Mites - please help

[UrbanChickenMama]

Hi there,
My girls haven't been laying very well recently and 1 has been coughing. I inspected them all today and noticed that 1 has really bad mites around her vent.

Can you please tell me the best way to treat this?

Bath?
Dieat...(spelling please!) Earth?
Petroleum Jelly?
All of the above???

 

[mtnhomechick]

I would get a spray bottle of Poultry Spray at the farm store. For me it's the easiest way.


Good Luck.

 

[EurekaSouth]

Dusting your flock, their coop, their nests and nesting boxes, etc with diatomaceous earth is a good and natural treatment.
Treating them with Sevin dust is a not-so-natural but effective treatment.
After treating your flock and surrounding areas, keep treating every other week or every month, by just dusting their nesting boxes and coop with DE or Sevin dust.
Make sure you get the dust under their wings and near their vent area.

 

[mtnhomechick]

I think DE is more of a preventative. For an active lice problem I would do Sevin dust or Poultry Spray. JMHO.

 

[UrbanChickenMama]

Thanks everyone! I'll go to the store first thing tomorrow - all the stores will be closed by now - and look for a poultry spray as well as diatomaceous earth for further precautions.

I read something about a flea bath and was interested in this one because I have a dog and cat flea bath under the sink, but I'm worried that she'd get too chilled. Its been getting into the 20s at night still.

 

[mtnhomechick]

Quote:
That would work! Just do that tomorrow and then put Sevin Dust 5% in the boxes and around the coop and run. Can you keep her in the house for awhile or use a blow dryer?

 

[UrbanChickenMama]

Is there concern about use of it and still eating her eggs... well, that is when she starts laying again?

 

[mtnhomechick]

No..........it's not internal. Eggs will be fine.

 

[Lollipop]

One thing that nobody mentioned, if one has them, they all do. Treat them all. Be sure to treat the nests and bedding and everything you can think of. Nasty little vampires hide everywhere.

 

[mtnhomechick]

Ditto. They travel fast.