Northern Fowl Mite Disgust

[Jennc-123]

I can't get Sevin dust in Canada. We can't get a lot of things here, even medicine. I order what I can get from the US. We have no vets available in my area who will deal with chickens either. I am hoping with deep winter coming i can get a handle on the mites. It is pretty much the roosters that get it worse. I had read somewhere about it usually starting with them. I will just keep cleaning, spraying and treating them as best as I can, regular. I am now thinking of doing the weekly garlic juice and water spray on the chickens, weekly and then like once a month. And do the Front line every 3 months after that.

We are so restricted here! I got rid of mites with de (I know some people say it doesn't work but as someone who has pool operator courses, I have researched the cleaning power of micro-exoskeletons) It's unfortunate the government is so restrictive when we can't even find a vet to see our animals!

 

[buttertart]

What have you been using so far?

I did post a few back about what I have been using, over a period of several months starting around May, On Northern Fowl Mites, as one rooster had them bad. Started with Ivermectin drops on him and others. Also bathing him and retreating. All other chickens seemed fine. His start to muliply again. Permerthrin, spray, and coops repeatedly cleaned and sprayed, he was really invested later, others seem to be fine, only seeing a couple mites at some others vents, but i sprayed everyone... his seem to be going down... then a few weeks later they are right back to growing strong. I get the Frontline in from the States, and did him and all the others... 3 weeks later there they are again, and they are not just a few leftovers, who you would think would die off after hatching... nope they are getting bigger sized so I know they are not the tiny new hatched mites. So I sprayed him again with Frontline. I am really keeping an eye on him, but can't understand it. He is a magnet for them I guess. And he was heavily infested about month and half ago. It was awful. I don't even know how he has survived this he is only about 6 months old now and they have been at him since he was about 3 months.

 

[buttertart]

We are so restricted here! I got rid of mites with de (I know some people say it doesn't work but as someone who has pool operator courses, I have researched the cleaning power of micro-exoskeletons) It's unfortunate the government is so restrictive when we can't even find a vet to see our animals!

Yes you are so right. We can't kill weeds legally, and we can't kill mites either.
Only in Canada eh!!! No vets, no meds. Its sad really.

 

[RainbowHen]

You have to treat the coop and birds consistently once a week for several weeks in a row. I battled mites this spring. If you don't treat them aggressively they will keep coming back and build a tolerance to your chemical of choice.

 

[buttertart]

Just had another look at Mr. Big, my young Salmon Roo, there they are again, tiny little NFM around his vent. But I must say the rest of his body is cleaning up, not so badly infested. These may be hatchlings on him, but if I don't continue treating weekly they will get worse for sure again.
Do the NFM die off eventually in cold weather, like northern Canadian winters?

 

[roosterhavoc]

Just had another look at Mr. Big, my young Salmon Roo, there they are again, tiny little NFM around his vent. But I must say the rest of his body is cleaning up, not so badly infested. These may be hatchlings on him, but if I don't continue treating weekly they will get worse for sure again.
Do the NFM die off eventually in cold weather, like northern Canadian winters?

Do you have a picture of the bird and the mites? I’ve treated what amounts to thousands of birds with frontline and sevin and every single time within 24 hrs they’re gone. I know you said you can’t get the sevin but can you get any other permethrin dust or something similar.
How are you using the frontline spray?

 

[buttertart]

Do you have a picture of the bird and the mites? I’ve treated what amounts to thousands of birds with frontline and sevin and every single time within 24 hrs they’re gone. I know you said you can’t get the sevin but can you get any other permethrin dust or something similar.
How are you using the frontline spray?

I will get pictures of him tomorrow and try to get a pic of vent area and mites on him. I have used the Frontline twice so far, it was two weeks apart, and was only one week ago now and they are back. I have also used Permethrn spray on him three times just prior to the front line coming in, as well as I have been continually spraying the coop down with every cleaning, often. Along the way prior to Permethren, i washed him with Dawn blue soap, and treated with Ivermectin, I didnt know it wouldnt help with those, but it did help the other birds... just not him apparently. He is like a magnet for these mites.

 

[roosterhavoc]

I will get pictures of him tomorrow and try to get a pic of vent area and mites on him. I have used the Frontline twice so far, it was two weeks apart, and was only one week ago now and they are back. I have also used Permethrn spray on him three times just prior to the front line coming in, as well as I have been continually spraying the coop down with every cleaning, often. Along the way prior to Permethren, i washed him with Dawn blue soap, and treated with Ivermectin, I didnt know it wouldnt help with those, but it did help the other birds... just not him apparently. He is like a magnet for these mites.

Anytime I have found mites I have noticed where one bird is affected more than the next or even one pen of birds has a few and the next doesn’t but 2 pens down mites again. So....individual birds can definitely be more susceptible.
I was asking how you sprayed him with frontline? Where at on his body?

 

[roosterhavoc]

Just had another look at Mr. Big, my young Salmon Roo, there they are again, tiny little NFM around his vent. But I must say the rest of his body is cleaning up, not so badly infested. These may be hatchlings on him, but if I don't continue treating weekly they will get worse for sure again.
Do the NFM die off eventually in cold weather, like northern Canadian winters?

I’m not in Canada but on the east coast winter is when the NFM are a problem.

 

[buttertart]

Anytime I have found mites I have noticed where one bird is affected more than the next or even one pen of birds has a few and the next doesn’t but 2 pens down mites again. So....individual birds can definitely be more susceptible.
I was asking how you sprayed him with frontline? Where at on his body?

Sorry I meant to say , I spray the Frontline on the vent area skin, under both wings, and on center shoulder/wing skin.. then i make sure i give it a bit of a light rub to make sure its contacting with skin. It has worked for all the other birds. I think with him, which is something i didnt know, having to treat every 4th day at least for NFM because they hatch out earlier then red mites. So if you don't catch them they start to hatch out immune to the treatment you are using. So I am thinking going back to Ivermectin, for maybe two treatments, four days apart, and then switch to the permerthin after that every four days... and then once a week. I feel bad for him. His upper wings were so infested a month ago. But they are cleared up, but still looking there I still saw tiny mites in that area too. So I mean I am getting ahead of his infestation, but not winning yet. Honestly I can't believe he has lived through this infestation and still seems okay. Although he is off on his own, but still eating and drinking, actinng normal.