Mites & Lice! What should I do?

[WaddleWaddle]

I was checking my girls out tonight as I was locking up their coop and noticed that 75% of my chickens have both lick and mites! We just moved them into their new larger coop that we finished building 2 weeks ago so they must have brought them from their old coop. My big concern is I currently have 18 two week old ducklings, 23 two week old chicks and 10 four day old chicks in the coop in brooders! I imagine the babies will be too young to treat? I did not check the babies because I had already had my hands on the adults and didn't want to transmit anything even though they are all in the same coop. I plan on stripping all the bedding out of the coop tomorrow and cleaning it completely. What should I use? I plan on bathing all the adult chickens as well. I have a bag of DE that I can use in the coop. Do I need to treat them with something else as well? What should I do for the babies?

 

[Buffygirl]

DE should do the trick. If you feel like you still need something more, in the past I have used a powder labeled "garden and poultry dust" with active ingredient Permethrin. Hopefully you caught it early enough that the chicks are ok, good thinking not handling them with the same hands as the chickens.

 

[Judy]

Here you go:

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ig140

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/818674/are-these-some-kind-of-egg-clusters/0_20#post_11897957

 

[WaddleWaddle]

@Buffygirl is there an egg withdrawal period with the dust?

 

[Buffygirl]

There is no withdrawl on the label. I have never worried. I shouldn't think it would be a problem since they don't consume it.

 

[WaddleWaddle]

Thank you. I stripped the coop and dusted the chickens and coop and dusted DE as well. I did the same with their run. I so filled a tub with shavings, DE and the poultry dust and quite a few have happily hopped in and bathed. Is there anything else I need to do? What is the time frame before I do it again? 2 weeks?

 

[Buffygirl]

Since your chickens like the box then keeping the box well supplied with DE and that dust should keep the mites away. I tried a box for mine but they never understood, so I just watched to find out where they dust bathe, and sprinkle some mite dust there. If you did a good job killing off the mite population, and it sounds like you did, then keeping the DE and some mite dust in their dust bathing spot (wherever that may be) should keep the mites away.

Remember to practice good biosecurity (quarantine new birds, bleach your shoe bottoms after walking in another flock, properly sanitize your equipment when going from one flock to another with it, ect.). I wish good health for your birds!