. The other biggest reason I use the 20% protein feed is because 16% is the bare minimum for light bodied layers like leghorn. Dual purpose breeds like Rock, Marans, and Wyandotte will do better with more protein than that. And boys are heavier bodied than girls of the same breed. So I don't see how 16% is enough, especially if not free ranged with access to other bugs and such... Anyways, here is a link to my nutritional research and part of the reason I asked about your breeds. One misprint says 5-17% and should say 15-17%....
http://ucanr.edu/sites/poultry/files/186894.pdf

It's awesome that you don't do too much treats, that means that your birds are getting pretty much what they should nutritionally. I don't use grit because I use washed river sand in my coop and it has many small size pebbles. Plus they free range and have lots of access to dirt for the amount of birds I have. I haven't yet had issues in 8 years. But if they were indoors where the dirt isn't being pushed up by gophers all the time or no other access, then I would consider adding something for them as it is their ONLY means of digestion.

What I feel like I can assure you with what little knowledge I do have... is that mites may have contributed (because things add up and take their toll) but is NOT your main cause of death. Especially if like you believe they weren't around before Nov 17th ish. NO WAY did mites cause death in two weeks with no other issues being the main contributing factor. (sorry, I like the old guy thing but don't mean it as cockiness!)

Seems like you are the look out for stuff and having BYC peeps at your disposal to help, hopefully you will get it turned around. I really love raising birds. And I'm a rescuer at heart. It's been a hard choice to know I won't rescue chickens and risk my flock. But kudos to you having a big heart!

 

[EggSighted4Life]

have you taken the dead chicken to the votech vet to see why it died, mine had mites but you could see it right away as the legs show scales on them and I clean them with vasaline at night and it kills the mites and the scales full off my girl picked it off after a while

Those are scaly leg mites. Not quite the same and according to info I read are not treated good with the permethrin spray that has been discussed since they are systemic and may never come out to the surface of the leg. I have heard of good results via suffocation as you describe. One person even said they use Crisco since it's edible!

Can you tell me... were you able to actually see the mites on the legs also or only the evidence of them? Thanks for sharing, I have no experience with those little buggers yet.

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

I use it as a preventative in the sense that if my chickens have a few mites in them by spraying them every week or 2 the mites will not be able to establish themselves.

 

[Angel559209]

Ok this is my own experience i had to take drastic measures my chickens just out of nowhere got infested bad frontline plus for dogs helped 100% not recommended for every month treatment for dogs but I applied i drop on their back on where they can't reach to peck and but before that I used dawn soap to bath every bird i had then applied the drops changed all beading treated with demateoseous earth spread beading then finally one week after applied demateoseous earth to them have not had mites for a month and all my chickens are recovering from anemia feed them high protein scramble eggs maybe some gamebird feed mix for a week like i said my experience but after all this hustle I'm resting and they are happy chickens i bath them once a month needed or not but would be better to get some dry dirt mixed with demateoseous earth weekly on a tub or small swimming pool hope you get rid of those pesky things.

 

[mimis5girls]

This evening I soaked and cleaned my chickens feet and legs as they were rough with raised scales and areas of growths everywhere. Her feet softened and sloughed a considerable amount of dead skin. I then applied a thick layer of vaseline to her feet, toes and legs. After returning her to the coop I realized I was covered in crawling, biting mites!! Quickly took a long ,hot shower but I still feel like they are crawling all over me! How do I rid my coop and chickens of this pest?

 

[casportpony]

This evening I soaked and cleaned my chickens feet and legs as they were rough with raised scales and areas of growths everywhere. Her feet softened and sloughed a considerable amount of dead skin. I then applied a thick layer of vaseline to her feet, toes and legs. After returning her to the coop I realized I was covered in crawling, biting mites!! Quickly took a long ,hot shower but I still feel like they are crawling all over me! How do I rid my coop and chickens of this pest?

Welcome to BYC! You could try getting some permethrin spray from Tractor Supply or local feed store. Use that fr your coop and birds. If it's cold where you are you could use permethrin dust on the birds. Both birds and coop need to be treated.

 

[mimis5girls]

Welcome to BYC! You could try getting some permethrin spray from Tractor Supply or local feed store. Use that fr your coop and birds. If it's cold where you are you could use permethrin dust on the birds. Both birds and coop need to be treated.

Thanks so much! Will take care of it tomorrow. Should I spray their run also?