RED MITE

[SYN]

As we know Red Mite is not red until it has fed.I have always used Diatomus Earth
on birds,in nest in coop,in food because they get in there as well.It took a Cockerel to
shoe me that buy turning food over.We also mix a solution of it with water so it is like
paint,and rub in grain at end of wood.
And best of all is RED STOP.First time of using,went to coop at night and there
were millions of mite all a white to yellow colour.They could not find any blood to feed on,
so did them a favour and burnt them up.
Never needed anything else,and never red mite again.!!!

 

[Kiki]

DE is worthless when it comes to mites

 

[SYN]

Then you are not using enough or using it properly.I can
assure you it works very well,and l have kept chickens 40 +
yrs.When it came along we stopped losing birds by 70 %.

 

[Debbi H]

Hi, all. Sorry this is long: I have had a horrendous mite problem going on for over a month. The henhouse is crawling with millions of them, so bad that they are crawling on ME when I collect eggs. I check the hens, and there aren't very many on them, although some of the 29 are acting sluggish and not looking very well.
Then our one Silkie rooster, Archie, started getting crusted shut eyes in the morning and the last 2 days, has what turns out to be a respiratory infection. I've been cleaning Archie's eyes each morning and put Terramycin ointment around them.
Contacted a vet from UC Davis. Told him I've tried poultry dusts (diatomaceous earth, permethrin, etc) not just on the hens, but throughout the henhouse and shavings, which are changed weekly. And have used poultry sprays on the chickens. I've even been feeding them minced garlic this week, which they love, because I've heard it helps keep the mites off of them.
It's been so bad that I even cleaned out all the shavings and put a Bug Bomb in there only to find them still crawling everywhere!
So yesterday, I cleaned it out again, sprayed to soaking the entire inside of the henhouse and laying boxes with an enzyme spray (mixed Kleen Green and PoultryZyme, both from Natural Ginesis). I let it dry and put in new fresh shavings. And at roost time, I was able to use my little "squeeze puffer" and put DT under the birds' wings and on their behinds. This morning there were still a lot of mites and I thought it wasn't working.
So panic set in again, thinking I may have to just give up and sell off my beloved flock, since the mites were even following me into the house and I've been getting bites.
Then I remembered having to fight off an infestation of spider mites on plants years ago, and recalled I'd experimented for months before coming up with a mixture that worked wonders. So I called around and found the two products that I had used back then: Monterey Garden Insect Spray concentrate (.5% spinosad) and SaferGro PestOut (with cottonseed, clove, and garlic oils). I mixed up gallon batches with the recommended amount of each and it worked wonders back then.
So this time, I'm thinking "mites are mites, right?" I brought home my products, mixed up a small batch and headed to the henhouse. Lo and behold, the enzyme spray had started to do its job by then. I had to remember that the enzymes are not an insecticide; they attack the bugs' exoskeleton and system and cause a slower death. Most of the bugs were dead now.
But because the infestation had been so bad, still went ahead and sprayed around the door and onto the top of all the shavings and the roosts.
Other than the bug bomb, none of the products I have used will harm the chickens.
I wanted to share this with you because I know how frustrating it can be when nothing seems to work.
Oh, yes, and back the vet that I contacted: He told me to add sulfur powder to my chickens' dusting areas, along with the DT and permethrin dust I'm already using. And he also told me to get the Elector PSP (44% spinosad). But for right now, I'm going to use the spinosad product that I tried before since it did do the job and is much cheaper. I'll wait on getting the Elector PSP until I see if my own mixture works.
And for the poor little rooster, because we can no longer get over-the-counter antibiotics to mix in their water, the only thing left to use is a product called Tylan, which he told me to get and to inject it into the rooster's breast every day for 5 days (although I've seen that some people administer it orally). Since our feed store said they don't have anything over-the-counter anymore, I'll be calling my local vet tomorrow to see if I can get the Tylan from her.
Let's hope little Archie gets better. I saw that some people suggest using VetRx for Poultry for respiratory infections, so I'll be getting some of that, too.
I will update this in the next couple of days to let you know what's happening with Archie and with the mite infestation.
Good luck to all of you and your flocks.

 

[JaeG]

I had hundreds (probably thousands) of red mites crawling quite happily around in a thick bed of DE in my nestboxes during my battles with these horrid creatures. It wasn't keeping them in check in any way, shape or form and it certainly wasn't killing them. I've found much better, and cheaper, products that produced instant and permanent results (like Neem oil). DE is also not good for anybody's respiratory system.

 

[Wilson74]

When inbuilt my coop I white washed the inside with a hydrated lime powder and salt mixture with water that is like a runny paint. Turns the inside white and bugs can't make a home inside the wood. I did a YouTube video if anyone is interested.

 

[Debbi H]

Thank you for the white wash video. I really like that idea and am going to see if I can get a bag of the lime. The way it brightens up the inside is a nice plus, too. But anything that can deter the bugs is always a welcome addition!

 

[mistycolleen]

im new to chickens as this is our first yeat and we havent come across this problem yet. but what precautions can we take to prevent mites?one point made that has me already making plans tomorrow, is the dust baths. i had plans for an area and somehow with the stress of building everything this year i completely forgot about it. do you use one solely outside, inside or both? i see them dusting in the dirt but i even saved wood ash i forgot about so i did intend on an area. im super itchy just thinking about this whoel topic, how do you not bring them in to the house?!

 

[koolestgrandma]

When inbuilt my coop I white washed the inside with a hydrated lime powder and salt mixture with water that is like a runny paint. Turns the inside white and bugs can't make a home inside the wood. I did a YouTube video if anyone is interested.

I like this idea. Thanks for the info.

 

[Debbi H]

im new to chickens as this is our first yeat and we havent come across this problem yet. but what precautions can we take to prevent mites?one point made that has me already making plans tomorrow, is the dust baths. i had plans for an area and somehow with the stress of building everything this year i completely forgot about it. do you use one solely outside, inside or both? i see them dusting in the dirt but i even saved wood ash i forgot about so i did intend on an area. im super itchy just thinking about this whoel topic, how do you not bring them in to the house?!

Hate to say, but they have come into the house, though only a few that seem to come in on my clothes. I actually had thrown clothes into the washer, but forgot to run them and then left for a few days for work. Came back and there were hundreds of them crawling all over the washing machine! YUCK! Apparently, they were multiplying in the cotton clothing, but finally went in search of a meal. I sprayed these with enzyme spray and it seemed to take care of that. I definitely shower right away and throw my clothes into the wash to keep an infestation from happening in the house.