CallyChook Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 Oh no!! I've spent all summer battling hard against the dreaded red mite. Due to financial constraints I simply can't afford the initial outlay for nice shiny plastic style coopage for my gorgeous birdies, and having a wooden coop for my big birds and a big wooden shed for my bantams I ;ve had major struggles keeping the number of the little blighters below "infestation" levels. Well for two weeks on a row, I have been a very Very bad mummy and not checked my chooks over. I've been signed off work for 4 weeks with depression and just have been so listless and tired that even my chooks haven't spurred me into cheerfulness. I've cleaned the coops weekly and fed and watered daily but that has been it. So today, I was washing up and feeling a little bit brighter for a change, not so snoozy or impassive about life despite the grey clouds outside. I thought to myself, hey, I feel up to it, so how about going and powdering the birdies and checking them all over before the rain starts. I went out and the first bird I picked up had a little scurrying critter *cringe* on it's crest-skin. I quickly doused him in diatom and also the powder in the pink and yellow tin (looks like poultry spice!) and put him down feeling I had done a good job. Lo and behold though, the next fella that I managed to grab was teeming in horrors! Not much on the majority of his body but HUGE crustiness by his vent, nasty grey ashy feather yuck and crusty flaking skin. Tiny little critters, smaller than the lice I've dealt with before. I actually vomited as I wasnt wearing gloves and the thought of touching the horrid yackies really turned my tummy. Poor poor Snape (the silver laced poland bantam in question) I have been such a bad mummy for not checking them more often!! I checked the advice on here but only had buzz busters powder and Smite for the houses which I have been using anyways, and diatom and powder for the birds available in the house. I've bathed him in the only thing I have available (Johnson's baby shampoo) which resulted in all the sludge coming straight away from the feathers - something that wouldnt happen with normal lice either. Also all the crusty skin has come away too which I hope has provided some instant relief. I have so many chooks, about 45, that I didnt manage to get through all of them today. I've found a huge infestation on Dirty Gurty the mongrel poland, who has also had a bath; Celeste the white orpington who is normally grey with mud but was grey with critters; Mina the silkie has had a bath and so have Domino and Blondie my wonky poland bantams. I managed to dust another six or seven birds but then the rain had really started and there didnt seem any way of dusting soaking birds as the powder wouldnt get to the base of the feathers but stuck on the tips. Here's hoping over the next day I can get any more seriously infested chooks and then dust the others ASAP. I've been using frontline for cats spot on as advised by my vet, but it doesnt seem to have worked at all. I also have noticed a few scales up on two birds legs! So have ordered the all-hailed ivormec eprinex online tonight and am hoping it arrives as soon as poss. Anyone who has had a bad NFM infestation - what worked for you in the end? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chicken bark Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 Sounds like you are still having a tough time. It is easy to let things slip a bit when you are not in the right frame of mind. I've not experienced northern fowl mite so cannot offer any advice but it sounds to me as though you are doing the right thing and were doing the right sorts of things to prevent it. Hope you get on top of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 One of my chooks got NFM at The National show last year and bought it back with him Sadly it did take months to eradicate completely I knocked it back quickly with Johnsons mite and lice spray and dog flea shampoo and have used Eprinex ever since The Buzz Busters powder that you have is probably the best thing you have available to you as it contains the ingredients that will kill NFM. bathing (as you've done) will give the worst affected a better chance (dust them when they have dried and before they go back out to the others) Sadly NFM can make birds very weak so a good tonic may be an idea to help them back to full health again If you are still having problems with red mite read up on Ficam W, its pretty heavy duty stuff but ideal for sheds and has a residual action If its any consolation the worst problem I've had with red mites (and one that persistently reoccurs) is in an Eglu Good luck with it all - Once you are on top of things again it will be easier to maintain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 Mine picked up NFM a couple of years back, luckily I caught it early. I bathed them in a mild solution of Total Mite Kill Concentrate* (which contains permethrin), then sprayed with a spray containing the same chemical and repeated my quarterly dose of Ivomec Eprinex* despite having done it just 6 weeks previously. After 2 weeks of treating every third day, the mites were gone - persistence will definitely help Oh, and be sure to treat the housing too and add a goodly wodge of Buz Busters powder to the nest box. *not licensed for use on poultry in the UK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CallyChook Posted October 13, 2011 Author Share Posted October 13, 2011 good grief dogmother.... 44 chickens every three days... i dont think i will manage, tooke me all day sunday to give only 7 of them a proper bath and hairdry!! eprinex has arrived hubby is just feeding the children then as soon as the baby will allow, we're off out with syringes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeckyBeak Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 Sorry to hear about the NFM, some of my heavy feathered chooks (Orps., Brahmas and Wyandottes) had some of these little blighters,earlier in the year. Like Redwing we shampooed the worst ones with dog flea powder, sprayed them with Johnsons anti mite spray, and used Ivermectin spot on, then repeated the shampoo and spraying after a week. I wasn't able to get the Ivomec Eprinex on-line without prescription, so would be interested to know where you got it from should I need it in the future? Do check your girls again, after a couple more weeks, I have found that it is usually the heavily feathered girls that are most affected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolly Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 Sorry to hear about all your troubles. Ivomec Eprinex worked for me, had to get it from the vets as it's a prescription medication. Good luck and I hope it all works out for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craftyhunnypie Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 Sorry to hear about your NFM's. I agree about eglus being awful for getting mites in too, no matter how clean you keep them. If you have a spell of nice weather, they seem to appear under the hood of the eglus where the hood meets the grey base! Cleaning & powdering does the trick eventually. We've even found cheap talc keeps them down too - dries them out nicely! Hubby also had them in his chicken shed in the summer. He now swears by his steamer gadget he has - they just 'pop'. Can your OH help you a bit more with the chooks? Or get a young person to do them for you, for a little bit of pocket money? Don't beat yourself up about it, every chicken owner will experience mites & every animal comes with its pit falls. Emma.x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
