New coop, new pullets... parasite prevention

[DvanderSlik]

Hello out there! I am the proud owner of three Brahma hens today! We have a nice little coop in our backyard, and i'm worried about mites. One of my hens is constantly pecking under her wings. I've read a lot about DE and sevin dust and am a little confused by the whole thing. Do I bath them, just dust their run and house or put it in their food? Should I dust the area around their coop as well? They must have brought the mites with them.

They're about 8 weeks old, and are on Purina Start n' Grow Medicated food. Should the medicated food take care of mites?

Any suggestions would really help me out! Like I said, I'm brand new to chickens and BYC (so I hope I'm doing this post right

Thanks guys.

 

[Sharksandguitars]

Hey I think it was this website that I got the info from, but I bought this stuff made up of diatoms... Umm... grade chemical D or something. It is suppose to keep the birds pest free. I put a little in my brooder box mixed with pine shavings. So far so good. My 3 bantams are happy campers!

 

[GreenEggers]

You can get food grade DE. Make sure it's food grade not the stuff for pools. Do a search here for DE or Diatomaceous earth and you'll get lots of info. I sprinkle it all over my coop, under shavings and in nest boxes. Some people place a dusting box for the birds to dust themselves. Mine would not use a box so I just sprinkle it all over.

 

[DvanderSlik]

Is DE safe for them to eat and inhale? In the dust bath box, do you put like 3 or 4 inches of it in a shoe box type setup? THANK YOU!