Mites?!

[Manahil Asad]

Hi there everyone! I'm a first time chicken owner and new to BYC. I have two lovely silkie hens, who are 4 months old. They live in a room inside my house but play outside each and every morning until dusk! I recently found out that there were mites crawling around them. (Yea, disguising, I know ). How do I naturally get rid of them and how do I prevent mites in the future? I have gathered a few options. It'll be sooo appreciated if yall could review them. I'm also opened to any new ideas.
Ideas
Manna pro poultry protector
Dust bath

• Harris Diatomaceous Earth Food Grade
• Top soil
• Play sand

Bath

• Lavender Messy Mildred shampoo

Herbs inside coop area

• Lavender
• Mint

 

[azygous]

Where you live, can you find insecticide containing permethrin? How about spinosad? These two insecticides are perfectly safe to use on a chicken. Be sure any insecticide you find does not contain petroleum distillates as that would be poisonous.

The things you are considering won't kill mites, although they might help to discourage them. Either permethrin or spinosad mixed in water, put into a spray bottle, and sprayed on your chickens, will kill the mites. Or lice, which is more likely since lice do live on chickens, but mites live in the walls of a structure and then come out at night to feed on the chickens.

 

[Mrs. K]

When it comes to bugs, you really need real insecticide. The others won't do any harm, but no good either.

 

[aart]

They live in a room inside my house

UHG! This could be a real problem.
If they are roost mites, you'll have to treat the room they live in.

Good post about mite ID by Lady McCamley:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/my-chicken-has-mites-now-what.1273674/page-2#post-20483008

 

[cmom]

I use permethrin. It has worked well for me and much less expensive than spinosad. I have posted this before. I used the dust on the birds and in their nest boxes and sprayed inside of the coops, every crack and crevice, on and under the roosts, ceiling, walls, floors, anywhere the mites can hide. It's best to clean out the coop before you spray. I use pine shavings in my coops. I wear special clothing including a mask and gloves. I do weekly sprayings for awhile and put permethrin dust in the nest boxes, originally I sprayed the birds getting under the wings and worked it through their feathers with gloves which you can also do with the dust. Permethrin only kill live pests, not the pests eggs. TSC and Amazon carries the permethrin powder, premixed spray bottles and the concentrate. I use the concentrate. It did not affect the birds but I did keep them out of the coops while it dried. I spray my coops as needed and when I spray I do weekly spraying for 3 or 4 weeks then stop as I don't want the pests to develop a resistance to the permethrin. Repeated weekly spraying is necessary because again, it does not kill the pests eggs and as an added benefit is there is no egg withdrawal period. There are other products available but much more expensive, and in my opinion the permethrin works great. Good luck...

 

[azygous]

You don't need to bathe the chickens at all. The permethrin will kill all mites and lice.

Do you know how to tell the difference between lice and mites? Lice have six legs and mites have eight.

 

[cmom]

I agree, no need to bathe them. Not knowing where you are located, If it's cold out, dust the birds well until they look like a powdered doughnut. If it's warm where you are you can also spay the birds and work it into their feathers, especially around the vent area. Again, good luck...

 

[Manahil Asad]

Where you live, can you find insecticide containing permethrin? How about spinosad? These two insecticides are perfectly safe to use on a chicken. Be sure any insecticide you find does not contain petroleum distillates as that would be poisonous.

The things you are considering won't kill mites, although they might help to discourage them. Either permethrin or spinosad mixed in water, put into a spray bottle, and sprayed on your chickens, will kill the mites. Or lice, which is more likely since lice do live on chickens, but mites live in the walls of a structure and then come out at night to feed on the chickens.

Oh ok great! I’m now going to use a permethrin spray and dust. Thank you!! I’m still kinda confused on what type of mites they are since they are so so small. I have attached photos of them. I’d be so grateful if they could be given a look at!

 

[Manahil Asad]

I use permethrin. It has worked well for me and much less expensive than spinosad. I have posted this before. I used the dust on the birds and in their nest boxes and sprayed inside of the coops, every crack and crevice, on and under the roosts, ceiling, walls, floors, anywhere the mites can hide. It's best to clean out the coop before you spray. I use pine shavings in my coops. I wear special clothing including a mask and gloves. I do weekly sprayings for awhile and put permethrin dust in the nest boxes, originally I sprayed the birds getting under the wings and worked it through their feathers with gloves which you can also do with the dust. Permethrin only kill live pests, not the pests eggs. TSC and Amazon carries the permethrin powder, premixed spray bottles and the concentrate. I use the concentrate. It did not affect the birds but I did keep them out of the coops while it dried. I spray my coops as needed and when I spray I do weekly spraying for 3 or 4 weeks then stop as I don't want the pests to develop a resistance to the permethrin. Repeated weekly spraying is necessary because again, it does not kill the pests eggs and as an added benefit is there is no egg withdrawal period. There are other products available but much more expensive, and in my opinion the permethrin works great. Good luck...
View attachment 2461994View attachment 2461995

oh my goodness, I totally needed this information. Thank you!! I also have another question. Is it better if I give my chickens a bath before starting the treatment as some of the mites and their eggs can go down the drain or does it not make a difference?

 

[cmom]

Lice life cycle.

Mites life cycle.