Red mites

[Dalylah]

Hi everyone. At night I go down to the coop and make sure everything is locked up for the night. And 2 nights ago I saw red mites near their water container also I do have a wooden coop. I am getting a new coop next month sometime but will they Killy chickens or make them ill? And what can I do to help get rid of them?

 

[lbgreenfield]

Hi, sorry to hear you have mites. They absolutely will kill your chickens, very slowly. I just had one of my hens die from what I think were mites.

You will need to check ALL your chickens for mites at night, since that is when they come out to feed. Get a good flashlight and a magnifying glass. Check all your hens for mites, part their feathers to get a good look at the skin, you will see them crawling around. Look around their vent areas, under wings, back of neck.

To treat for mites, you will need to do a COMPLETE cleanout of ALL bedding, roost bars, the entire coop (burn all bedding if you can), and spray every crack, corner, and crevice of the coop with diluted Permethrin-10 (I am not sure where you are located, but in the USA, you can buy it at Tractor Supply: Gordon's Permethrin 10 Concentrate). You will also need to spray each and every bird thoroughly with the diluted solution as well, it has to be diluted according to package instructions for direct contact to the bird or else it can cause burns to their skin. You will need to treat the birds and coop once a week for 3-4 weeks to ensure all mites and larvae/eggs are killed. Diatomaceous Earth will NOT kill the mites, you need to you an insecticide like Permethrin-10.

Once you get your new coop, I would recommend treating it with the Permethrin as well before you add in your chickens and bedding.

 

[Dalylah]

Hi, sorry to hear you have mites. They absolutely will kill your chickens, very slowly. I just had one of my hens die from what I think were mites.

You will need to check ALL your chickens for mites at night, since that is when they come out to feed. Get a good flashlight and a magnifying glass. Check all your hens for mites, part their feathers to get a good look at the skin, you will see them crawling around. Look around their vent areas, under wings, back of neck.

To treat for mites, you will need to do a COMPLETE cleanout of ALL bedding, roost bars, the entire coop (burn all bedding if you can), and spray every crack, corner, and crevice of the coop with diluted Permethrin-10 (I am not sure where you are located, but in the USA, you can buy it at Tractor Supply: Gordon's Permethrin 10 Concentrate). You will also need to spray each and every bird thoroughly with the diluted solution as well, it has to be diluted according to package instructions for direct contact to the bird or else it can cause burns to their skin. You will need to treat the birds and coop once a week for 3-4 weeks to ensure all mites and larvae/eggs are killed. Diatomaceous Earth will NOT kill the mites, you need to you an insecticide like Permethrin-10.

Once you get your new coop, I would recommend treating it with the Permethrin as well before you add in your chickens and bedding.

Oh no!! Will they kill them in the next month?

 

[lbgreenfield]

Oh no!! Will they kill them in the next month?

It may or may not kill them in one month, but it will most likely make them sick, including weight loss, droopy combs, lethargy, etc.

I would recommend not waiting for your new coop to come in to begin treatment. I would treat your existing coop and flock with what I said above (or you can search other mite treatment forums on BYC). The sooner you treat, the better. I'd also treat your new coop as well before adding in your birds and bedding.

 

[Dalylah]

It may or may not kill them in one month, but it will most likely make them sick, including weight loss, droopy combs, lethargy, etc.

I would recommend not waiting for your new coop to come in to begin treatment. I would treat your existing coop and flock with what I said above (or you can search other mite treatment forums on BYC). The sooner you treat, the better. I'd also treat your new coop as well before adding in your birds and bedding.

Ok thank you!

 

[Dalylah]

It may or may not kill them in one month, but it will most likely make them sick, including weight loss, droopy combs, lethargy, etc.

I would recommend not waiting for your new coop to come in to begin treatment. I would treat your existing coop and flock with what I said above (or you can search other mite treatment forums on BYC). The sooner you treat, the better. I'd also treat your new coop as well before adding in your birds and bedding.

Could this be why the past week one of my hens is not sleeping in the coop and is perching right outside the coop?

 

[lbgreenfield]

Could this be why the past week one of my hens is not sleeping in the coop and is perching right outside the coop?

Yes, absolutely!

 

[Dalylah]

Hi, sorry to hear you have mites. They absolutely will kill your chickens, very slowly. I just had one of my hens die from what I think were mites.

You will need to check ALL your chickens for mites at night, since that is when they come out to feed. Get a good flashlight and a magnifying glass. Check all your hens for mites, part their feathers to get a good look at the skin, you will see them crawling around. Look around their vent areas, under wings, back of neck.

To treat for mites, you will need to do a COMPLETE cleanout of ALL bedding, roost bars, the entire coop (burn all bedding if you can), and spray every crack, corner, and crevice of the coop with diluted Permethrin-10 (I am not sure where you are located, but in the USA, you can buy it at Tractor Supply: Gordon's Permethrin 10 Concentrate). You will also need to spray each and every bird thoroughly with the diluted solution as well, it has to be diluted according to package instructions for direct contact to the bird or else it can cause burns to their skin. You will need to treat the birds and coop once a week for 3-4 weeks to ensure all mites and larvae/eggs are killed. Diatomaceous Earth will NOT kill the mites, you need to you an insecticide like Permethrin-10.

Once you get your new coop, I would recommend treating it with the Permethrin as well before you add in your chickens and bedding.

Hi. So I have the stuff and I have done a complete clean I just have a question. They can sleep in the coop right after I spray it right?

 

[BDutch]

Hi. So I have the stuff and I have done a complete clean I just have a question. They can sleep in the coop right after I spray it right?

I’m not sure. But this info should be on the bottle/package. Permethrin is a natural poison. Be carefull with it. Repeat the treatment a few times. Good luck with eliminating the mite. And its a good thing to act right away when you see any mites or mite-eggs.

Using DE in the future can help to prevent new infestations. People say it doesn’t work enough to eliminate mites when you have a nasty infestation. But DE worked for me when I discoverd that there where some mite-eggs under the bark of the roost. I had no infestations after using DE (5 years now). I put DE in the sand bath , mixe it with sand and sprinkle a thin layer under the bedding after cleaning the coop. I use tabacco an lavender too to make the coop unpleasant for mites.

Don’t start to use the new coop before you are sure there are more* no mites on the birds. Move the birds to the new coop in bright daylight to avoid infestation of the coop.

edit more= no

 

[Dalylah]

I’m not sure. But this info should be on the bottle/package. Permethrin is a natural poison. Be carefull with it. Repeat the treatment a few times. Good luck with eliminating the mite. And its a good thing to act right away when you see any mites or mite-eggs.

Using DE in the future can help to prevent new infestations. People say it doesn’t work enough to eliminate mites when you have a nasty infestation. But DE worked for me when I discoverd that there where some mite-eggs under the bark of the roost. I had no infestations after using DE (5 years now). I put DE in the sand bath , mixe it with sand and sprinkle a thin layer under the bedding after cleaning the coop. I use tabacco an lavender too to make the coop unpleasant for mites.

Don’t start to use the new coop before you are sure there are more mites on the birds. Move the birds to the new coop in bright daylight to avoid infestation of the coop.

Ok thank you! This is it right?