Hello All--I had a hawk get into my chicken coop and kill one of my hens last Friday. The stinker also (I assume) left me with a little present of Northern Fowl Mites which I did not recognize in time before one of my hens succumbed to the infestation. I never had a problem with mites and I can't believe how quickly this spread. Thanks to this community here I was able to diagnose and treat the rest of my small flock but I still have some questions.
I treated according to the directions found on BYC with pour on 5% ivermectin on Monday evening. Very easy to do with a helper. I did check some of my girls last night and still saw SOME mites around the vent area. Clearly they were very infested as I see lots of mite residue (poop) but none of the grey moving mass I saw before--so the Ivermectin is working. My question is--given the short life cycle of the NFM, could the remaining living mites be what were only eggs on Monday and now that they are adults, they should be killed when they start to feed on the chickens? I guess I need to know when and if to retreat with the Ivermectin? I plan on cleaning the coop with Poultry Protector and spraying the birds as well when it comes in the mail.
BTW, I thought I was infested with the mites! I went to a dermatologist who assured me that what I was experiencing was a reaction to either being bitten by a mite or to the mite poop. So if you have crawling skin and red marks and a feeling of something on you, you aren't necessarily crazy or infested!
Thank you for this forum!!!
Kelly