What to do about mites?

[GoDawgs]

I've had our hens for maybe four weeks now. One had a bald spot on her back when we got her, but we were told that this is probably from roosters. However, in four weeks there is no regrowth on her bald spot - and we have no roosters. Yesterday morning I noticed all four hens sort of "scratching" themselves with their beaks. They were fluffing up their feathers and picking at themselves (not pecking - it was more like a dog chewing at a flea). Today I went to refill their food, and when I picked up the feeder, I noticed very small, reddish-brown bugs crawling all over the bottom of the feeder. I imagine these must be mites.

What do I do now? The hens are not free range, and live in a run connected to a coop. About once a week I dust the run with DE, and some DE is mixed in with the sand that I keep in the nesting boxes and on the floor of the coop.

What do I need to do to get rid of the mites?

 

[bryan99705]

Check with your feed store for treatment powders available, some you apply to the bird, some you may just sprinkle in their dustbath areas

 

[CMV]

You will need to thoroughly clean and treat the coop, and then treat the birds with an insecticide. You will then need to do it all over again in 7-10 days. And if the bugs are really bad you may need to do it a third time. There are a variety of products on the market. Most folks use Sevin dust to treat birds and coop. I, myself, use Eprinex on the birds and use Adam's Flea and Tick spray on the coop and permethrin dust in the bedding. My birds get mites pretty frequently because they live in close proximity to several wild ground birds. Mites are a nuisance, but pretty easy to resolve.

Good luck.

 

[AprilKY]

Quote:
Sevin works wonders! Had my first lice expierience about a month ago. Cleaned coops, sprinkled sevin in thier dust baithing spot, checked, checked, and rechecked.....LICE FREE!