Northern mites

[pslane]

My chickens have mites (I believe it's the Northern mite) and they gather at the oil gland at the top of the tail. I've been through this before but these seem to be really aggressive. I've been spraying their behinds with a pyrethrin spray and alternating it with Sevin dust. But they keep coming back. What is the best way to get rid of those little no-see-ums in the ground and the living quarters?

Thank you
coldwetnoz

 

[easttxchick]

You'll have to dust the coop and laying boxes(after you clean all of the bedding/shavings out).
Some people say DE in the coop helps ward off the mites and lice.
Good luck to you.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

Are your chickens dust bathing? It's really important for them to also be dust bathing, to keep mites from getting out of control. Make sure they have a nice dust bath that is in an area where it is always dry, in addition to treating the chickens and coop.

 

[pslane]

Thanks for your advice. Hate to sound dumb but what is DE?

 

[elmo]

Quote:
It's not a dumb question at all!

DE is short for diatomaceous earth.

http://www.randallburkey.com/1-LB-DIATOMACEOUS-EARTH/productinfo/10893/

For poultry use, you don't want the kind they use in pool filters, but the "food grade" kind.

 

[pslane]

That sounds like something I might want to try, especially since I only have a few chickens now, instead of the huge flock I used to keep. Has there been any feedback here on the forum about using it?

Thanks!

 

[Mrs. Turbo]

we use the adams flea and tick spray to control the mites. Spray the butt and under the wings. They are bad in our area. We also buy the prozap pest strips and put them in the chicken houses and it keeps them away.
We tried everything to control them and this is what works for us
http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail....rce=froogle&utm_medium=free&utm_content=23991

 

[elmo]

Quote:
Sure, plenty of discussion of DE. Just do a search using those words.

I don't think people recommend this as a treatment for mites, just a deterrent Poutry dust or even Sevin dust would probably be better to treat a case of mites. Nasty, nasty, critters they are.

 

[pslane]

Well, my chickens live on a sand floor and I'm hoping that covering the floor with DE will help that part of the problem. I am treating the chickens individually every day so I mostly need to get the mites out of the sand.

 

[elmo]

It could be the eggs that are the problem. The eggs aren't affected by the sprays or dust, so you have to retreat in 4-7 days to make sure you get 'em. As I understand it, the eggs hatch on the bird, too.

Here's a good link explaining the life cycle:

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ig141

Good luck! Mites are awful.

And as I wrote before, I wouldn't rely on the DE to get rid of mites that you know you have, just try to prevent them from coming back once you get rid of your problem.