Worried about mites ! Help!

Chickenkeeper07

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My chickens have always scratched themselves and picked at themselves I thought this was chicken behavior until I asked a question about how I’m not getting as many eggs as I used to . I got a reply about mites . How do I check for them and treat it . I’m new to chicken keeping and haven’t even had my six for a year yet so this is all new . Thanks for the help
 
Hi, there are a few signs that might give you a good understanding if your flock has mites.

1.) your birds are missing feathers ( it looks like they are going through somewhat patterned baldness) feathers may be plucked from their back or underneath their wings or by the vent.

2.) check underneath their wings and by their vents for mites, that it where bird mites like to take shelter on the bird itself. They are quite small and resemble tiny blackish-red dots that move.

If your birds do have mites clean out their coop and after you do sprinkle a product called diatomaceous earth food grade it has to be food grade in the coop. Also use the diatomaceous earth and apply it under the birds wings and vent area or wherever you see baldness. This product is a great natural mite killer that is good for your flock. Also supplement a vitamin in the birds water just to give them a boost of energy. Lastly supply more protein to the birds diet, when chickens have mites they need lots of nutrients to stay alive. I hope this helps i'm sure more people will chime in on how you can deal with those pesky parasites.
 
I had an issue with fowl mites over the winter. I do frequent flock checks and missed them - I didn't realize my girls had them until I saw some on me after holding one of my hens. I do know that there are mites that live off of the bird, but because I haven't dealt with them I can't speak on identifying those!

I tried Permethrin products with absolutely no luck. Between stripping my coop and treating the coop and girls with chemical dust for multiple treatments it was just too much to not work. I read about using sulfur for mites and it was a game changer for my flock - used it in the dust bath, on roosts, and in the coop throughout the winter and had no more issues. I also read that a lot of people us DE and have the same results!

Good luck...mites are no fun :(
 

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