Mites

[Cup of chicks]

Hi all! Well I'm frantic and need your help..my flock has approximately 75 birds..the biggest coop is 10 x 16...only in that coop did i find mites on 1 bird(haven't checked others) but I'm sure all will have to be treated..I brought her in last night as she was continually sneezing..that's how I found mites..It is 0° here. How in the world am I going to treat all my birdsI am absolutely sick over this..have had chickens 10 years and never this problem Please advise!!

 

[alinas2010]

Hi, I’m so sorry to hear about the mites. The good thing is that you caught it. You are correct in thinking all birds will need to be treated. So will your coop and bedding. The bedding and nesting material will need to be discarded or burned, do not reuse or compost it. The nooks and crannies of the coop will need to be sprayed with a permethrin spray (best option) or sprinkled with a permethrin poultry dust.

Do you have a vet to work with? There is a prescription mite treatment that seems like it may be the best option for your scenario. It goes in the water and will work as the mites bite the birds. It will work for both northern fowl mites and red mites. Here is a link to a thread with some more information: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/using-exzolt-for-northern-fowl-mite.1681455/#post-28953407

Otherwise, since it is so cold, a poultry dust (permethrin powder) may be your best option. I do not have a large flock, though, so let me tag some others who may have better advice on treating such a large flock. @Wyorp Rock
@Eggcessive what are some good ways to treat a large flock for mites?

 

[Eggcessive]

Giving your location can help a lot in what products to recommend. Mites are difficult to treat, since the mite eggs can hatch out every 5-7 days. Treating at this intervals can help. Here is a good article to read:
https://the-chicken-chick.com/poultry-lice-and-mites-identification/

 

[Debbie292d]

We've never had mites in over a decade, thank goodness, but I hear only good things about permethrin/garden dust. Folks just powder every chicken, the coop, nest boxes, etc., and repeat in a week to 10 days.

We keep the mites out by kicking everyone out of the coops/growout pens monthly and dusting their areas with food-grade diatomaceous earth. Some oppose it, saying it causes respiratory problems; however, I don't know anyone whose chickens did, and I don't go down rabbit holes. I'm just careful to wear a mask when I use it and don't throw it in the air. We use an old Parmesan cheese container to sprinkle it. I do not use it on chickens, just their coops. If I ever had a mite outbreak, I'd use permethrin powder. We've used it and DE in our parrot cages to kill fruit flies for over 20 years, and both work great!