chicken mites

[deltaS]

Any advice on how to eliminate them? They have infested my house. My chickens have been relocated, and the house has been empty for almost a month, but the mites are still active and looking for hosts (and they love humans!!). Mahalo

[lquade]

go to dels get food grade diatomaceous earth. sprinkle all over. put your chickens in a pillow case with their heads sticking out and dust them really really well. it works.. keep a dusting bin full of it for them in their chicken house ( i use a cat litter pan).

[terracore]

We didn't have any luck with the diatomaceous earth. It doesn't work when it gets damp. I can see it working if you have only a few birds but our neck of the woods is infested with chickens, they are breeding in the jungle like crazy.

Sevin dust is fast and final. It's an off label use but it works. A little dusting on the chicken is all it takes. Helps to hit the nest boxes too. You can also dust it around your house.

The chickens will get reinfested eventually, wild birds including myna birds spread the mites. If you have any wild bird nests around your house any solution is going to be temporary.

If the situation is really bad you can get the sevin liquid that screws onto the end of a hose and spray a perimeter around your house. All we've ever had to do is put some dust around the doors.

[leilaniguy]

In Oregon, and here, I have always dumped ashes from wood stoves or BBQ's in the chickens pen, they loved it and wallowed in it. They loved it, knew what it was for.

[lquade]

yes sevin will definitely take care of problem also. just make sure you toss the eggs for 14 days afterwards. and i agree the "flying rats" as we call the morning doves that come in the hundreds also seem to carry the mites..

[deltaS]

Thanks everyone for the recommendations!

[Kenney]

We use the 7 dust too under the house, in nest box and on the birds if the mites are bad. Only happens every few years. Definitely wait 2 weeks before eating eggs.