Where did these mites come from?

[JaeG]

Hi everyone, this is a very interesting thread as I just logged in to ask a question for a friend here in France - last week, he noticed hundreds of thousands of what he describes as minuscule red fleas on his hens (he has about 35 laying hens) and covering the wood inside the coops. He picked up some of the hens and saw the "fleas" running around between the feathers. No-one here (we are in Brittany, West France), not even the vets, seems to know what to do, but he eventually found a treatment in a local farm shop. His hens are in a large enclosure near to a wood with various trees, including pines, oaks... He recently bought two goats which are near to the chickens - could they be the cause? But they do not seem to have any fleas on them. He keeps his coops very clean. When we spoke today he couldn't remember the name of the product, (Rodeo something he thinks, but loads of ingredients!!). He "powdered" the hens one by one, very thoroughly. They seem to have gone, but his question is - will they come back and what caused it? Many thanks for any help. Tilly xx

Treating the hens is not enough. If it's red roost mite, which it sounds likely it is, then the coop will need a thorough cleaning with an insecticide to kill them off. Then hens become weakened as their blood is being sucked every night by the mites and they are at risk of dying.

I can't read it but here's a fact sheet in French with information about which areas are more likely to have a mite outbreak and your treatment options. I do recommend Neem oil painted on the inside of the coop, especially in all the nooks and crannies as that's where the mites hide during the day, and why they are so difficult to eliminate.

Hopefully your friend can get on top of this. Goodluck!

 

[Folly's place]

It will depend on what's available and legal for laying hens in France; hope he gets this done! Mary

 

[Tilly56]

Hi JaeG, Thank you very much for the information - I have found Neem Oil on a site here, so I will send him the link (and probably get some myself!). One of the hens did die, which has, of course, made him rather worried about the others. You mention a fact sheet in French - could you let me have the link, please, it doesn't appear in your message. We only live about 20 miles from where he keeps his hens, so I hope ours are not in danger - I will give everything an extra clean this weekend!
Thank you again
Tilly x

 

[17 chickens]

If you have a access to charcoal from a fire mix that in your chicken dust bath it helps keep the bugs at bay. Unfortunately I have never had a problem with bugs nor do I want one so I do a lot of prevention to keep them away.
Good luck to you!

 

[Folly's place]

I've found permethrin spray concentrate to be the best, easiest, most cost effective product for killing mites and lice, but that's here in the USA. Pyrethrum would be the organically approved alternative. In France, I have no idea. A serious infestation (and I've had one!) will not be managed be ash, DE, or any other such things. Bathing stressed out anemic birds won't fix the problem, and will probably kill some of them. Mary

 

[Birdwatcher804]

If you have a access to charcoal from a fire mix that in your chicken dust bath it helps keep the bugs at bay. Unfortunately I have never had a problem with bugs nor do I want one so I do a lot of prevention to keep them away.
Good luck to you!

Not sure if this for me or the person from France. Either way, I took every precaution I read about before I ever put my flock in the coop. You can read all that I did at the start of this thread. I am extremely paranoid about bugs, and now have to take a shower every time I go out there with them, because I cannot stop itching when I come back in. I feel 100% defeated here. I know people say it is not a reflection of a person's care for their chickens, but I have been so careful. My friends tell me my chickens don't even know they are chickens because I pamper them so. Anyway, I'm not sure why all of my preventions failed. I have several friends that have owned chickens for years and have never had a problem with bugs, and I am far more diligent than they are. I hope this reply does not sound hostile, because I do not mean for it to. I am just so upset about it. And thank you for your suggestion. I put the wood ash and charcoal in their dust bath earlier this week.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Not sure if this for me or the person from France. Either way, I took every precaution I read about before I ever put my flock in the coop. You can read all that I did at the start of this thread. I am extremely paranoid about bugs, and now have to take a shower every time I go out there with them, because I cannot stop itching when I come back in. I feel 100% defeated here. I know people say it is not a reflection of a person's care for their chickens, but I have been so careful. My friends tell me my chickens don't even know they are chickens because I pamper them so. Anyway, I'm not sure why all of my preventions failed. I have several friends that have owned chickens for years and have never had a problem with bugs, and I am far more diligent than they are. I hope this reply does not sound hostile, because I do not mean for it to. I am just so upset about it. And thank you for your suggestion. I put the wood ash and charcoal in their dust bath earlier this week.

@Birdwatcher804 I'm pretty sure that was for the person in France and in no way was meant to be a reflection on any one's care, either in France or your coop.

I feel your frustration and disappointment.

You have not failed. It is simply life. There are mites in this world. There are chickens.

One person's place, who is less tidy, never has problems, but then another persons is overtaken.

It has so many elements to it....the kind of wild bird flocks on the property...the kind of underbrush...weather...luck.

Also, many times those that appear to be doing okay have a silently lurking problem which will arise when conditions are right. It truly is the perfect storm.

What you can't control is the wild life bio in your immediate area or weather patterns, and that has a lot to do with the factors of infestation.

Good cleaning, herbals, etc., can hold things back to a point. But if you keep birds in the same location for any length of time, with wild life abundant, stuff happens.

@JaeG has some really good old timer recommendations. Neem oil painted on roosts and elemental sulfur.

Sulfur was the old timer treatment before the permethrins. It is actually being re-introduced as some mite populations in certain areas (of overuse) are growing resistance to the permethrins.

An old trick is to put sulfur in a mesh bag and hang it under the roosts near the entryway so that the birds brush against it every time the enter and exit the coop. It acts as a self duster.

But it is NOT your fault. It is chicken keeping.

I personally burned a coop down...full of my very first flock...from a flood lamp left inside to help them stay warm as I had just integrated them to the coop then an especially early wicked cold snap hit. I learned a powerful and sad lesson from that.

Since then, I've re-established my flock and have over the years suffered Infectious Bronchitis (learned to improve my standards of isolation for newly purchased pullets), Northern Fowl Mite infestation (got behind my coop cleaning ritual when helping MIL into assisted living, hard to catch up when you get behind), turned down a broody Silkie purchase because she had scaly leg (Yes, I can be taught), only to have the other earlier purchase (from same trusted breeder) die from apparent Marek's (after passing a month isolation). I'm ticking off calendar dates to see if anyone else shows symptoms. (Thus far, week 12, and it looks like I'm okay).

I've faught hawks (put up netting), racoons (lock up tight every night now), and rats (ongoing war...I think I'm ahead at this point...they went to the neighbors

So if you want a trouble free hobby, take up something like knitting (only I can't knit). Animal care will ALWAYS have ups and downs. It is literally the nature of the beast.

There is a time however, between tinkering with issues, when all is well, the eggs are coming in, the birds are happy, and you drink a cup of coffee with your fresh egg omlet...chicken keeping is good....it is very good...and it is worth it.

Soldier on. You are doing fine. Learn and grow with your sweet birds.

LofMc

 

[Folly's place]

Good post! Mary

 

[Tilly56]

I shall pass on the tip about the ash - and I shall use it myself in my coop, once we get the fire going in winter! And look into sulfur in a mesh bag, too. I know what you mean about how unfair it can be - I think I keep my coop clean and tidy, but my friend cleans a lot more than I do and he is the one who caught the bugs!! I told him I am going to scrub him down before he comes near me or my flock!! I have made loads of mistakes and lost little chicks because of them - and agree heartily with LofMc that it is live and learn.... and I especially learn from this forum! Tilly

 

[JaeG]

Hi JaeG, Thank you very much for the information - I have found Neem Oil on a site here, so I will send him the link (and probably get some myself!). One of the hens did die, which has, of course, made him rather worried about the others. You mention a fact sheet in French - could you let me have the link, please, it doesn't appear in your message. We only live about 20 miles from where he keeps his hens, so I hope ours are not in danger - I will give everything an extra clean this weekend!
Thank you again
Tilly x

I'm sorry, I can't find that fact sheet. I've scoured my 'history', tried searching for it again - so frustrating!

I hope your friend can get on top of it. It's a tough battle when you have a big outbreak. I was thinking I might paint the inside of my coop with neem as a preventative as we are in for a warm, wet spring here. I do not want to go through what I went through last summer! We've already trapped two huge rats under our run (which is elevated to keep our birds out of the mud) and I'm pretty sure that was the source of my outbreak.