Successfully Rid Your Chickens of Mites Naturally HD

http://forgreenies.com
This was an experiment that showed positive results. We discovered our 3 hens had mites and wanted to treat them with natural substances and what we had on hand. Our chooks had recently been moved to a new run after being free range. Their new run had a thick leaf litter cover and no area for dust bathing which we believe contributed to the mites moving in. Also their bedding had not been changed for a while and so was conducive to building up a population for mites.

By clearing out and replacing bedding, using wood ash and dilute eucalyptus oil we were successfully able to treat them naturally without chemicals and using what we had at hand.

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Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• chooks
• chickens
• hens
• mites
• parasites
• natural
• insecticide
• remedy
• natural remedy
• non-toxic
• chemical-free
• self-sufficient
• self-reliant
• sustainable
• for greenies
• wood ash
• eucalyptus oil
• chicken coop
• chicken run
• dustbath

[Nyghtshade409]

Along with doing all that, I've been told using cedar shavings as their bedding rather than hay or anything else will also help, as the smell of the cedar will repel mites, fleas, ticks and other nasties.

We're trying to get our hens and chicks free of mites right now-an absurdly warm winter and some odd weather seems to have brought them about. My poor babies were INFESTED. If you have the time and ability to handle them, you can also do what our vet told us-put petroleum jelly on them.

[forgreenies]

@Nyghtshade409 that's a good idea using cedar shavings, as for the petroleum jelly ewww, the poor sticky chooks ;)

[NationalExpositor]

This is a ridiculous amount of work to get rid of mites. Just put food grade diatomaceous earth in the coop and nest and where the chickens take dust baths and you are all set. No toxic chemicals.. You can even put it in their food to get rid of intestinal parasites. freshwaterorganics has it.

[forgreenies]

@NationalExpositor The reason why they got mites in the first place was because the weather had been very wet for a long time and there was no dry dusty patches for dust bathing... We live on a small island with no shops so it is easier to use wood ash instead of going to the store and buying diatomaceous earth

[Andystuk]

@forgreenies I too have suffered from mites and lice. The use of ash does i'm sorry to say, encourage scaly leg mites, as it's drying up of the scales allow the mites to get in. A few things to note about red mites/blood sucking mites. Without a host they can live upto 8 months and are very hard to see if not gorged with blood. also they are nocturnal, so will hide in cracks and crevices, even underneath hinge plate s!.

[forgreenies]

@Andystuk After we used ash to lightly dust the birds, we had no problem with scaly leg mites. To those that don't want to create your own ash, I'd recommend food grade diatomaceous earth.

[Kayenne54]

@katsandroses Look up "rotenone poison". Its in "Pestene" - the product you suggested; totally unsuitable for "greenies" anyway. Diatomaceous Earth Food Grade is the best; avoid just regular Diatomaceous earth (that is used in swimming pool filters) as that will harm your chickens, dogs, cats etc - not suitable. Has to be food grade.

[ClimateAndCommunity]

@katsandroses Thanks, but I read it is not safe to use on young chicks. I like to go down the chemical free road myself, it worked for us!

[Andystuk]

@Andystuk continued ... Oh and move the coop at least 10 feet away. Don't move the dried leaf mould, just pile it up and burn it on location. Better still get a good fire going and when white hot, spread the cinders wide to scorch the earth. THIS WORKS and no chemicals. AndystUK

[Andystuk]

@Andystuk continued... Now armed you need to get into every crack and crevice and even better dismantle coop and draw the flame across every surface. slow enough to blitz the critters and fast enough not to catch and burn the timbers. When you cremate the mites you hear them crackle. Delightful really!

Now for the poultry. No not a flame but something just as simple, vacuum you chickens! the mites are extracted instantly. do this to break the egg cycle for say a week.

[Andystuk]

@Andystuk continued... So my 100% coop ridding solution is simple to achieve. firstly remove all loose material and don't bother replenishing bedding till this is completed. It's organic too no chemicals. Ok you need a blow-torch aka a butane or propane hand held gas gun. Ensure when you light it you have a flame big and light, balloon-like not fierce and direct.

[steffa1985]

@tmomof6 I'm in Australia - where I am they dont permit backyard fires. I have a BBQ but there is no way I'm burning that stuff in there! Technically burning things in a smaller closed bbq like what you're saying is still illegal. There is a high fire risk where I live and I'm not setting stuff on fire especially in the middle of summer! Thanks for the tip! (plus we dont have Walmart here :P)

I actually dont have my chickens anymore, but we did use the Pestine stuff on them and that worked well

[tmomof6]

@steffa1985 Everyone in town can have a grill but no one can burn leaves? I'd say you've been had. Burn small piles of leaves in your CLOSED charcoal grill ($35 at walmart) & while it might take longer to remove piles of litter you will have a completely safe yard waste removal that provides you with healthy ash for your birds. Just don't open the lid until it quits smoking. Do not peak & let loose burning leaves. Hope this helps!

[reneelentz]

@Nyghtshade409 We used the PJ on their heads and it worked great. One of our girls has them again, but near her other end. : (

[itsearlable]

all this scrubbing and dusting and spraying works to some extent i am sure, but............you could just go to the woods some place and cut some sasafrass saplings to use for the roost poles. Mites hate something in the sasafrass wood. I have helped many people put these in chicken houses and they never had problems with the mite after that. You might want to put new ones in every 3 or 4 years but just make sure they are sasafrass. Even if the mites are already there this will make them leave.