Red Mites & Egg Laying?

[Toby96]

Sorry to all if this is posted in the wrong place, i have also posted it in the egg laying area.

So my girls have red mites...great.
2 Questions for you all...

1. Do Red Mites effect the egg laying as one of the girls has just started and suddenly stopped

.

2. What is the best way to get rid of the Mites, i have red mite powder, show i rub that in once, twice, three times a day? What do you think and have you done?

Thanks all.

 

[annek]

was just looking at this yesterday, it has some nice easy to use info. to get rid of them. Don't know about the egg laying though from what I have read here, some mites can kill a bird so I don't see why it wouldn't slow the egg production.

http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/library/lvstk2/mf2387.pdf

 

[cointoss]

I use food grade DE to dust the birds and the coop to keep down mites, and also sometimes in the feed to deworm them.

I get mine from http://www.dirtworks.net/Diatomaceous-Earth.html

New layers take a while to start laying regularly, too. Stress or insufficient protein can also be culprits...

 

[threehorses]

If you have mites, you'll need to actually kill them. It's too late for DE to effect them before they effect the birds. And yes - they can make a bird anemic. Anemic birds won't lay as well.

If you're seeing mites, please treat with poultry dust (commonly available at the feedstore). You can also use sevin dust 5% (not 7%) but poultry dust is safer.

Treat the bird and the premises once. Then retreat the birds in 10 days.

You can do it as well with ivermectin. But dust is easier.

THEN you can use your DE (I don't recommend on the birds because the dust and their respiratory systems) in the dust bathing spots, under the bedding in the barn, under the bedding in the nestboxes, etc. I really believe it helps in that capacity.

However, mite infections need a really quick knock down. They potentially can make a bird so weak that he'll die rather quickly, especially in the summer.

 

[Toby96]

One of my girls has become very weak, she is naturally small so I just thought this is becasluse it is hot, hope they're gunna be ok!

 

[threehorses]

It's likely a combination of the two. I'm serious when I say that they can kill a chicken very quickly. Especially in the summer when they're stressed anyway.

Did you treat them then?

 

[Toby96]

I am, have a look at my other post ...https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=205726