Mites

[songbird]

Hi everyone,
Today I found myself totally covered in mites! So maybe my silkie isn't moulting or brooding after all! Maybe she is being eaten by mites. I couldn't find elsewhere on the site what to do for mite infestation, although I'm sure it's on here. Any advice, Pansy would greatly appreciate it.

 

[DonnaBelle]

Wow, mites, I hate em. Get some 5 % Sevin dust at the feed store, Walmart, etc. Dust her with it. Also dust the coop, nest.

You might get some DE (dietimateous earth, food grade) and sprinkle in the coop, it is a natural pest control. Also, do some research here on this site with the Search function. Lots of good info on pests, etc.

DonnaBelle

 

[mamaKate]

My guys had a nasty case of lice. I got a tube of Ivermectin apple flavor for horses and dabbed a bb sized piece of it on the skin(all the way under feathers) at the back of the neck and under each wing. No more lice! If they haven't been wormed recently you'll need to worm them first. Ivermectin kills internal parasites, too, and they might get sick if too many worms die at once.

 

[songbird]

I have never dewormed them - since this is my first flock, and I just got them this spring, I didn't think they'd have too much exposure to intestinal parasites yet. But I did buy Wazine, so I probably should go ahead and use it!

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

The sevin dust would be the best all around cure, as you can throw it everywhere, pen, bedding, rub it in the feathers of the birds good, etc. The Ivermectin will just do the bird, and can easily be overdosed, as it comes a wide array of strenghts, and is intended for heartwormers, and large livestock wormers. The wazine, is kind of a weak wormer, it only gets round worms. One plus of the ivermectin, aside from killing lice and mites, is it does get just about any type of intestinal parasite. I prefer Safeguard for my bantams, peafowl, and turkeys over the Ivermectin, a little safer on the birds. But lot of people use the Ivermectin too, just watch the dosing, With the pour on, an once or 2 will worm a 2000 lb cow!

 

[duck&chickencrazy]

hey now i have a few questions of my own....how do you dust them and do you dust ducks?

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

yep, you can dust any thing with it. Take a hand full of it, and rub it in thier feathers, tail to head direction, this helps it get all up in there and down to the skin. A s for the pens, just sling a decent coat, not real heavy, all over the pens, and bedding, and a few feet outside the pens, pretty much anywhere the birds are.

Works on dogs too!

 

[Sissy]

how can you tell if your flock has mites.
I always inspect mine and dont see any thing.
out of the ordinary,

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

Lots of times, you can see them if you look under the feathers. Feather loss, scaley legs, sore spots, scratching, black dots on comb and wattles are all signs to look for, thanksfully, they arent a huge problem, and most people will never get them. Dosent hurt to dust your pens about 2 times a year, just as a preventative. Sevin dust if good for all kinds of critters, ants, fleas, mites and lice, ect, any kind of bug...good to keep them beat down any way.

 

[Sissy]

thanks for the info.
but do mites come out in the cold weather too.
I have my flock for 3 years and seen nothing
as you
described.I do use garden and animal dusting powder and lime (Ag )
all around their coops.and Pdz I had heard that Sevin dust was
being pulled
from the markets,I will try to find it.