Aaahhh!
Hubby brought the eggs in today, and on one of the shells I saw a tiny speck begin to move. Then I saw a few more specks moving. Aaahh! My chickens have mites!
Has anyone else ever dealt with mites before? I have ivomectin pour-on for my goats, so I can try that on the birds themselves. But what should I use for everything else (nest boxes, litter, etc.)? There are so many insecticidal sprays and dusts out there. What works best?
Aaaahhhhh!!!
6 comments:
Yikes! I don't know a thing other than they can be a common problem with chickens. Good luck! Amazing that they have them this time of year, I would have thought heat of summer would be more likely.
Oh, bummer! Even the healthiest of chickens usually have some of the little buggers (mites) but they are kept under control in the summer when the chickens can get outside and take dust baths in the dirt. When they're confined at this time of year, there's no way they can naturally take those dust baths.
You might try putting about a 2' square box in the chicken house filled with 1/2 wood ashes and 1/2 diatomaceous earth (food grade). You could also mix in some pulverized, finely ground tobacco. They used to paint Black Leaf 40 (a nicotine sulfate compound) on the roosts to combat the problem. (My hubby says they used to dunk the chickens in kerosene, too. Poor chickens!)
Our chicks are due to arrive on Friday so I've been reading everything I can get my hands on. I found this article, Making a Dustbox for the Chicken House that sounds like it would be helpful for mites.
Maybe this CONSTANT snow will just kill them all. I figure Im about 2 hours south of you are you getting this stuff .. bluch
No way am I going to eat any chicken pot pit, chicken noodle soup, or chickenanything at your house, sis!!! Just joshin'! Looking forward to seeing all of you at Spring Break!!! Can we bring anything?
If you're still looking, keep your eyes open for a product called Poultry Protector. It's in a spray bottle. I've never used it, but it's supposed to be non-toxic & effective.
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