Mites keep coming back! What to do?

[PalomaNova]

I have a constant mite issue...
We had mites before and I have firstly treated it naturally with soap/oil/water spray and it has helped perfectly. Also did dried tobacco for prevention.
However..
They keep reappearing and it's becoming a bigger issue...
2 months ago we completely pressure sprayed the coop, burnt the bedding, then sprayed with oil/soap again for 3-5 treatments every day. They were gone. Then reappeared again! I then bought DE and sprinkled thinly in the coop. Gone again. This was 3 weeks ago, and remains of DE stayed in the coop ever since. However now I noticed they are coming back again. I "painted" the coop with DE powder 2 days ago but it does not seem to go. I've seen one today on an egg (annoying little...)
Another thing is that a broody hen is sitting in there (6 days left) so i cannot do any major actions.

What am I doing wrong that they keep reapearing? So far I only didn't dare to dust de on the chickens themselves... But they free range and take regular dust baths everywhere apart from in their dust bin ...

The coop is wooden small chicken house lifted on "legs". I use wood shavings and hay for bedding/nest area.

 

[keeper 1960]

what kind of mites?some stay on the hens ,others leave and come back.i use wood ash in a big wood box, for them. if it gets out of control. dust them yourself. start there.

 

[Isaac 0]

A very good example of why DE shouldn’t be used in the poultry field, it’s infective.

Go to your nearest feed store and either pick up a Premtrin Based Livestock Spray or a Garden Poultry Dust. I prefer the spray. Just wait till they're on the roost and copiously mist/dust underneath their feathers with the spray, focusing near the vent and under the wings. Clean the coop as well, and spray/dust down the coop. Repeat in seven days.

For the broody, just lift her off the nest, move the eggs, dust/spray her down, clean and dust her nest, and set her back in.

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/gordons-permethrin-10-livestock-and-premise-spray-32-oz

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/y-tex-gardstar-garden-poultry-dust

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Sevin-5-Du...7fkgMDGLeACTgYXyXHBoCLdIQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

[PalomaNova]

A very good example of why DE shouldn’t be used in the poultry field, it’s infective.

Go to your nearest feed store and either pick up a Premtrin Based Livestock Spray or a Garden Poultry Dust. I prefer the spray. Just wait till they're on the roost and copiously mist/dust underneath their feathers with the spray, focusing near the vent and under the wings. Clean the coop as well, and spray/dust down the coop. Repeat in seven days.

For the broody, just lift her off the nest, move the eggs, dust/spray her down, clean and dust her nest, and set her back in.

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/gordons-permethrin-10-livestock-and-premise-spray-32-oz

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/y-tex-gardstar-garden-poultry-dust

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Sevin-5-Du...7fkgMDGLeACTgYXyXHBoCLdIQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

I must say this is the first time I hear this ...
All online research praises DE for its efficiency...
By using insecticide - can we still consume eggs?

 

[PalomaNova]

what kind of mites?some stay on the hens ,others leave and come back.i use wood ash in a big wood box, for them. if it gets out of control. dust them yourself. start there.

They are small black ones, I don't know how to describe otherwise.

 

[Isaac 0]

I must say this is the first time I hear this ...
All online research praises DE for its efficiency...
By using insecticide - can we still consume eggs?

There is no egg withdrawal for the products I listed.

 

[coach723]

DE is a myth that just won't go away, no matter how many time others post that it doesn't work. I have yet to read a thread where someone actually had a mite/lice/parasite problem that was cured with DE. It is recommended often as a 'preventative', but there really is no empirical evidence that it does anything. It's all anecdotal, kind of like saying if I leave a Hershey bar on my front porch and I never find a bear there then chocolate must keep them away. Twisted and imperfect logic. Permethrin will work. You will need to do at least three times at weekly intervals to get any eggs that continue to hatch.

 

[HollyWoozle]

As someone who has been through the motions with mites, including trying DE in the earlier days, permethrin is your best option. I have a real struggle with mites as our chickens are kept in a wooden barn with a dirt floor - it has many other benefits, including being spacious for them, but mites are hard to eradicate. The only thing that has given me any decent success is permethrin powder (especially on the perches) and permethrin spray on the chickens.

Good luck.

 

[Buckeye Amy]

What??? You mean the DE didn't work???
Use Permethrin spray. DE is snake oil.

 

[Folly's place]

We use permethrin spray or powder here, never DE. In the USA, permethrin and pyrethrum are both approved for use on chickens with no egg withdrawal.
Find out what's available and approved where you live!!!
Mites and lice both arrive with the wild birds who also love the chicken feed, so will reoccur at times too. We are dealing with this right now ourselves!
Swearing might help...
Spinosad is also approved for use in the USA, but is much more expensive, and apparently has poor shelf life. I've never used it because permethrin works fine here, and is very inexpensive.
Mary