Mites

[Sarajane330]

My adult chickens have mites. I let them out of the coop to free range during the day. I was getting ready to introduce the younger ones but now I’m going to wait. Yesterday I used diatomaceous earth dust in the coop. And cleaned it out really good. I usually clean the coop every week. Is there a spray that anyone has used and likes? Any suggestions on other options that work? How long does it take for them to be gone? Anything else I should be doing?

 

[coach723]

For mites you have to treat all the birds kept together, and clean and treat the coop, at least 3 times at weekly intervals to get all the eggs that continue to hatch. DE will not get rid of them. Most commonly used products in the US contain permethrin a few pictures below. Some liquids will be ready to use, some require dilution before using, instructions will be on the label. You can also use Elector PSP which is said to work in one treatment, it's substantially more expensive (available on Amazon). When cleaning the coop you need to remove and discard all bedding and nesting material (burn if possible) and spray all the nooks and crannies well, the mites hide in cracks and crannies in the coop. More info here and pictures of some products below:
https://the-chicken-chick.com/poultry-lice-and-mites-identification/

 

[Sarajane330]

so is DE just a prevention or does it not work at all?

 

[coach723]

In my opinion, it doesn't work. And there is some risk of respiratory irritation, so I don't use it. If you have a source of wood ash, burn pile, fireplace, fire ring, etc, then mixing in some wood ash to your dustbathing areas may be helpful as a preventative. Make sure it's just wood ash and it wasn't started with firebricks, starter fluid, or any other chemicals that might leave a harmful residue. I always have big burn piles from downed oak and pecan limbs, so I mix in a couple shovels full after the ashes have cooled completely. If your soil isn't very sandy then mixing in some construction sand (not play sand or paver sand -they can become like mortar when wet) can also help. But once the birds are infested then chemicals are usually called in to get rid of them. The lice or mites can cause anemia and really weaken the birds if not dealt with, in severe cases can cause death.