Northern Fowl Mites/Red Mites are Ticking Me Off

[Simmons Homestead]

I've been fighting these for over a year now. DE doesn't work. Permethrin doesn't work. Vitamins don't work. Bathing doesn't work. Sevin doesn't work. I've been dusting nearly every week. I'm worried about my cats because Permethrin is highly toxic to them. One of my chickens has water belly again. I'm about ready to burn my coop down. Does anyone know of anything that will end this once and for all???
(I bathed my hen Sirius today, mites were everywhere, I tried to dry her off, but I don't think I got all of the water and now the Permethrin I dusted is sticking to her. Will she be okay?)
Sincerely,
-Simmons Homestead: losing hope fast.

 

[cmom]

I have previously posted this that in my opinion the best product to get rid of mites is permethrin. I agree with not using DE. When I had my mite infestation originally I thought they were molting but checked them and discovered they had mites. I bought a 50# bag of DE. After a couple of weeks of using DE the birds were still infested. They looked pretty pathetic and I was afraid if I didn't find something that would work I just may have lost some birds. Now I don't trust it, then I used permethrin and after a couple of weeks I saw no mites. I did mix it a little heavy because the birds were loaded with them. If you have some type of mites, the best product in my opinion to get rid of them is permethrin which is very cost effective. I treated the coop weekly for awhile. Weekly repeated sprayings are necessary because it does not kill the pests eggs. Permethrin works and there is no egg withdrawal period. Initially I sprayed the birds too. I also use the dust on the birds and in their nest boxes and spray inside of the coops, every crack and crevice, on and under the roosts, ceiling, walls, floors, anywhere the mites can hide. I buy the concentrate but I have a lot of coops so I mix it in a gallon sprayer and the wand helps me to reach the hard to reach areas. For smaller places the premixed spray is good. It took awhile for the birds feathers to come back in, but they are beautiful again. If do use the dust or spray, wear special clothing including a mask and gloves. I have a headlamp I use. Some mites only feed on the birds at night so after they go to roost I go out and with the headlamp, I have both of my hands free to inspect the birds. If you want to bathe your birds, every over-the-counter (OTC) treatment for head lice contains either pyrethrins (Rid or Triple X) or permethrin (Nix). They are effective treatment. Both only kill live pests, not eggs. Good luck...

 

[rosemarythyme]

Elector PSP is more costly but supposedly effective. Sorry to hear the permethrin isn't working, your mites might've built up a resistance to it.

 

[cmom]

Also with Elector PSP it sometimes takes multiple applications. They advertise once and done but if you read a little further in their fact sheet it also says that it should be rotated with another product such as permethrin and repeat sprayings might be necessary. As @rosemarythyme said maybe your birds have built up a resistance to it or your not mixing it strong enough or wherever you are spraying your not getting areas the mites hide and it does not kill the mites eggs. I have had a few small outbreaks with mites and so far the permethrin has worked for me.

 

[Tytsofie]

I've been fighting these for over a year now. DE doesn't work. Permethrin doesn't work. Vitamins don't work. Bathing doesn't work. Sevin doesn't work. I've been dusting nearly every week. I'm worried about my cats because Permethrin is highly toxic to them. One of my chickens has water belly again. I'm about ready to burn my coop down. Does anyone know of anything that will end this once and for all???
(I bathed my hen Sirius today, mites were everywhere, I tried to dry her off, but I don't think I got all of the water and now the Permethrin I dusted is sticking to her. Will she be okay?)
Sincerely,
-Simmons Homestead: losing hope fast.

I’m sorry, it is an annoying problem especially when you’ve tried everything. I had a similar problem and bought First Saturday Lime and it has definitely been taking care of the nasty mites. Its a first of its kind lime that controls pests/odor but its also edible for the chickens and all other animals. I mix it in my horses water trough as well to keep algae off. I hope it gets better soon, don’t lose hope!!

 

[rosemarythyme]

One other thing to try would be elemental sulfur. Supposedly effective even against mites that have a resistance to permethrin.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...-for-the-chickens-coop.1351484/#post-22281641

 

[crcgirl93]

I've been fighting these for over a year now. DE doesn't work. Permethrin doesn't work. Vitamins don't work. Bathing doesn't work. Sevin doesn't work. I've been dusting nearly every week. I'm worried about my cats because Permethrin is highly toxic to them. One of my chickens has water belly again. I'm about ready to burn my coop down. Does anyone know of anything that will end this once and for all???
(I bathed my hen Sirius today, mites were everywhere, I tried to dry her off, but I don't think I got all of the water and now the Permethrin I dusted is sticking to her. Will she be okay?)
Sincerely,
-Simmons Homestead: losing hope fast.

I know it’s not approved for poultry use but when I need to get rid of mites or lice fast I use Frontline spray (just a couple of sprays on underside/vent area and back of neck. I had a bad infestation last year and it was during cold temps. I used the Elector in the coop and Frontline spray on my birds. One application only. I quickly learned that DE does not touch infestations.

 

[MotherHen28]

I've been fighting these for over a year now. DE doesn't work. Permethrin doesn't work. Vitamins don't work. Bathing doesn't work. Sevin doesn't work. I've been dusting nearly every week. I'm worried about my cats because Permethrin is highly toxic to them. One of my chickens has water belly again. I'm about ready to burn my coop down. Does anyone know of anything that will end this once and for all???
(I bathed my hen Sirius today, mites were everywhere, I tried to dry her off, but I don't think I got all of the water and now the Permethrin I dusted is sticking to her. Will she be okay?)
Sincerely,
-Simmons Homestead: losing hope fast.

I use permethrin spray every week during clean out and dust with DE. I also use frontline for cats on my silkies because it’s hard for them to get the dust deep into their down feathers. A couple of drops behind the neck does the trick. Hope you get it under control. I know it can be frustrating.