Mites in my coop

[SierraMA]

I have a question about getting rid of the mites on the walls of my coop. I did not paint the inside of the coop. I have sprinkled DE on the chickens, coop floor, nesting box and in their run. The problem has been getting better. Should I make a whitewash with the DE and paint the walls? How often should you do this to prevent the mites from coming back. I am in the New England area and it is getting colder. Will the mites eventually die or will the eggs go into hybernation and re-hatch? Tomorrow I am going to replace all the bedding and hose and scrub the coop.

 

[Chirpy]

I don't have an answer to your question but would love to hear from someone who does just for my own future reference (which I hope I never need

) so I wanted to get this back into sight.

 

[adoptedbyachicken]

You need to know which mite your dealing with so you need to have a close up look and read about mites. I gather from the fact that your seeing them on the walls that they are a type that do not live either whole life on the bird. In this case they usually stay on the perches so oiling them is very helpful, they suffocate as they breath through their skin. I guess the same could go for the walls. Cedar bedding is also helpful as is cedar oils. Don't use too much or it will also bother the chickens but I have used up to a quarter of the bedding and it worked well. Rotenone is also good and organic approved natural insecticide. It comes as a spray as well as a powder.

 

[SierraMA]

Unfortunately it rained all weekend so I wasn't able to clean the coop because I figured it wouldn't dry. So today is the day. After I put the children on the bus, I am tackling this!! I was also reading that something called Orangeguard works well to for the wood. Let me tell you that these mites are bugging the crap out of me. They land on everything. I have even had them crawling on me in the car. They are the black and red kind. I feel like they are crawling on me even when they aren't. Every time I go out into the coop, I wear a raincoat with a hood and then I strip outside in the back yard before I go into the house and then I take a shower.

 

[SierraMA]

Well, I shoveled out the coop yesterday, hosed it down, let it dry, sprinkled a layer of sevin 5%, then pine shavings and then DE. I also sprayed the inside walls and ceiling with a cinnamon oil. Of course as I was spraying, I ended up with mites on me! This morning all the chickens were all alive. Can't tell whether the mite population went down yet... I also dusted the chickens but those 2 rascally barred rocks where hard to catch.

 

[cat]

I feel your pain, I have mites in my coop which then get in my hair when I go to collect eggs! I hate it, I am paranoid I can feel them all over me and I am scratching just thinking of it... euck!!

I just ordered some diatomous (?) earth and a red mite powder. Apparently creosote works really well and so does cinnamon oil, the problem here is it hasn't stopped raining for a week so I am reluctant to try and spray till it does. I wondered the same, do they die when its cold?

Hope my DE arrives soon so we can all get dusted!

 

[SierraMA]

I have been using the DE too. I will let you know how the cinnamon oil works. I'll have to look up about the cresote. I also put down the 5% sevin powder too. Where are you located. I am in MA. It has been raining here too but I had to spray. The mites were bugging me too much. I have the same problem. Even after I take a shower, I still feel them on me! What kind of red mite powder did you order?

 

[cat]

I am across the pond in Ireland. I got so paranoid I went and bought some coaltar shampoo and soap for myself and kids as I know it kills just about anything, so I get a shower and wash all over with it ... I smell delightful! We don't have severin, but I suspect the red mite powder is very similar, just some sort of inceticide. I ordered it off a poultry website in UK, I will look up the ingredients and let you know if it works. hope you get rid of your friends soon lol

 

[SierraMA]

Well it looks like I licked the problem. 1 week and mite free. I am going to re-spray next weekend with the cinnamon oil again.

 

[SpottedCrow]

I just found this thread...you can buy hanging things in the bird section of the petshops for mites...

Good luck being mite free...the cinammon sounds like it worked.
I've used Eucalyptus for fleas. and peppermint oil for mice.