Chicken mites can be frustrating and difficult to remove from a chicken coop. Causing dirty feathers, decreased activity and energy, decreased appetite, low egg production and ragged feathers, chicken mites are the bane of any farmer or backyard chicken coup owner.
If left untreated, chicken mites can lead to feather pulling, bald spots, redness and even skin infections that can be potentially fatal.
Chemical cures for chicken mites involve the use of dangerous chemicals that can be potentially hazardous to family members and pets, requiring the dispersal of toxic poisons that interrupt the egg laying cycle and can cause chickens to lay eggs that are not fit for consumption.
Other folk treatments such as wormwood are effective but difficult to locate in many geographical regions. These methods may kill living mites but don’t target mite eggs or larvae that haven’t hatched yet, leaving your feathered friends open to secondary infestation.
Diatomaceous earth has been proven to be a highly effective, natural and chemical free method of destroying parasites in egg-laying hens. A 2011 scientific clinical trial determined that diatomaceous earth is not only highly effective in treating hens for dust mites but is also able to actually increase egg production.
Using diatomaceous earth to treat your chickens for chicken mites is as easy as following these simple steps:
Step 1: Dispose of Infested Hay
To begin treating your chickens for chicken mites, you’ll need to sanitize their living environment. Begin by completely removing all of the hay and bagging it in airtight, sturdy plastic bags. When disposing of hay that is infested with chicken mites, you may want to consider either disposing it with the relevant special trash service of your country, or incinerating it in a purifying inferno to annihilate the pests within.
Step 2: Clean the Coop
After disposing of the infested hay, proceed to remove the chickens to a temporary holding area and sanitize the coop. While in this holding area, you may want to lightly dust your chickens with diatomaceous earth to begin the extermination process. If your chicken coop has concrete or wooden floors, sweep thoroughly with a broom then use very hot water to scrub away all dirt and built up grime. For dirt floor coops, use an outdoor broom to remove the topmost layer of dirt and dispose of in a hole in the garden, burying it to prevent reinfestation.
Step 3: Apply Diatomaceous Earth to Coop Floor
Once you’ve remove all infested hay and completely cleaned the coop, it’s time to distribute a layer of diatomaceous earth over the floor. Make sure the floor is dry before proceeding to this step so the diatomaceous earth doesn’t absorb excess water. Use only enough diatomaceous earth to coat the floor in a light layer. Using a diatomaceous earth applicator will make this job easier.
Step 4: Disinfect Roosts
The next step in exterminating a chicken mite presence is sanitizing the chicken roosts. Remove them from the coop to an open space where they will be able to dry easily. Avoid using chemicals in this process as they may irritate the skin of your chickens. Warm water and vinegar does a great job of sanitizing chicken roosts. Once the roosts are dry, return them to the coop and distribute a thin layer of diatomaceous earth on and around the roosting area.
Step 5: Rebed the Chicken Coop
After placing the roosts back inside the coop, proceed to rebed the coop. You can use straw, pine shavings or hay to rebed a chicken coop, but be sure to distribute 1 cup of diatomaceous earth over every four square feet of coop space as you rebed. An applicator can make this job easier, as sprinkling diatomaceous earth over coop bedding can be time consuming and frustrating. Once you’ve rebedded the coop, evenly distribute the diatomaceous earth throughout the bedding by turning it with a rake pitchfork.
Step 6: Add a Final Layer of Diatomaceous Earth
The final step in treating your chickens and coop for mites is to add a layer of diatomaceous earth to the dust bathing area. Your chickens will coat themselves with diatomaceous earth when they bathe, killing any mites that may remain on them when returning to the coop.
Preventative Measures
These six steps will result in a clean, mite free chicken coop and healthier chickens. Be sure to repeat this process every time you clean your coop. By using diatomaceous earth to treat your chickens and keep them mite-free, you’ll end up with healthier chickens that produce completely organic eggs free from any heavy metals, toxins or poisons resulting from chemical mite treatments.
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21673156
Diatomaceous Earth Information Guide:
We have a wide variety of food grade diatomaceous earth resources for you look through to make your life a little easier and chemical-free. Please check out the other valuable resources and versatile application uses for silica-rich diatomaceous earth below:
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