Mites - Natural Prevention and Treatment for your Chickens

Mites are tiny crawling external parasites that can become a problem for your chickens if they are given the opportunity move in to your coop and take up residence on your flock. They are spread by bringing infected birds into your flock, by wild birds, rodents, or by carrying them in on your shoes or clothing. They are more prevalent and active in warm weather and during the summer, although some types do live in cold climates as well. While their life cycle is only 5-7 days, each mite can lay more than 100,000 eggs during that time, so treatment must be repeated and ongoing to completely eradicate them.

There are several different types of mites which live either on the chickens or in the coop hiding under roosts, in cracks in the walls and even in the bedding material by day and coming out at night to feed. They bite and chew, extracting blood from the host, and can cause your chickens not only discomfort but also feather loss,  anemia or even death in extreme cases.  If your hens all of a sudden seem reluctant to go into their coop at night, or stop using the nesting boxes, there's a good chance they might be mite-infested.

Normally, the dust baths that chickens take in a dry patch of dirt or sand, preferably enhanced with some wood ash and food-grade diatomaceous earth, will keep them mite-free, but often in extremely hot and humid areas where mite populations flourish or during long periods of wet weather when the chickens might not have the opportunity to bathe, the mites will get the upper hand.

~Excessive preening and biting at their feathers can be a sign of a mite infestation~

If your chickens have mites, you might see them preening more or biting at their feathers under their wings and around their vents.  Upon closer inspection you will see tiny red or black spots near the vent. (Whitish deposits at the base of the feather shafts indicate lice, these are the egg deposits. Read how to combat lice and other other pests naturally HERE).  You might also see red streaks of blood or black specks when you run your hand along the roosts. There are several commercially sold chemical solutions and insecticides that are often used to battle mites but I don't recommend using any of them. Most aren't approved for use on chickens, meaning their use is 'off-label' and chemical treatments should never be your first line of defense.  Instead why not try a few holistic, natural remedies.

~This all natural homemade spray will help rid your coop of mites~

Spraying your coop and roosts for several days in a row with a mixture of 2 cups water, 1 cup cooking oil and 1 tablespoon dish washing liquid will help kill off the mites that leave the hens by suffocating them. Shake well before using because the mixture will separate. The coop should be sprayed at least once or twice a week for several weeks in conjunction with treating your hens directly.

Sprinkling food-grade Diatomaceous Earth onto the floor of the coop and nesting boxes and rubbing it into the roosts is another option that can be used in conjunction with the oil spray and reapplied as needed.

Wormwood (artemesia) can help repel mites. Tie bouquets of wormwood to the roosts, make sachets for your nesting boxes or hang cuttings in your coop as an ongoing mite repellent.

~Garlic juice along with herbal essential oils have been proven to kill mites~

To treat the chickens themselves, spray them with a garlic juice mixture.  This treatment has been found by poultry scientists in the UK to have a 100% kill rate over 24 hours. This can be used as a treatment and also as an ongoing preventative. 

To make Natural Mite Garlic Juice Spray you will need:

10 ounces of water

1 ounce of garlic juice

1 teaspoon (total) any combination of these essential oils - bay, cinnamon, clove, coriander, lavender, spearmint, tea tree and/or thyme

Mix in a spray bottle and spray hens bi-weekly as a preventative or every other day for two to three weeks in the case of an infestation.  Concentrate around the vent and under the wings.  Dusting your chickens with DE after spraying them is also recommended, taking care not to get the dust in their (or your)  eyes or lungs.  Treating your coop and chickens simultaneously is necessary to completely get rid of the mites.

~A hen with leg mites won't have nice smooth scales, instead they will start lifting up~

Leg mites are another type of external parasites that burrow under the scales on the legs and feet and cause the scales to lift up. If you see evidence of this, spraying the legs with the garlic juice solution and then smearing them with Vaseline will help to repel, smother and suffocate them.

~Iron-rich foods can help while chickens are fighting mites~

While your chickens are suffering from mites, it is recommended you increase their iron intake to prevent anemia. Good sources of iron include eggs, meat, poultry, fish, seafood, spinach, beet greens, dandelion greens, sweet potato, broccoli, collards, kale, strawberries, watermelon, raisins, wheat products, oatmeal, cornmeal, and molasses. Adding these foods to their diet can help them better battle the mites, which in addition to draining the body of iron also affect the immune system.   Adding fresh garlic cloves to their water or garlic powder to their feed is also a preventative since parasites don't seem to like the taste of the blood of chickens that have garlic added to their diet.  The garlic will also help boost your hens' immune systems while you are treating them.

~Regular check-ups help catch potential problems early~

As with most issues, being vigilant and knowing what looks 'normal' and what doesn't is the best preventative. Carefully examining your chickens regularly enables you to spot and deal with potential problems before they get out of control.  Checking vents and under wings will help you catch external parasites before they are able to multiply. At the first sign of mites, fast treatment can eradicate them before the infestation gets a good foothold.  Providing your chickens with a dust bath area filled with dry loose dirt or sand, food-grade Diatomaceous Earth and wood ash will help your flock stay parasite-free.

To read more about how dust baths can help prevent parasites, read HERE.
To read more about the benefits of DE and garlic, read HERE.

References:

Lifestyle Block How to Care for your Poultry Volume 2, 2012

Veterinary Herbal Medicine, Elsevier Health Sciences, 2006

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