Mites on 19 day hatching eggs and broody

[Vanessa182]

Hey! Help! Two days ago we noticed a few mites on our broody hen. She and her eggs are separated from the flock, but in just two days the mites are everywhere! What can I do that will be safe for the hen and eggs? I’ve got another “broody hotel” I can move her in, but should I wash her, wash the eggs while transitioning locations? This is our first (and perhaps last) experience with a broody hen. I just want to do right by the momma and babies. I’ve got pyrethrum spray, permethrin dust, diatomaceous earth, and marigolds. Any advice will be welcome! Thank you!!

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

Definitely dont wash the eggs. Mites cant harm the eggs, plus eggs are porous and it is very easy to introduce contaminants through the shell. As close as the eggs are to hatching, they should be disturbed as little as possible.

The broody definitely needs to be treated for the mites asap. Permethryn is safe and effective for both adults and chicks. I dust it directly on the hen, but not directly on young chicks. I also dust the ground of their living area. The chicks will be "dusted" by sleeping under the hen, as well as climbing through her feathers. They will also be dusted when they bathe in the permethryn treated dirt. The main thing is to get the mites off the hen before the eggs hatch, so the chicks dont get mites in the first place.

What material are you using in the nesting box? Hay and straw give mites a place to thrive. Shavings is much less mite-friendly. You will need to transfer the eggs to a new mite-free nest box, or remove the eggs while you treat the box she is currently in. She may come off the eggs if you move her. But hopefully not this late in incubation, since she can likely already feel the eggs moving & is also communicating with them by sound. If you feel moving her to a new broody hotel is best, well u gotta do what u gotta do.

Before you move the eggs, pay close attention to the position they are in under the hen. At 19 days, they are essentially in "lockdown", same as if they were in an artficial incubator. The artificial incubator stops turning the eggs on day 18; the hen does the same.

Remove the eggs from the infested nestbox, placing them in the exact same position into a new clean nestbox, or into a temporary nestbox while you treat the infested one. If an egg rolls out of its former position dont worry. Yes the chick will need to rotate into hatching position again, which can sap strength, but not nearly as much as hatching into a mite-infested environment.

Good luck and please update. I hope you kill all the mites & the hatch goes smoothly.

 

[Vanessa182]

Definitely dont wash the eggs. Mites cant harm the eggs, plus eggs are porous and it is very easy to introduce contaminants through the shell. As close as the eggs are to hatching, they should be disturbed as little as possible.

The broody definitely needs to be treated for the mites asap. Permethryn is safe and effective for both adults and chicks. I dust it directly on the hen, but not directly on young chicks. I also dust the ground of their living area. The chicks will be "dusted" by sleeping under the hen, as well as climbing through her feathers. They will also be dusted when they bathe in the permethryn treated dirt. The main thing is to get the mites off the hen before the eggs hatch, so the chicks dont get mites in the first place.

What material are you using in the nesting box? Hay and straw give mites a place to thrive. Shavings is much less mite-friendly. You will need to transfer the eggs to a new mite-free nest box, or remove the eggs while you treat the box she is currently in. She may come off the eggs if you move her. But hopefully not this late in incubation, since she can likely already feel the eggs moving & is also communicating with them by sound. If you feel moving her to a new broody hotel is best, well u gotta do what u gotta do.

Before you move the eggs, pay close attention to the position they are in under the hen. At 19 days, they are essentially in "lockdown", same as if they were in an artficial incubator. The artificial incubator stops turning the eggs on day 18; the hen does the same.

Remove the eggs from the infested nestbox, placing them in the exact same position into a new clean nestbox, or into a temporary nestbox while you treat the infested one. If an egg rolls out of its former position dont worry. Yes the chick will need to rotate into hatching position again, which can sap strength, but not nearly as much as hatching into a mite-infested environment.

Good luck and please update. I hope you kill all the mites & the hatch goes smoothly.

This is fantastic information! Thank you very much! I’ll be treating her first thing tomorrow morning. I’ll let you know how everything goes!

 

[cmom]

I agree and would use permethrin. Most poultry dust is 0.25% which will work but you will have to do it weekly for about a month so as the mite eggs hatch they will be eliminated as it does not kill the mites eggs. You may want to consider spraying the broody. Most premixed sprays are 0.50%. Also this would have to bee done weekly too as it doesn't kill the mites eggs. I would consider spraying wherever you keep her and possibly any other birds and coops she may be in contact with as the others may have them too. Some mites only come out at night to feed on the birds. I use a headlamp so I have both of my hands free to inspect the birds after they roost. Good luck...

 

[Vanessa182]

Awesome! Thanks! We dusted everyone today - even though they aren’t in direct contact... never can be too safe, right? I scrubbed and sprayed down the broody hotel and the main coop. I was planing on retreating the chickens in 3 days. If I can go a week between, I’d rather that- dusting the roosters wasn’t my favorite experience .

 

[Vanessa182]

Definitely dont wash the eggs. Mites cant harm the eggs, plus eggs are porous and it is very easy to introduce contaminants through the shell. As close as the eggs are to hatching, they should be disturbed as little as possible.

The broody definitely needs to be treated for the mites asap. Permethryn is safe and effective for both adults and chicks. I dust it directly on the hen, but not directly on young chicks. I also dust the ground of their living area. The chicks will be "dusted" by sleeping under the hen, as well as climbing through her feathers. They will also be dusted when they bathe in the permethryn treated dirt. The main thing is to get the mites off the hen before the eggs hatch, so the chicks dont get mites in the first place.

What material are you using in the nesting box? Hay and straw give mites a place to thrive. Shavings is much less mite-friendly. You will need to transfer the eggs to a new mite-free nest box, or remove the eggs while you treat the box she is currently in. She may come off the eggs if you move her. But hopefully not this late in incubation, since she can likely already feel the eggs moving & is also communicating with them by sound. If you feel moving her to a new broody hotel is best, well u gotta do what u gotta do.

Before you move the eggs, pay close attention to the position they are in under the hen. At 19 days, they are essentially in "lockdown", same as if they were in an artficial incubator. The artificial incubator stops turning the eggs on day 18; the hen does the same.

Remove the eggs from the infested nestbox, placing them in the exact same position into a new clean nestbox, or into a temporary nestbox while you treat the infested one. If an egg rolls out of its former position dont worry. Yes the chick will need to rotate into hatching position again, which can sap strength, but not nearly as much as hatching into a mite-infested environment.

Good luck and please update. I hope you kill all the mites & the hatch goes smoothly.

So, I was a bit off on my count. Woke up this morning and two eggs had pipped overnight. My broody is a first time mom and seemed a bit confused by the change in the eggs. Anyway, we moved and dusted her after we moved the eggs into a new location. Sadly, the hen was pretty stressed by the relocation and didn’t sit on her eggs for several hours. Thankfully the two that pipped, did hatch. However momma wanted nothing to do with them: she wouldn’t sit on her other eggs if they were in the nest. So now they are now under a brooder in yet another location.... we’re running out of room, . Anyway, I hope the other eggs hatch, but I’m happy we have at least two healthy chicks so far. I think one is a full barred rock and the other is a barred rock rooster crossed buff Brahma hen...

 

[Vanessa182]

Update: 8 out of nine hatched! Everyone seems to be doing great!

 

[Ted Brown]

This is, without question, the BEST mite story I have read (had Northern Fowl mites, serious job to eliminate!). 8 of 9 wow!

Persistence is the key to elimination, I searched and the intervals I settled on were days 1, 7, 14 but I had to keep up treatments beyond that. I used spray Permethrin and powdered 95% sulfur (could not get powdered Permethrin and winter started so could not spray); my experience was I did the 1,7,14 cycle still had mites, I continued with the sulfur and eliminated the little bu**ers. It was a month or more of keep at it. Sulfur from your feed store, very cheap!

 

[Chickstarrs]

I agree and would use permethrin. Most poultry dust is 0.25% which will work but you will have to do it weekly for about a month so as the mite eggs hatch they will be eliminated as it does not kill the mites eggs. You may want to consider spraying the broody. Most premixed sprays are 0.50%. Also this would have to bee done weekly too as it doesn't kill the mites eggs. I would consider spraying wherever you keep her and possibly any other birds and coops she may be in contact with as the others may have them too. Some mites only come out at night to feed on the birds. I use a headlamp so I have both of my hands free to inspect the birds after they roost. Good luck...

I can't find any of these products in Canada. Would either of these work?
https://www.amazon.ca/Farnam-Home-G...qid=1621730450&sprefix=bronco+,aps,623&sr=8-2

https://www.horsegearcanada.com/products/gh-power-shield

 

[Chickstarrs]

This is, without question, the BEST mite story I have read (had Northern Fowl mites, serious job to eliminate!). 8 of 9 wow!

Persistence is the key to elimination, I searched and the intervals I settled on were days 1, 7, 14 but I had to keep up treatments beyond that. I used spray Permethrin and powdered 95% sulfur (could not get powdered Permethrin and winter started so could not spray); my experience was I did the 1,7,14 cycle still had mites, I continued with the sulfur and eliminated the little bu**ers. It was a month or more of keep at it. Sulfur from your feed store, very cheap!

Where did you find the permethrin spray and what brand was it? The sulphur that I have found is only 92%. I got some from the feed store but it came in a baggie with a sticker on it "for garden use only". My son picked it up and did not ask concentration. They are closed today and tomorrow is a holiday so I will have to call the next day.