Red Mites???

[Blonde]

I think my chickens have red mites. I'm not sure though... How do you tell

. they have stopped laying eggs and are molting like crazy

. How do you tell if they have then or not ?

 

[dawg53]

Quote:
Pick them up and visually inspect them for lice/mites. Hens normally stop laying eggs during molt. Here's a link to info on lice/mite identification and treatments if you see them:
http://ohioline.osu.edu/vme-fact/0018.html

 

[chickencrazylady]

I use diatomiteous earth (oops wrong spelling) It is food grade and very safe for animals, We sprinkle it on our dogs and cats food. I sprinkle it in the chicken run and in the coop on the floor and in their nesting boxes. It is all natural and great at getting rid of ant hills also, which I deplore!!! I really hope this helps.

 

[CrestedGirl]

I recommend you use Sevin 5%. It works like a charm

 

[AndreaS]

Like Jim said....they stop laying when they molt, so that is normal.
Almost all of my girls went through a massive molt and are just finishing up. The coop looked like they had a huge pillow fight every evening!

Why are you thinking mites? Are they skinny? Have you seen any mites? Are they acting sick at all?

Check their skin very close near the base of their feather, under their wings, near the vent. Mites can be hard to find and some types only get on the birds at night to feed. They live in the cracks in wood. At night after they are roosting, bring out a flashlight and check them very well. You may have to try several nights in a row before you find anything. IF they have mites....you will want to treat the coop and the birds, and then retreat again in 10 days (i think) to catch the newly hatched egges. I use poultry dust on my birds a few times a year as a preventitive and use the spray in their coop seasonally when i clean it out.

If the only reason you think there is a problem is because they have stopped laying, it's totally normal during a molt.

However, if they are skinny or unwell, I'd start checking for mites. A mite infestation can make the birds anemic and take them down quickly.

Andrea

 

[liz allen]

if you have red mite they will be in the coop, they come out at night to feed then hide in cracks and crevices in the coop usually not on the chicken.
Try checking in cracks and at the end of perches etc when its dark run a piece of tissue under roosts if you get red spots on it its red mite.
i had a bad infestation over the summer and they're really hard to get rid of, i used poultry shield to wash everything down and red mite powder on the birds and diatomaceous earth to dust all joints, in the run bedding and dust bath. This lot almost got rid of them completely.

Still spot the odd one as they can live without feeding for months.