Treating mites as a first time flock owner HELP!

[agold23]

I am a first time chicken owner and I have a flock of 7 chickens the youngest is 5 weeks. A few days ago I noticed my silkie hen was lethargic, had puffy feathers, was not moving much and had a pale face, I’m guessing she’s anemic now but she won’t eat the egg I offer her. We treated for coccidiosis and after 24hrs there was no improvement. I checked her for mites today and I didn’t see anything but when I got inside I found 3 small brown/grey ones crawling on my arm. I cleaned out the coop and made sure to spread a good layer of DE on the floor, on the roost and in the nest boxes. Under the roost it gets very dirty and when I pulled the draw out from under there I saw a whole pile of mites. I removed and washed all the feeders and decorations from the coop. I also made sure to cover and rub some DE into the feathers of my sick silkie. I will check tonight to see if they’re the blood mites. I honestly don’t know what to do, we will go to the feed store tomorrow to try and find some insecticides/meds but keep in mind I’m in Canada so I don’t know how much is going to be available. I see all the other birds except the silkie regularly taking dust baths in my garden and preening themselves so I’m not as worried about them.

Advice and help is greatly appreciated I honestly have no clue what i’m doing.

 

[cherrynberry]

DE has a lot of faults. Permethrin powder and spray is better. Corid needs to be fed for 5-7 days

 

[agold23]

About a month and a half ago we had one bird come down with coccidiosis like symptoms and we treated for 7 days but her symptoms mainly resolved in the first 36 hours. We’re going to the feed store tomorrow to see what they have, hopefully some permethrin powder.

 

[Eggcessive]

Here is a good article about mites and lice treatment:
https://the-chicken-chick.com/poultry-lice-and-mites-identification/

 

[Stablecoop]

I am a first time chicken owner and I have a flock of 7 chickens the youngest is 5 weeks. A few days ago I noticed my silkie hen was lethargic, had puffy feathers, was not moving much and had a pale face, I’m guessing she’s anemic now but she won’t eat the egg I offer her. We treated for coccidiosis and after 24hrs there was no improvement. I checked her for mites today and I didn’t see anything but when I got inside I found 3 small brown/grey ones crawling on my arm. I cleaned out the coop and made sure to spread a good layer of DE on the floor, on the roost and in the nest boxes. Under the roost it gets very dirty and when I pulled the draw out from under there I saw a whole pile of mites. I removed and washed all the feeders and decorations from the coop. I also made sure to cover and rub some DE into the feathers of my sick silkie. I will check tonight to see if they’re the blood mites. I honestly don’t know what to do, we will go to the feed store tomorrow to try and find some insecticides/meds but keep in mind I’m in Canada so I don’t know how much is going to be available. I see all the other birds except the silkie regularly taking dust baths in my garden and preening themselves so I’m not as worried about them.

Advice and help is greatly appreciated I honestly have no clue what i’m doing.

Great job keeping an eye out and taking care of your chooks. First step is to properly identify the mite. Type of mite/lice will be important to know because treatment will vary. Some mites live only on the birds, not in coop structures, some live in coop and feed on birds at night. Know which you’re dealing with and go from there. The chicken handbook by Dr. Gail Damerow (sp?) has been a great resource for us. We had northern fowl mites and were 100% successful with direct DE application on vents and under wings every night/ every other night for 3+ weeks. We used a Harris puffer to apply directly. Two months has passed and we are still completely mite free.

The mites we were dealing with though live exclusively on the birds, they generally do not retreat to cracks or crevasses, so we were able to treat in the manner we did. Just our personal experience with a very specific pest. Good luck and keep up your good work.