mites please come with your advice with i not only want to help with my own flock but am hoping this

[hdowden]

i have asked before for a mite problem after a 4-h fair were someones bird had mites, treated them with seven dust (also told de). now again i have mites and i have week old bittys and was wondering if these 2 things were safe for bittys and if there was something else that could also be used to rid us of the mites. and yes this is bad didnt think to check them for mites cause my babies arent sick in any way but my parents have lost a few and they treated for worms and a broad septrum antibiotic for other causes and i didnt think to check for mites even though 2 have feathers loss (thought they were maybe getting plucked out), it has been raining here for at least 2 weeks now so i decided to wash some of the mud off of the one of the BO's feathers (happened to be one with feather loss) and i as i was parting the feathers checking for mud i seen what looked like a white flake of skin move then i parted the feathers and really got to looking and there they were little white mites on the poor thing, so i go and check on mine since they are housed on the same land but not next to each other (hoping i lucked out) and there they were on my adults and my bitty's (my chickens range in age from 1 week to 1 year old). i also seen a few red mites on mine as well. so im off to play the treat the birds with seven and the coop and the ground.

again can seven be used on the bitty's and is it safe to incubate the eggs without washing them off in case they have mites on them or should wash them off first?

* adding poll

 

[Judy]

You need to clean out the coop and replace the litter. You need to repeat it all 10 days later as the Sevin will not kill the eggs.

"Poultry dust" or Adams Flea and tick spray, or the generic, will also work. Usually they are a combination of pyrethrins and permethrins. I believe some other cat and dog flea treatments will work but I don't know how safe they are.

Personally, I would also treat biddies, lightly, because lice and mites in themselves can kill. you are using Sevin off label so no one can tell you it's been scientifically proven safe.

Not sure what you're asking about the eggs. there is no need to treat eggs for lice/mites, whether you incubate or eat them. I know some people wash eggs before incubation and some don't; I've seen long threads debating which is better. If one way has been proven better, I don't know which it is.

My view on DE for anything is, don't waste your money unless you need a dessicant in your feed, or you are dusting your garden for garden worms like tomato hormworms. They will slow down some kinds of ants and soft bodied insects but you won't get a good kill for an infestation. JMO.

 

[hdowden]

with the eggs do you think i should wash them before incubating them, in case mites might be on them. i prefer not to wash but i have done so lately due to all the rain we have had since they prefer to lay in a dirt nest lol and they seem to be developing just fine. so all eggs have been washed before incubating due to that (just found the mites today).

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

I think you might be dealing with lice if the bugs are white but I don't know:

http://ohioline.osu.edu/vme-fact/0018.html
lice are listed as straw-colored at the bottom of this in the chart

note that sevin is not approved anymore and would be off-label:
http://msucares.com/poultry/diseases/pesticides.html

I personally would give the eggs a quick rinse in very warm water to wash off any lice/mite eggs that might be on them, but that's just my feeling of "want to get this clean" and isn't scientific.

Make sure to retreat every 7 days until they are gone, and I'd not use sevin on the chicks- I'd get the poultry dust from the store (permethrin) but that's just me. You can also get permethrin spray for the coop, dilutable. Please note that I have never tried dusting one week old chicks myself and thus cannot attest to its safety.

the following is from:
http://umaine.edu/publications/2072e/

"Even so, you shouldn’t wash eggs unless it is really necessary. Slightly soiled eggs can be cleaned with dry sandpaper. If the egg is valuable and washing seems necessary, use a mild detergent and a water temperature that is warmer than the contents of the egg. Using warm water will cause the contents of the egg to expand and prevent the entrance of bacteria. Heavy scrubbing damages the cuticle and may push bacteria into the pores of the shell, which can lead to infection when the egg is incubated. Don’t submerge eggs in the wash water, and do allow them to air dry. Washed eggs should not be held more than a few days to reduce the entrance of bacteria. Eggs that are heavily soiled could be boiled up, chopped, with shell, and fed back to the flock. (No, this won’t cause egg eating; they don’t recognize the cooked egg as their own."

 

[hdowden]

i think its both from the wild birds that fly in and out of the pens. some of the bugs are white some are red smaller than a pin top while i just found some that are a lot bigger and longer grrrr

 

[dawg53]

i think its both from the wild birds that fly in and out of the pens. some of the bugs are white some are red smaller than a pin top while i just found some that are a lot bigger and longer grrrr

This link will help you identify what you're dealing with, got a magnifying glass?
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ig140

 

[hdowden]

lol no magnifying glass but my eyes are goodish...will i need to treat the ducks as well??

 

[hdowden]

This link will help you identify what you're dealing with, got a magnifying glass?
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ig140

and this was the site i have been looking for

thank you