What works best for northern fowl mites?

[NewToFarming]

I really think I am dealing with northern fowl mites!
I have two sick girls right now and both were heavily infested with the critters but when I check the others in the coop they really don't have anything. My first girl was three weeks ago and now just this weekend another girl. I have treated the coop and barn twice with sevin dust and spray and also DE I have always used since day 1 and this girl over the weekend still got them.
First question - Is there something that works better than sevin for the northern fowl mites and second question is why can't I see anything on the rest of my flock but these 2 girls were heavily infested?
But whatever type I have, they seem to be returning quickly and the sevin isn't working well.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Everyone has their own way of dealing with these nasty creatures. when we had our first outbreak last fall, I got sevin spray the kind you mix with water and opened all the windows and doors in the coop took out all the old bedding even in the nest boxes. and sprayed from top to bottom making sure to get into all the corners and cracks and crevices. then after the coop aired and dried I put just enough bedding inside to do for the week because in 10 days you have to do it all over. That same night after everyone had gone to roost I caught everyone all 23 and one by one used Ivermectin pour-on on the skin on the neck where the wings start. 4 drops for small fowl and 6 to 7 depending on your large fowl birds. since then I have found Epernix which is in pour-on also and use it because there is no egg withdrawl with it. be sure to treat all the bedding you take out side with the spray or with sevin dust. Put old bedding in you compost pile if you have one. Now i treat my chickens 3 times a year as a percaution. The I vermectin or Epernix will also treat for internal parasites.

 

[purpletree23]

It's a lot of work but Miss Lydia is 100% correct.

Do what she says.

 

[NewToFarming]

Thanks!!! I am at my point to retreat again this weekend. You know what I think might have happened was I did not treat the old bedding I had taken out! I didn’t even think about the chickens being in there scratching around!!! I bet that is how they got reinfested again so badly. I lost a little silkie girl last night due to these critters. But I am going to retreat again this weekend. I cannot find ivermectin pour on in my area. Just this huge bottle for almost 200 dollars. I did use sevin spray & powder. I will have to treat the old bedding and also the newer bedding I take out again this weekend. I am so glad you mentioned that and I would have never thought that it could be a possible reinfestation because of them scratching around in there! Thank you so much and I am going to try and get rid of these once and for all, especially after losing one of my girls to it.
I am going to see if I can find the ivermectin either online or somewhere within a reasonable driving distance. So, you put in on the skin on the neck and no other place, right?
Thank you!!!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Thats right just on the skin at the neck.

 

[justmeandtheflock]

I just went through this. I would bath birds, treat and clean the coop and a week later they were heavily infeated again. I didn't try seven dust because I couldn't find any but I used the ivermectrin pour on, poultry dust and permethium liquid including weekly coop clean outs and treatment and none of it helped. I was treating everyone even though there were only 3 birds that were badly infested. Once I saw that they had spread to birds that hadn't had them before I broke down and ordered the Frontline spray for dogs and cats. The Frontline didn't kill them all right away but after a week the birds were mite free and the scabs on the badly infested birds started healing up. My saw both black and red mites on my birds. Hopefully your infestation is easier to treat that mine was.

 

[NewToFarming]

Quote:
Did you spray this directly on the bird and/or the coop too?? I am going to try the ivormectin and if that don't work, I can try this. It is still pretty cold here so I didn't want to try to spray them directly with anything yet but maybe soon if the other stuff don't work, it will be a bit warmer to try this!

Thanks!

 

[justmeandtheflock]

Yes, I sprayed them directly and the back of the neck, under each wing and under the vent for the really bad ones. It is an off label use for it though and there is no research on the effect on the eggs. I was desperate.

 

[NewToFarming]

Thanks! If you only sprayed lightly like that, then I am sure I could give this a try even if it is a bit colder. I was thinking you would have to kind of spray all over.
I am doing another round of full treatment over the weekend! I am getting desparate too! I have had two girls become ill from this and one died last night. The other is paralyzed but hanging in there. She was very underweight and I think because she was a younger one, the mites caused the nutrient deficiency causing the paralysis.
Did it seem like some or your chickens appeared to have a million on them while on others I can't visually see anything??? I try to check different ones each night and I can't see any on the ones so far, maybe some eggs but the girl that dies was covered in them!