mites on my chickens

[mlcrossland]

So i was collecting eggs and i noticed that one of my chickens had a couple mites crawling on her head she does have a 2 by 2 in wound under her wing and is getting treated but how do i get rid of the mites.

 

[KYTinpusher]

If you are seeing them, she is probably infested, as are any other chickens housed with her. Look under the feathers, down to the skin, back by her vent, under her thighs and under her wings. The course of treatment will be determined by the severity of the infestation and your desires for the health of your flock.

Depending on where you are and the weather there, you may want to start by giving your chickens a bath and thoroughly cleaning out the coop. I use insecticidal soap (organic) to bathe mine when needed, but you can use regular Dawn also. If it is cold where you are, make sure all are completely dry and fluffed before going back outside. You can use the time while they are drying somewhere warm to clean the coop. After removing all the litter from the coop, I would spray the roosts and any exposed wood with Neem oil. Make sure you have a dust bath available to help your girls control mites on their own.

If a wet bath is not feasible, and alternative is manually dustbathing each chicken in wood ashes. Make sure you thoroughly douse each one with plenty of wood ash (well cooled, of course), getting under as many feathers as possible. Do not try to shake them out. You may have to repeat this a few times until the mites are under control.

A good dust bath mix to keep available is 1 part wood ash, 1 part peat moss, and 1 part sand. Make sure there is at least a couple of inches available in a tub large enough to accommodate at least a couple of chickens. Dust bathing is a group event to chickens.

You can also use NuStock around the vent, comb and on the legs to discourage mites.

Or you can go the medication route. Ivermectin is often used, but I think other medications may be more effective. If you go this route, cleaning the coop is still highly advised and all birds should be treated.

Good luck and keep us advised!

 

[BBQJOE]

There's 2-3 places my hens like to dust bathe. I keep them all well filled with wood ash, and haven't had any problems yet.