Mites on broody hen! Panicking slightly!

[Kakapothechicken]

I recently posted a question about what to do with a flighty broody hen (will the others attack her chicks if she’s left with the flock). I have just gone to check on her today after avoiding going near her so far. I went to candle one egg and instead pulled back a hand covered with mites!!!!
What do I do?
Eggs should be hatching in the next 6-8 days, I am concerned about hurting the eggs and then the chicks when they hatch if I use mite treatment. But also that the chicks will be killed or weakened by the mites.
I have some diatomaceous earth but it says not to use around the animals when they are in an enclosed space as it causes severe respiratory issues (I have felt the effects of breathing this stuff in, it was horrible and lasted ages!).
What do I do? Should I get ivermectin from the vet and treat the whole flock and completely clean all of the houses?
Or would it be better at this point to get an incubator and remove some (or all) eggs? Or leave them?
Her welfare is most important to me, I can only imagine how horrible she must feel crawling with these mites, I only had a few hundred on my arm but feel like they are all over me!
(I am in the UK by the way)

Sorry for the slightly panicked post I hope someone can help!

 

[Isabella6Storm4]

I recently posted a question about what to do with a flighty broody hen (will the others attack her chicks if she’s left with the flock). I have just gone to check on her today after avoiding going near her so far. I went to candle one egg and instead pulled back a hand covered with mites!!!!
What do I do?
Eggs should be hatching in the next 6-8 days, I am concerned about hurting the eggs and then the chicks when they hatch if I use mite treatment. But also that the chicks will be killed or weakened by the mites.
I have some diatomaceous earth but it says not to use around the animals when they are in an enclosed space as it causes severe respiratory issues (I have felt the effects of breathing this stuff in, it was horrible and lasted ages!).
What do I do? Should I get ivermectin from the vet and treat the whole flock and completely clean all of the houses?
Or would it be better at this point to get an incubator and remove some (or all) eggs? Or leave them?
Her welfare is most important to me, I can only imagine how horrible she must feel crawling with these mites, I only had a few hundred on my arm but feel like they are all over me!
(I am in the UK by the way)

Sorry for the slightly panicked post I hope someone can help!

i've had this exact same situation.
Treat the flock and coop. I've heard Permethrin is really good for that but I use This .
Ivermectin Should work as long as you get it under the feathers.
I would try to gently dust (if you use dust) the broody and treat her nest when she leaves to eat.

Other people might know better what to do.
Mites are so hard to get rid of. good luck.

 

[Kakapothechicken]

Thank you for responding. The vet has been contacted but unfortunately the one with chicken knowledge is not there at the moment. I will look at the permethrin, my concern is if it will be ok for the developing eggs, though I think I would be able to get hold of some quicker than any other product. It could be quite difficult to move her and the eggs to treat the house. I have been looking at Dergall as it seems to have some very good reviews but again I am concerned about the impact on the developing chicks.
In the meantime the whole flock will be given some apple cider vinegar in their water as a bit of a boost and maybe some egg as well.

 

[Sussex19]

As far as I know, permethrin is fine for the eggs and chicks, or at least not nearly as bad as being covered in mites.
Lift her off the nest, and dust her all over, making sure you get it under the feathers.
Also sprinkle a bit in the nest, around not on the eggs. You will need to repeat after a few days, and then again a week or so later.
If there are mites on the broody, you can bet there will be more all over the coop, so treat all the other birds and the coop.
What is you coop made of?

 

[mcdze]

thats one of the problems with trying to use a broody, especially in the warm months, they can get sick also .. id keep them broke of broodiness in the summer ... but ive found mites can be kept under control if you just keep the coop clear, the few on the birds arnt a problem if you address the coop, but mites will literally saturate it and diatomaceous earth wont work and off the shelf bullcrap wont be real effective ... you need 3 things and get your rubber boots and gloves on ... first round up your birds and put them somewhere else for the day ... now get your 2gal pump up sprayer and dump a bottle of bleach in it, the rest water .. cover the whole structure inside, let it pretty much dry, assuming youve cleaned everything out first, nestboxes etc ... ok after that some really good stuff is 'bifen it' .. its toxic wet, wear long sleeves, pants, and a hat .. shower after your all done .... but cover the entire coop inside and out, the run, and about 10ft out away from the structure on the ground with bifen .. a mist covering is all you need, no need to soak it, but thoroughly cover everything, especially nest boxes and perch areas, rafters, corners etc ... now rake the run and coop floor ..then let it dry 'thoroughly' and its safe ..id wash out any food or water containers though ..your done, again, id shower after spraying that bifen all over ..they can go back in when its real dry ..

 

[Kakapothechicken]

As far as I know, permethrin is fine for the eggs and chicks, or at least not nearly as bad as being covered in mites.
Lift her off the nest, and dust her all over, making sure you get it under the feathers.
Also sprinkle a bit in the nest, around not on the eggs. You will need to repeat after a few days, and then again a week or so later.
If there are mites on the broody, you can bet there will be more all over the coop, so treat all the other birds and the coop.
What is you coop made of?

Thank you for your response.
Would I also remove the mite infested bedding or just treat it?
There are two coops and the other chickens almost always cram themselves into the other one! They are made of recycled plastic and are designed to prevent mites (or make them easier to treat) they have not had mites in the six years of using these houses so they do seem to work.

 

[Kakapothechicken]

Also, will these mites infest other species? I don’t think they are red mites as they are quite large and brown. I am not quite sure how to remove the hen from the nest box without getting absolutely coated in mites, as I only reached underneath her for a moment and my arm was coated in the things.

 

[Sussex19]

Thank you for your response.
Would I also remove the mite infested bedding or just treat it?
There are two coops and the other chickens almost always cram themselves into the other one! They are made of recycled plastic and are designed to prevent mites (or make them easier to treat) they have not had mites in the six years of using these houses so they do seem to work.

If you can, removing the bedding and putting new stuff in would be the best way to go.
Good that your coops are easy to clean! If you just treat the bird, and the nesting box, it should be quite easy to get them under control. I would still do a thorough search for any other places they could be hiding.

Also, will these mites infest other species? I don’t think they are red mites as they are quite large and brown. I am not quite sure how to remove the hen from the nest box without getting absolutely coated in mites, as I only reached underneath her for a moment and my arm was coated in the things.

I think all mites are species specific, so they shouldn't be a problems for you. They might kind of 'hitch hike' on you, which can be a bit of a bother, but they won't hang around, or start to breed, so I tend to not worry about it.
If you are concerned, you could have a look to see if you can get some disposable long gloves, like the kind a vet might use to lamb a sheep.

 

[Kakapothechicken]

If you can, removing the bedding and putting new stuff in would be the best way to go.
Good that your coops are easy to clean! If you just treat the bird, and the nesting box, it should be quite easy to get them under control. I would still do a thorough search for any other places they could be hiding.

I think all mites are species specific, so they shouldn't be a problems for you. They might kind of 'hitch hike' on you, which can be a bit of a bother, but they won't hang around, or start to breed, so I tend to not worry about it.
If you are concerned, you could have a look to see if you can get some disposable long gloves, like the kind a vet might use to lamb a sheep.

Thank you so much!
Checking the other chickens and the houses for mites this evening and potentially treating them all with powder, I think I will put powder in the nesting box around the broody hen and buy some Dergall to put on her. I am quite concerned that she will be trapped in there with the dust if it is put directly on her as she doesn’t seem to be going outside any more. Hopefully she is ok with being picked up to have the box dusted as she is an extremely flighty hen and I don’t want her to abandon her eggs due to stress.