Mites: I've tried EVERYTHING

[chickenfever417]

I had a red mite issue....maybe other mites or lice just only seen one red mite crawling on the coop. However my birds were itching like crazy. Feathers all over the run from grooming etc.
I started to get bit when I hung out around the coop

I bought Poultry and Garden dust (permthrin) from Tractor Supply.

Put the dust in a KNEE HIGH (only around 2 inch deep in the knee high) Called it my powder puff...LOL

Emptied the coop's pine shavings, spread the dust around and powder puffed the roost etc. Added new pine shavings.

Next, my husband held the birds, one at a time on their backs while I "powder puffed" them. ALL OVER. put them in the clean coop.

Next it was time for the run. WE have 2 parts to the run...Under the Coop is sand, so we took out old and added new sand ADDING around 10% DE and maybe 1% of the Poultry Dust. SO they can dust bath.....The uncovered part was the same but we added pine shaving after sprinkling the dust plus powder puffed all 2x4 etc.

Last but not least we used SEVIN garden spray (the kind you attach to your garden hose) And sprayed everything AROUND the coop (not in the coop). I think this helped A lot because our coop is under a big tree. Lots of birds!!!!

So far so good.....Good luck

 

[chrissyr]

Love the Adams flea and tick spray! Great for scaley leg mites, and I'm sure others too. Havent had scaley leg mites in a while. if they start getting red legged- spray then their gone! Our feed store had a barn spray that was labeled safe around animals. It said it could be diluted more for ON The birds too. Something like this would be possibly better than Neem oil. I would go AROUND the coop with seven spray (where your birds can't get it at all).
As a last resort, if it were me, I would try the Frontline others suggested. The problem is you won't know if it gets in the eggs. I personally would throw the eggs out for a month after applying. A great time to do this would be in winter when they molt and quit laying. If your in an area where this is a problem, every winter may work well.
I tried the "all natural" for my home pests. Now, I use "Home Defense" i think by Ortho. i dont let the chickens all over, but no more Black Widows around.I have a small pasture for the birds with no sprays and give them mealworms to supplement. **You don't want stuff like Ortho Home Defense around your birds, but a far off barrier of the pen might help. **. The pest control people usually don't spray all over, but do barriers. Even though the mites only like birds, they travel somehow. So if you spray your yard that may help prevent newcomers.
I think the hatching eggs are getting the best of your situation.

 

[teach1rusl]

Only made through page three, but I'm tossing in another vote for Frontline Plus...use a needle-less syringe or a dropper to suck it up (one large dog dose is good for many birds)...place a drop under each wing and somewhere around the butt area (NOT right on the vent). I also like the Adams for spraying...

 

[Shark Akhrrana]

My hens have leg mites. I tried the vaceline and it seems to have worked. But one of the hens has her feet all messed up because of the mites. How does one fix this?

 

[Fancychooklady]

My hens have leg mites. I tried the vaceline and it seems to have worked. But one of the hens has her feet all messed up because of the mites. How does one fix this?

Vaseline does a great job, but if the scales are lifted there is little you can do about it. I know it doesn't look pretty,but at least the pesky bugs are gone.

 

[teach1rusl]

My hens have leg mites. I tried the vaceline and it seems to have worked. But one of the hens has her feet all messed up because of the mites. How does one fix this?

We "adopted" a two year old rooster that had pretty severe leg mites - his feet looked rather deformed (lumpy, bumpy, half a toe gone). We soaked his feet in warm water w/epsom salts every other day for 10 days. Used a soft bristled toothbrush to gently brush his feet while they soaked. After each soaking, we dried his feet and reapplied the vaseline. Two weeks later, his feet looked great! Those lumps and bumps had been old scale material - and were gone...

 

[coxrb13]

Toget ride of mites pour vinigar all over your chickens and the mites will die.

 

[Shark Akhrrana]

We "adopted" a two year old rooster that had pretty severe leg mites - his feet looked rather deformed (lumpy, bumpy, half a toe gone).  We soaked his feet in warm water w/epsom salts every other day for 10 days.  Used a soft bristled toothbrush to gently brush his feet while they soaked.  After each soaking, we dried his feet and reapplied the vaseline.  Two weeks later, his feet looked great!  Those lumps and bumps had been old scale material - and were gone...

Oh that's great news. I think I'll do that. Thanks.

 

[countrygirl14]

Try tea tree oil mixed with water to spray around the coop. We bathe our chickens in tea tree water before fair so they don't pick up mites or anything else.

 

[ivan3]

countrygirl14 wrote: Try tea tree oil mixed with water to spray around the coop. We bathe our chickens in tea tree water before fair so they don't pick up mites or anything else.

Interesting prophylactic application. What concentration do you use (water to oil)?

Have rubbed down 2x4 roosts with the stuff but have not used directly on chooks (essential aromatic oils and avians sometimes don't mix):

Here is an older thread with the good/bad/ugly: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/180789/just-another-tea-tree-oil-thread