Red spider mites?!

[csummer8882]

I have noticed red spider mites around the top of our coop. The coop is set up under a tree and in a bunch of grass, next to the horse barn. Do they bother chickens? I know they eat plants and such but I just wanted to know if these were the same mites that everyone else talks about. Thank you!

 

[TwoCrows]

Yes, those are the mites that we all talk about and don't want! I would do a good inspection of your coop, roosts and nest boxes to see if there are any in there. Infestations are hard to control. If you see anything in the coop, you should clean it all out and use a mite spray or sevin dust and work the coop over, clean out all the bedding, scrub everything down, etc...

 

[csummer8882]

Just flippin great. Thats not what I wanted to hear. I thought they ate plants?! What do they want with chickens?

 

[TwoCrows]

There are many varieties of red mites out there and some of them do eat plant material. But not being able to see your mites, it isn't worth the risk of not spraying to kill them. The mites you don't want are the leg and feather mites that suck the blood from the legs, under the wings and other areas of the chicken. An infestation of these mites can weaken the bird to the point of death. So it is not worth the wait and do an inspection around the coop.

No need to panic or anything, if you don't see anything or if only a few, it is easy to rid the coop of them. Check your birds over occasionally, although most mites don't live on the bird, but come out at night and do their nasty blood sucking thing.

 

[davylindas]

Would diamataceous food grade floor sprinkled around the coop and subsequent areas kill off the red mites?

 

[TwoCrows]

DE is more of a preventative than a cure. So if you don't have mites, it is a good thing to use. There are many different products you can use, including Sevin powder, Permethrin 10% spray or even Ivermectin pour on wormer as it also treats lice and mites.

 

[BirdaMay]

How do I get rid of these red spider mites if they are in my bedroom? I need something non-toxic to humans, and also my chick brooder is in here. Is Sevin dust toxic to chicks?

That's what I get for snuggling a new bird. Man. And I have company coming in a few weeks, so I need my room rid of them before they spread anywhere else in the house!