treating for northern fowl mites

[jadeybaby70]

So, I inspected my girls today and found creepy crawlys over three of my girls. Not a bad infestation as of yet but definitely worrisome. I have always used DE and about 6 months ago invested in some Poultry Protector. My girls eat organic feed and we try to keep things natural but will the DE and PP get rid of the mites?

I admit that I have been lax about putting it in their coop for the last couple months. I just want my girls to be healthy and happy and I want yummy organic eggs. For those of you with experience, is this a never ending battle to hold off this pest? I just want these darn things GONE!!

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

The thing is, it is the wrong time of year to be spraying PP on the girls (it is VERY cold outside to get them wet). I have some, and have used it on THEM when they had mites, and it didn't kill the mites. In fact, it was a few days after I treated them that I found mites on ME (I never even saw them on the chickens). I just squirted one squirt under each wing, and one squirt at the vent, though. A dip in the stuff might do it.

I was just treating them to keep away the mites. Also at the time, I was spreading HEAVY amounts of DE everywhere in the coops. I churned the shavings every day with the DE in them. The dust blowing around was incredible. And it didn't kill the mites.

Mites can kill chickens- suck them dry. So it is important to get rid of them. It is a personal decision whether to use chemicals.

I used Eprinex pour on the first time, which also worms them, but simultaneously dusted with Sevin dust. So I cannot vouch for Eprinex alone as a treatment (but others have said it works).

I have also used the permethrin dust they sell in the feed store. But in some areas of the country the mites are resistant to permethrin. Both powders are very toxic and you must take precautions- mask, gloves, long sleeves, take shower afterwards, etc.

http://ohioline.osu.edu/vme-fact/0018.html

This website will give you some info. if you wish to peruse it.

Overall, I have to say that the Sevin dust works absolute WONDERS. You must retreat them as the above website recommends to get the hatching eggs.

Also- I have my chickens on a treatment schedule with Sevin dust to prevent further problems, as they had infestations last Sept. and then again in Dec.

They are free from problems now.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Please note that I endlessly edited my above post. I apologize for the inconvenience if you must reread it.

 

[welasharon]

I like the seven dust as well. I find it very satisfying to see those little bugs dropping dead immediately! I used the pour on for the second treatment when my girls had creepy crawlies. Then I got some silkie babies with lice and mites and I just used the seven on them both times. Works fast.
sharon

 

[serendipityfarm]

I dusted mine a couple times w/poultry dust and still had mites. I have fluffy cochins, and broody ones, so here's what I did. Being that you mentioned organic, you may not go for this, but I was where you are (I just want them gone!, and they were getting on ME...) and this is what worked for me.
I completely cleaned out the coop, emptied nest boxes, and vacuumed the whole place. Got Flea/Tick premise spray (Adams) and sprayed the whole place down. Let that dry, put down DE, fresh bedding in coop, and DE, cedar shavings, then fresh hay in nestboxes. All the chickens got Frontline Spray- one squirt under each wing, one on back of head, one near vent. This was back in November, and no signs of the creepy crawlys since (furiously knocking on wood!).
Good Luck!
~Terry

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Also be aware that if you use chemicals or medications, please consider that there may be a period of time called the "egg withdrawal time" where you toss the eggs.

You can find a lot of information on BYC on that if you type it in the search bar for the specific medication you are interested in.

 

[MaransGuy]

I use Sevin dust (10%) and dust them liberally around the vent, under the wings and around the neck. Northern fowl mites will always reinfest your birds so you typically need to dust at least twice a year. Spring and Fall are the two worst times for them.

 

[elmo]

Don't forget that any treatment needs to be repeated in about a week to get the mites that have hatched out from eggs in the housing. Even if you "clean house" thoroughly when you treat the birds initially (as you should), you'll always miss some of the eggs.

One reason I love to use plastic bins as nestboxes is that they're so easy to clean. Here in summer when it's prime mite season, I clean out the nestboxes weekly, putting in a layer of poultry dust and fresh bedding. So far, so good.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

For DE to help chickens with mites, it has to be applied to the chicken's body. A chicken with mites needs to be dusted and heavily dusted. You need the dust to smother the mites on the chicken, as well as being a drying agent. Just having it in the coop isn't going to do it. That won't kill the mites on the chicken. If you choose to use a chemical pesticide dust, then you don't need to dust the chicken as heavily. In that case, the dust is mainly acting as a carrier for the pesticide. Either way, use a dust mask when dusting the chickens.

Sevin is absorbed into a chicken's body and will be contained in the eggs for awhile. You can google for the test results. Some people care, some don't.

To prevent mites, having DE in a good dust bath is helpful. Chickens need to be actively dust bathing for a dust bath to help. They need a dry dust bath, with fine loose soil or something similar. In areas that get a lot of rain, they need a dust bath that's under cover and will stay dry. You can also add plain wood ash, DE, peat moss or a little sand to dust baths. Some people also add Sevin to the dust bath. I don't.

 

[jadeybaby70]

Thanks everyone for all the help. I dusted the girls with DE and the coop yesterday. I live in the Bay Area, so the rain is always an issue. I had never thought about ensuring that the girls have DRY sand to dust bathe in. I am planning on building them a covered box for exactly this. When the weather clears, I will strip out the coop and I am considering using some sevin dust that I've had in my shed for a while. Like I said, I am just ready to get rid of them. The thought of them crawling all over the girls is creeping me out!!