Northern Fowl Mite? Red Mite? Suggestions for products to break infestation?

[SIMZ]

We've been battling mites all winter. I can see them crawling on the chickens and they appear tiny and blackish/red, but mostly black.I've dusted with Seven, I've dusted with poultry dust, I've dusted the coop, I've used a leaf blower in the coop, AND I've dusted the chickens every week for about 2-3 cycles.

Today I found a chicken INFESTED in mites and can hardly walk. This was after we dusted about 3-4 weeks ago. It doesn't seem healthy for the chickens (or us!) to be dusting all these chickens every few weeks. Is there a better way?

I've read spraying the coop with permethrin? I've read about using Frontline. Could someone give me specifics and where I can get the products? I think I'll give it one more try and then just pull my hair out.

Thanks!

 

[War Chicken]

Get a tube of "Quest" moxidectin with or without praziquantel off of eBay. Give each adult chicken an amount equal to roughly 2-4 rice grains once or twice a week. It did such a good job on leg mites that I felt like a war criminal.

There's no withdrawal time for cattle so it's likely the same for chickens.

 

[Folly's place]

Quest is a horse wormer, not approved for use in cattle; there's no withdrawal time because it's not used there. Frontline, Revolution, or Ivermectin are all effective for mites and lice in chickens. Only permethrin dust is approved for use in the US, so those other drugs are off label. There is therefore no approved withdrawal time listed for them.. Paste wormers like Quest and Ivermectin paste are really overdose in small poultry; each line on the tubes treats 250 lbs. of horse! Apparently chickens are resistant to the toxic effects of those drugs; Amazing! I use ivermectin myself, not the paste. Mary

 

[War Chicken]

Resistance has been developing to ivermectin but I'm not sure how widespread it is amongst bird mites though. Moxidectin is even safer. Both bind GABA receptors which birds and mammals (probably all vertebrates) do not have outside the brain. The blood-brain barrier and efflux pumps are quite effective at keeping ivermectin and moxidectin from affecting bird brains.

Moxidectin is used all the time by wild bird rehabilitators and for pet birds. It really is the drug of choice for bird mites.

 

[SIMZ]

Quest is a horse wormer, not approved for use in cattle; there's no withdrawal time because it's not used there. Frontline, Revolution, or Ivermectin are all effective for mites and lice in chickens. Only permethrin dust is approved for use in the US, so those other drugs are off label. There is therefore no approved withdrawal time listed for them.. Paste wormers like Quest and Ivermectin paste are really overdose in small poultry; each line on the tubes treats 250 lbs. of horse! Apparently chickens are resistant to the toxic effects of those drugs; Amazing! I use ivermectin myself, not the paste. Mary

So, where can I buy Ivermectin? Tractor Supply? I've seen several kinds, so exactly what is it? Thanks!

 

[Joplus]

There's a whole ivermectin thread I read through and posted my own experience. There's 3 types, inject able (that I guess people use orally?), pour on and the paste. I chose pour on. I figure the critters are on the outside so pour it on them. But I guess actually it goes through there blood stream via the skin then the bugs drink their blood and die. I put 3-5 drops on. Good luck and sorry for your sick hen

 

[SIMZ]

There's a whole ivermectin thread I read through and posted my own experience. There's 3 types, inject able (that I guess people use orally?), pour on and the paste. I chose pour on. I figure the critters are on the outside so pour it on them. But I guess actually it goes through there blood stream via the skin then the bugs drink their blood and die. I put 3-5 drops on. Good luck and sorry for your sick hen

Thanks, Jo. I'll find that thread and read it. The hen was standing up first thing this morning, but still in a penquin/duck stance. We tried a warm bath last night, but I'm thinking she's internally laying. Hopefully I'm wrong and she's just weak from the mites. She is our broody hen - worth her weight in gold.