During the warmer spring and summer months, chickens are commonly affected by external parasites, like mites. Chicken mites are vampiric, feeding on the birds’ blood during the night while they roost. What should you do if you find mites on your chickens or in the coop?
To get rid of a chicken mite infestation, you must deep clean the coop and apply diatomaceous earth or wood ash to the coop and chickens to kill the remaining mites. Dust the chickens once a week for a month until all the mites are gone. Encourage the chickens to dust bath and keep the coop clean.
Chicken mites are a serious problem, and infestations must be dealt with immediately. If the problem is left unchecked, mites can eventually kill chickens! This article describes everything you need to do to treat chicken mites and what you should do to prevent these horrible parasites in your flock.
Contents
What To Do When Chickens Have Mites?
As soon as you see mites on your chickens and in their coop, you need to act! A few mites will quickly turn into a full-blown infestation.
The treatment for chicken mites is twofold: you must treat the birds and their coop.
If you only treat the chickens and not the coop, the birds will become reinfected as soon as they go back to roost at night. If you treat the coop and not the chickens, the mites on the birds will reinfect the coop.
The only solution is thoroughly cleaning the coop and treating all the chickens.
Chicken mites lay eggs, which can survive for up to 7 months, so a once-off treatment is ineffective. The treatment may kill all the adult mites, but soon after, the mites’ eggs will hatch, and your flock will be reinfected.
Therefore, you need to apply the treatment weekly until all the mites, and their eggs are gone.
To properly treat a chicken mite infestation, you must take the following steps:
- Get the chickens out of their coop into a separate enclosure. If possible, you should let them free-range for the day.
- Remove all the bedding from the coop. Put the bedding into garbage bags or burn it to dispose of it. Do not put the bedding into your compost heap; definitely do not reuse it!
- Deep clean the chicken coop. Scrub the walls, floor, roosts, nesting boxes, feeders, and waterers with hot, soapy water.
- Spray all the surfaces in the coop with Poultry Shield or a similar organic detergent. If you want to go the natural route, use apple cider vinegar. Get every nook and cranny in the coop.
- When the inside of the coop is dry, put fresh bedding material down.
- Next, treat all the chickens by dusting them with diatomaceous earth. Gently invert them and ruffle their feathers as you sprinkle the dust. Focus on their underparts, especially around the vent, as this is where the mites tend to gather. Hold the chickens’ wings away from their body to dust under the wings.
- Sprinkle diatomaceous earth inside the chicken coop, on the floor, in the nest boxes, roosts, and in dark corners.
- Add diatomaceous earth to the chickens’ dust baths.
How Does Diatomaceous Earth Kill Chicken Mites?
Diatomaceous earth is a natural compound that comes from sedimentary rocks. Essentially, it is the fossilized remains of microscopic marine organisms called diatoms.
Therefore, diatomaceous earth is considered a natural or organic treatment for mites.
The particles of finely ground diatomaceous earth are microscopic crystals. They have sharp edges that scratch the cuticle on the mites’ exoskeletons.
The mites die by drying out. The dust draws all the fats and oils from their exoskeleton.
It is dangerous to inhale large quantities of diatomaceous earth as it can cause a lung condition called silicosis. Be careful not to apply the dust in an enclosed space, avoid applying it to chickens’ heads, and wear a dust mask.
Can You Use Sevin Dust To Treat Chicken Mites?
When searching the internet for cures for chicken mites, you may have encountered a chemical treatment called Sevin. It is also marketed as Carbo-dust because it is made of a carbaryl compound.
In the past, treating chicken lice with 5% Sevin dust was common practice. It was used in the same way as diatomaceous earth.
However, carbaryl is highly toxic. It is dangerous for humans and animals to inhale the dust, and it is extremely toxic to aquatic creatures. It is one of the biggest threats to global bee populations.
Due to its toxicity and how dangerous it is to work with, you should not use Sevin dust to treat chicken mites.
What Are The Signs Of A Chicken Mite Infestation?
If you suspect you may have a chicken mite problem, but are unsure, look out for the following signs:
- At night, you can see tiny grey or red insects crawling around the coop and on the chickens’ legs.
- If you wipe the roosts with a paper towel, you can see streaks of blood.
- Chickens preen and scratch themselves far more than usual and may pick at the feathers on their belly.
- In severe cases, you may notice decreased egg production, loss of feathers, sores or skin irritation around the eyes and beak, and pale-looking wattles and combs.
How To Prevent Mites In Your Chicken Coop
Preventing chicken mites in the first place is key. To keep chicken mites from infesting your flock, take these steps:
- Ensure that chickens have access to dust baths.
- Add diatomaceous earth and wood ash to the chickens’ bedding and dust baths, and sprinkle it on the roosts and around the coop.
- Keep the chicken coop clean.
- Quarantine new additions to the flock to ensure they do not carry mites.
Conclusion
Treating chicken mites is a hassle but doing so as soon as possible is very important. Thoroughly cleaning out the chicken coop and dusting the coop and the birds with diatomaceous earth is an effective treatment. Treat birds once a week for a month to get rid of a chicken mite infestation.
