coop has mites or lice or something need help

[37 Caddy]

have a coop that is 8x14,have seen some sort of little bugs crawling around on the walls,very very tiny,about the size of the end of a pin,seem to be black or dark in color?.they get on me when i go in the coop and are driving me nuts,they seem to crawl around and possibly are biting too.i have cleaned the pen and spread the diamaticous earth around on the floor and put some in a hole they use to dust bathe outside,but it is raining today,they did not go out much,What else can i do to speed this up,should i use sevin dust.also what do i have mites or lice?,

 

[pony28]

Are chickens get mites in the winter and the drive me NUTS

do you have tiny bites all over your upper body? cause if you do those are mites. You can get rid of mites or lice with poultry dust. just flip the chicken upside down and dust them completely. But you must dust every inch of them

 

[37 Caddy]

They do seem to leave bite marks,not right away but after i have been in contact with the birds,feels like a bad LSD trip,you can feel your skin crawling but you cant see anything?.did try the DE dust and last nite i doused them with sevin dust,will have to wait and see if any improvement,i wonder how long it will take to see any improvement?It has been hot and humid here lately,am thinking that is a factor too. Harvey

 

[jhm47]

I'd do a thorough cleaning job on the coop. After that, I'd get some Tempo insecticide and spray it on the floor and walls and especially in any cracks/crevices that you can find. Tempo is quite safe, and lasts a long time. You might also keep any wild birds (sparrows, starlings, etc.) away from your birds, as they often carry parasites like lice and mites. Good luck!

 

[21hens-incharge]

The sevin dust should knock them for a loop within minutes. You can close the chickens in the run while you do a heavy cleaning of the coop. You can use the spray for bed bugs in the coop. I am putting a link to what I used when I had the infestation last year. It is not expensive and I saw no ill effects with the chickens.
Get the cracks and corners really well. If your roost is wood mounted to wood make sure to loosen the screws and get in between the wood pieces. This spray stopped them in their tracks.
I found it interesting that of the 5 coops I had here only the ones with external nest boxes had mites.
I have since torn them all down and built one new coop and made sure to seal every place a board touches a wall. No hiding places.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Sprayway-16-oz-Good-Night-Bed-Bug-and-Dust-Mite-Spray-SW003R/202742036

 

[37 Caddy]

Am seeing a bit of improvement in not getting so itchy when going in the coop,noticed some of them taking a bath in the DE i put in a hollow that they used for such,am going to douse them with Sevin dust again tomorrow,and will get some of the bed bug spray to spray the walls with.Coop is only 1 year old and is still in good shape inside,might try to seal up the cracks and crevices,but will wait until the fall when it cools off some.I have been using straw for bedding,would wood chips lessen the possibility of mites?also should i apply a bug repellent when i go in the coop.This has only started in the last week or so,was fine before that,my birds do free range out around the yard,there are wild birds here,but i have never seen them in the fenced in run.we have mostly robins and sparrows here, Thanks Harvey

 

[21hens-incharge]

I would make the switch away from the hay or straw as bedding. It can bring in nasty bugs. Yes you can apply deet if you feel the need for a few days. Yes to sealing up all the walls with caulk. I would paint it on the inside once the caulk is dry if you have not painted it yet. It will also help the caulk stay put.

I would not apply the sevin dust for about 7 days from when you first treated them.
You can also use wood ash in the dusting area. NOT charcoal from the grill. It has chemicals in it that are harmful. Straight up wood ash from a fireplace.
The DE is harmful to bees and chickens make quite a storm dustbathing,

 

[chickengeorgeto]

The first problem with DE is that these mites live in the cracks and crannies of your coop. Sevin also has the same limitation if your dealing with red mites. You will need to go on a search and destroy type mission to control Red Mites and treating the roost polls and coop with used motor oil to which some substance that kills mites has been added is about the only long term cure. Permithrean, Sevin, or powdered Sulphur are some agents that you can use. Really dob this mixture on and work it into the joints and cracks.

No drug culture jokes were intended.