Johnsons Poultry Mite & Lice Powder,White

Product Information

Apart from Poultry Shield and Diatom mentioned above, as a preventative measure, you could also use Barrier Red Mite Powder. We advise using Diatomaceous Earth powder as a preventative product, or as part of a mite control treatment to reduce mites and lice in your poultry. Other signs that your hens may be hosting mites are feather loss, reduced laying, scabby legs and feet, and a pale comb. But these signs can point to other issues as well. So inspect your birds well to be sure you’re dealing with mites. Corrugated cardboard – make ‘traps’ to fit on the underside of perches. As these fill up, remove them and burn. Feeders and waterers, even the ones kept outdoors, are also potentially areas where mites may be found. Wash these thoroughly too and spray the surrounding area.

Clean out the coop- get rid of any bedding (dispose of it in a plastic bag in a bin as the red mites will happily find somewhere else to live). We advise wearing gloves and a dust mask when applying Diatomaceous Earth as in some cases it can be a skin irritant. It is also important to only use food grade DE powder in and around your hen house. The benefits of Diatomaceous Earth powder After dark, red mites will be active, crawling out and along perches to get to their hosts for a blood feed. Using a torch, look for mites crawling along perches and walls of housing. Wipe the underside of the perch with a white tissue and look for smears of blood. Birds will be restless as they get bitten by mites. They may not want to go in their house to roost / may roost in the run.

Checking for Red Mite in Chickens Houses

If you are already suffering from a Red Mite infestation these are some ideal 100% natural, non-toxic products. When the nest conditions are correct the mite larvae hatch 2-3 days after being laid. The time it takes for a mite to go from egg to adult is 7 days. This short cycle can cause Red Mite infestations to grow very rapidly. Even without a food source Red Mite can survive for as long as 8 months making them a very hardy pest. One area where Poultry Shield is not effective is if you have damaged felt roof where red mites may have gotten underneath. The liquid would not be able to fully penetrate the area. If this is the case you should preplace the roof. Red mites find the space between the felt and the wood the most hospitable of homes.

Red Mite Powder (Diatomaceous Earth) is a 100% natural product, prepared from the fossilised remains of ancient shell creatures, so is totally inert and safe to humans and animals.Next you need to use a product called Poultry Shield. Poultry Shield is a safe alkaline product used for thorough cleansing and removal of re mites. It’s poison free, can be used by organic egg and poultry producers and does not contain any ionic surfactants. It can also be used on all types of coop, whether wood, plastic or other material and is even safe to use with your hens present. Egg production will usually decrease and eventually birds will stop laying. They may lay outside or on the floor of the coop because they get bitten whilst sitting in nest boxes. Egg yolks can be pale. Or you can add a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to a gallon of water. It will work from the inside out, expelling through the skin to repel mites and lice. This might not be enough to use on its own as a treatment for an infestation. But it could prevent future problems if you use apple cider vinegar once a week. DIY Mite And Lice Spray

Diatomaceous Earth powder works as the mites crawl through the dust to feed on the hens at night. The microscopically sharp shards that make up Diatomaceous Earth scratch the mite’s waxy shell without which they cannot retain water and so dehydrate and die. It is suggested to sprinkle it over the floor of the coop, in the bottom of nesting boxes and in the dust baths that the hens dig out in the run. This way they will rub the dust on themselves without you having to. If you are handing the dust I recommend you wear gloves and use a decorators dust mask that you can get cheaply from any DIY store.There are many benefits of including a tub of Diatomaceous Earth among your hen keeping essentials. Here are just a few: