Grain Mites in feed

[Cindy in PA]

I don't think grain mites will infest your chickens. Grain mites eat grain.

 

[TessK]

I got mine from TSC, too. I went back there yesterday to see if I'd just gotten a bad bag only to find the whole stack of chick starter feed *covered* with piles of mites, even on the floor around the bags. I asked one of the workers and she said it was normal. Wellll.. maybe it is, maybe it isn't, but I'll be shopping somewhere else I think.

 

[TessK]

I don't think grain mites will infest your chickens. Grain mites eat grain.

Yeah, that's what someone else said, too. That chickens eat bugs anyway so not to worry too much about it. I'm new to this, does it show?

 

[RoostersCrow HensDeliver!]

No my chickens weren't covered in mites but the walls of the coop and feed bins were. And me from moving the feed bag YUCK!

 

[lamelde]

I hope it's not too late to get in here (and still get some advice)
I just found these guys ALL over everywhere so I moved the grain into a spare bedroom (because I thought it was because of the humid basement) now they are all over in there.

And they are crawling on me - I am really creeped out!!!

There really isn't reason for concern?

I want to get rid of them - from the feed - from the coop - from my house!

Help - how?
Someone said use DE - I tried that - nope they are still there :-(

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

They're really only a concern in that they're invasive, messy and a hazard to any grain product. I don't think DE will work all that well on them, the best thing to do is remove any grain products they have access to and reduce the humidity around them (they can't reproduce if the humidity is less than 60%). I would regularly wipe up the areas where you find them with soapy water and they should disappear quickly without anything to eat. If you can put the grain in the freezer for a few days, that may help too. Here's a nice page on grain mites and ways to deal with them.

 

[RussianChickens]

I just had this SAME problem! One bag of chick starter from TSC. Purina medicated brand. I'm going back to dumor, I have not had mites in any of those in 3 years of use.

They have infested my basement and turned my feed to dust. On still feeding it because its all I have ATM and isn't mouldy or wet. But I dumped tons of DE in it and powdered my entire basement and the chicks brooder.

I am taking this bag back to TSC and complaining! I want my money back or a new bag without bugs! I'm also calling Purina! Nothing kills these mites and they are all over EVERYTHING! I have an unfinished basement and no AC and its very wet and hot round here. They have exploded and there are piles of them! Literally!

Ewwww! They got on me its so gross!

I thought it was dust for over a week until I saw it moving! By then it was all over heck in my basement! It's creeping near the laundry now, and thats 15' awa from where the bag was. Ahhhg!

 

[Scifisarah]

I just had this SAME problem! One bag of chick starter from TSC. Purina medicated brand. I'm going back to dumor, I have not had mites in any of those in 3 years of use.

They have infested my basement and turned my feed to dust. On still feeding it because its all I have ATM and isn't mouldy or wet. But I dumped tons of DE in it and powdered my entire basement and the chicks brooder.

I am taking this bag back to TSC and complaining! I want my money back or a new bag without bugs! I'm also calling Purina! Nothing kills these mites and they are all over EVERYTHING! I have an unfinished basement and no AC and its very wet and hot round here. They have exploded and there are piles of them! Literally!

Ewwww! They got on me its so gross!

I thought it was dust for over a week until I saw it moving! By then it was all over heck in my basement! It's creeping near the laundry now, and thats 15' awa from where the bag was. Ahhhg!

Yuck, I could not imagine having this problem indoors. I purchased a bag of Purina unmedicated starter feed from the TSC in Cedar Springs and just had this problem for the first time in 8 years of keeping chickens. I wonder if it is the same store? I have another new bag of medicated feed that seems to be mite-free, but it is also from that TSC but I am nervous it will also break with the nasty things. We dumped out all the feeders and bins and hosed everything down, but they have got to also be inside my five coops. I'm up at 2 am right now because I can't sleep due to the creepy crawly feeling even though I have since showered and am clean. I can't stand infestations of any kind... Tomorrow I will probably be stripping all the coops and coating the insides with permethrin spray.

 

[RussianChickens]

Yuck, I could not imagine having this problem indoors. I purchased a bag of Purina unmedicated starter feed from the TSC in Cedar Springs and just had this problem for the first time in 8 years of keeping chickens. I wonder if it is the same store? I have another new bag of medicated feed that seems to be mite-free, but it is also from that TSC but I am nervous it will also break with the nasty things. We dumped out all the feeders and bins and hosed everything down, but they have got to also be inside my five coops. I'm up at 2 am right now because I can't sleep due to the creepy crawly feeling even though I have since showered and am clean. I can't stand infestations of any kind... Tomorrow I will probably be stripping all the coops and coating the insides with permethrin spray.

Be warned! Permethrin spary does nothing to kill these things. Neither does DE, deet spray or anything else. Limited luck with 409. I think next I'm going to just nuke my house but they would probably survive the radiation too. :S

Yes I still have them and they come back out after it rains and infest other good bags and everything else! Ewww! And I just can't kill them! Yikes!

 

[Scifisarah]

Be warned! Permethrin spary does nothing to kill these things. Neither does DE, deet spray or anything else. Limited luck with 409. I think next I'm going to just nuke my house but they would probably survive the radiation too. :S

Yes I still have them and they come back out after it rains and infest other good bags and everything else! Ewww! And I just can't kill them! Yikes!

We have a dehumidifier with an auto pump that runs in our basement and I set it to 45% humidity, so I don't think they could thrive here. A little costly to purchase and run monthly, but I've enjoyed the difference it makes in our basement since we spend a lot of time there. I have extreme mite allergies, so can't have any mucking around in the house. I'm picking up an airtight pet food storage container today from TSC so at least if this is a problem in the future, I know they will be somewhat contained. TSC is cool about it and thankfully did not ask me to bring the bag along to be refunded. I don't think I could stomach putting that in my van.

On another yucky sidenote, about 10 years ago when I was in an apartment we kept a bin of birdseed in our bedroom for the feeders. When we came home from a week long vacation, worms had erupted from the bin and had crawled all under the covers and made cocoons all over between the sheets and blankets, and there were moths flying everywhere. I did not sleep in that bedroom for a very long time and I think that started up my phobia of infestations. No more bird seed or feeds in the house after that!