Safe insecticides or chemicals for chicken mites.

[Guest]

I've been keeping chickens for a few years now and never had a problem with pests or disease. Yesterday however, whilst cleaning the coop I discovered several infestations of what I believe to be red mites. I don't have the time or facilites to rebuild or rehouse my chickens so painting anything that takes more than a few hours to be safe is out of the question. I have scattered diatomacious earth in the corners and nest boxes, which is animal safe and works against mites, but am hoping for help with additional ideas and substances that can be safely applied.
Thanks.

[qrprat77]

plant tobacco around the cages if you can, that's what my great-Grandfather did even before the depression.
I found out one day because a tobacco plant had volunteered in the compost heap on the old family homestead. I wondered were it came from, and my Grandpa told me how they planted it to keep chicken mites away when he was a boy.

[Sorcerer]

Make a whitewash of lime and water coat the entire inside should dry in about 30 minutes. Then mix lime, DE and wood ash put in a box that the chickens can get in and dust themselves.

[Klayton]

Are your nest boxes wooden or metal?

Metal, take out and soap and boiling water, wood, well that is a tough to "sanitize".

I have read somewhere that you can put petroleum jelly on the actually chickens legs to kill any parasites that are hiding between the scales of their legs... But do some research, I hate putting PJ on anything living...

I subscribe to Backyard Poultry, a so-so rag, sometimes has some really good sales listed in it and some good advice from people. Might want to check it out...

[hua man]

Sassafras roost rods. A lot of old timers would use sassafras in their roosts to help stave off mites.


Cedar shavings used as fodder in bottom of coop?

[Mr.Grey]

Perches, nest boxes everything is wood.
Sassafras isn't something I've come across before, the lime I have got though, so I may be white washing this weekend. Does the lime have any other effect than clogging pores and smothering mites?
Thanks.

[mozambique505]

try diatomaceous earth.

[Echelleg]

How is your mite problem coming? I am new to raising chickens and have not encountered that problem yet. The chicken lady at my feed store told my to put diam. earth in a litter box for them to dirt bath in and to sprinkle it in their nesting boxes. She also told me to mix some in with their food (for internal parasites). This is all done as precautions to stave off problems. I would like to hear how the problem is dealt with if/when it happens. Being new to animal husbandry I am always trying to learn and I have found that peoples actual experience sure beats books for alot of situations. Thank you for your time and I hope your chicks are doing better.

[Mr.Grey]

I'm happy to say that I seem to have solved the problem of my mites.
1. I cleaned the hen house and sprayed it with Total Mitekill, an organic spray that is safe after two hours. The mites immediately started evacuating the hidden spaces and then proceeded to die in swathes on the outside of the house.
2. I dusted heavily with diatomaceous earth and checked back in 4 days. Little sign of life!
3. I have a false floor in the hen house that slides out, I threw a few shovelfulls of builders lime under it and also around the walls. This seems to act in a similar way to diatomaceous earth in that it dries out the mites and suffocates them.
4. A week later, no sign of mites so I let off a smoke insecticide pot in the house as soon as my last chicken had laid. This was left until the evening to percolate into the nooks and crannies and then removed and aired for an hour before dusk. The chickens went in and they all came out the next morning, so I assume they took no ill-effects.

So from now on, it's lime dust in general, and diatomaceous earth on the roosting perches and nest boxes. Prevention is definately better than infestation.