Red Mite Infestation in Central Florida

[TheSunnySideYard]

Hi folks! I'm a chicken novice and I need your wisdom and advice!!!

I have RED MITES!

I am deeply worried about mites because I have been googling them and it seems like the one thing I keep seeing over and over is that they are impossible to get rid of and that they can be deadly to my flock. But since I can't wish this away, I'm here to do my best and, with your help, get rid of them! Here's what's going on...

The Setup:
I have a homemade coop that my husband and I put together out of heat-treated pallet wood and other wood from home depot. The roof is made of corrugated steel. the vents are made from hardware cloth, I have 3 vents, 2 on either side of the coop and one big one that takes up 1/4 of the floor at the back of the coop. I have an aluminum sheet lining the floor of the coop (see pics)

The hens sleep in the coop often all three of them try to cram into one of the nest boxes, and I take my rooster (Hei Hei) inside to sleep in my garage every night so that he doesn't wake the neighbors every morning.

The Flock:
I have 4 grown chickens (1 rooster, and 3 hens) they live in my little backyard coop/run area and I have 3 more chicks that I keep in a brooder in my living room.

The Issue:
As of a couple of days ago, I have confirmation that my rooster Hei Hei has mites, I saw them on his face. Whenever I pick him up to take him to the garage I am left with mites on my shirt and arms too. They are red, and sometimes dark grey or black, but mostly they're red. (That's the way I diagnosed them as red mites btw, otherwise, I'm not sure if they're even red mites.)

The mites are on the chickens, in the coop, and now they are... I'm embarrassed to say... IN MY BED It's because they were carried in by either me or my husband one night, and somehow they are now in my mattress and biting us...

Because I bring Hei Hei into my garage at night I'm afraid that I've given the mites access to infest my home and I have no clue how far they move from a bird...

What I've done so far:
1) I soaked the nest boxes in a mixture of 6 cups water, 3 cups oil, 2 tbsp Dawn
2) I removed the nest box pads and covered them in Diatomaceous Earth
3) I removed all the bedding and started to burn it all, but I couldn't get it all burned and it started to rain.., so now I don't know what to do with it. It's just sitting in the wheelbarrow and I have no clue where to put it.
4) I sprayed the entire coop+nest boxes with Neem oil
5) I covered the entire coop inside and around the outside in Diatomaceous Earth
6) I bought Dust On, which just came in the mail today... so I'll try that too.

So far, I have not noticed an improvement. The Diatomaceous Earth isn't killing the mites at all
I am seeing the mites on my washing machine now too and that's terrifying! Am I contaminating my entire house? What should I do? Luckily I don't have carpet, but what about all my clothes and bedding? I keep finding them on me and I am showering often! Multiple times a day!

Thank you for reading and taking the time to answer, I am VERY much in need of guidance. Please help

 

[nuthatched]

As you found out, Diotomatious Earth doesn't do a single thing, it's completely ineffective for parasites. The dust on is the best bet, you need permrethrine based products. Please wear a mask when cleaning out the d.e, it can hurt your lungs and your chickens lungs especially. Think of it as asbestos.
You might need to get a bug bomb for your house.

 

[Tookie]

Your most likely dealing with northern fowl mites, not red mites. Red mites live in the coop and come out at night to feed on the chickens. They're probably red from the chickens blood.
The mites should not infest your house, they can only live on birds.
Stop using the DE, it doesn't work and is harmful to the chickens when they breathe it in.
Rub the dust on stuff you have on the chickens, rub it into their skin.
You also want to get permethrin and spray down your coop with it.
Also you may want a bigger coop for them.

 

[TheSunnySideYard]

Thank you @Tookie and @nuthatched That's great to hear that they are most likely the Northern Fowl Mites, that relieves some fears. I plan to replace their coop with a much bigger one soon, just saving up for it.

Bug bombing is a good idea.