mites on chicks? need advice pls.

[fallenweeble]

i'm noticing that on my youngest group of chicks, the ones who are being mothered by my broody silkie, that the fuzz on some of the chicks is starting to look sparse and the skin in those areas (around the neck mostly) looks super dry. is this a sign of mites? i have sevin dust and also a spray for birds that is supposed to treat mites that is sold for caged birds - any advice as to which might be safer?
thanks!

 

[jimnjay]

The spray for caged birds is safer. Sevin is an insecticide and some use it for chickens but it would be way to harsh for chicks. I would spray a cotton ball or square and spray the cotton well with the spray and then apply it to the chicks. On the head, under the wings and at the base of the tail. Do not get it on the face or vent. You might also try adding a drop or two of corn oil or olive oil to the feed, they just may need a bit more fat in their diet.

 

[ae50mag]

fallen,

dont use sevin on serama chicks, if that is what they are as i think it is. use the spray...

frank

 

[hinkjc]

yup the spray or if you have food grade DE..that works well. I have dusted the hen with the DE and when they chicks snuggle under her, they get it on them that way.

Jody

 

[fallenweeble]

thanks ya'll!

 

[fallenweeble]

a quick update:
i treated everyone with the cage-bird mite spray and also put DE in the environment and so far so good!
thanks again for the help!

 

[FourIsWaltz]

A rather odd chain of events led to me getting a commercial pesticide applicator's license with certification to treat animals.

There's really only one thing to remember: READ AND FOLLOW THE darn DIRECTIONS!

Some formulations of Sevin are labeled for use directly on chickens. Carbaryl is some mean stuff though, and I try to start with something safer before moving to the big guns. See what the label says on your spray (I'd guess permethrin, resmethrin, or something that ends -ethrin)?

DE is processed in several different ways, make sure you're not using something processed for swimming pool filters. Once again, best to get something with a label that says it's for use on poultry.

Also, carry the mite fight beyond the chicks. Remove all the shavings/bedding, clean out the coop, puff some dust into the cracks and crevices where mites will hide out, and treat the new bedding with DE or a dust.

And now that you're having some success getting rid of the mites you have, figure out where the mites came from, and take steps to make sure they don't come back!