If you have ash from a wood burning stove such a we do, you can also provide your yard birds access to this ash, it will allow them to bathe at their convenience, with several added benefits, one being free. We have a fire pit in our yard with fresh ash in it year round just for this purpose. The ash will also improve the quality and duration of egg production, it will also help reduce the smell of your yard birds droppings!😊 We burn Oak as it produces less creosote in our chimney, if anyone wants to know which wood we use.
When applying food-grade diatomaceous earth, it's very important to wear a dust mask to avoid inhaling too much or any of the dust. The dust can irritate the mucous membranes of the nose & mouth. Once the dust settles, it will not cause problems.
You could also paint the inside of the coop with milk paint or a lime wash as a preventative. Elector psp is an amazing fix if you have an infestation.
I had an outbreak of northern fowl mite and didn't know it until my rooster got sick and died. I still don't know know what came first, the sickness or the mites. I found out that northern fowl mites live on birds 24/7 -- they don't live in the coop like other mites and just attack the chickens at night. These nasty little monsters are not always adversely affected by diatomaceous earth which I already had in my coop and in every dust bath. A study was done to find out what did kill them, or at least cause them to get lost forever, and that is sulphur powder. I've been using it ever since, puffed inside the coop and in all the dust baths with excellent results. Put it where they will come into direct contact with it (it does not hurt or damage the health of chickens).
You may try placing double sided stickying tape at the end of perch, as mites and lice cross sticky tape to get to 🐔 they become stuck onto the tape 🪦 RIP 🪲.
Can we spray the coop just to spray, to prevent mites? Instead of waiting until they actually have them? Also the powder stuff you used. Can I throw some in the bottom of my coop just as a preventative? It won't hurt the chickens if they try to eat it?
