How To Dust A Chicken
I knew that eventually I would want to dust my chickens for mites. My hens live in a chicken tractor, which is like a mobile chicken pen and coop. As I move it around the yard, it encounters areas which have been in contact with wild birds. The robins, for example, are running all over the yard this time of year.
If your chickens live in an enclosed pen, then you may never have to dust for mites. And yet, somehow the mites often seem to creep in! Watch your chickens for increased itchiness. Check the undersides of their perches for little black specs - bird mites love to lurk under the perch all day, then creep out at night to suck the blood of your sleeping birds. And although bird mites don't colonize people, a lot of chicken owners discover that their chickens have mites after their arms get covered in bites while cleaning out the coop. Gross!
A preventative measure against mites is food grade diatomaceous earth, which you can add to their bedding and their dust wallow (if they have a preferred spot). Be sure that the DE is food grade, since most DE isn't! I personally wasn't able to find food grade DE in my area. Diatomaceous earth causes microscopic scratches in the mites' exoskeletons, which causes them to dehydrate and dry. If your chickens have a dust bath, you can add the DE and let the chickens self-apply.
Another popular option is Sevin or permethrin dust. These two dusts are broad spectrum insecticides which are also sold for use in gardening and lawn care. The permethrin dust I purchased has a small amount of permethrin mixed into a large amount of diatomaceous earth, and I kind of suspect the DE may be doing all the heavy lifting! But no matter.
No one wants to bathe their pets in insecticide. But this is one of the few cases where I advocate the use of chemicals when necessary. If you have evidence of chicken lice or chicken mites, you need to treat it promptly and thoroughly. These blood suckers can literally kill your chickens if left untreated, not to mention transferring diseases from wild birds to your hens.
Now we get to the hard part! Actually it turned out not to be as difficult as I thought it would be. I pulled up a bucket and sat myself down in their chicken tractor. As each chicken wandered past, I started by shaking the dust into their hackles (the back of their neck). I then ruffled it into their feathers with my fingertips.
The next part was a little more difficult! Mites tend to prefer the vent and under-wing area. If you hold a chicken firmly upside down by its feet, it will flap for a little bit and then go limp. Work quickly, because being held upside down can compromise their ability to breathe! Give them a good shake of dust on the bottom and under each wing, then set them back on their feet.
Luckily, you don't have to do too much to get the dust worked in. Simply add some in the right spots, and the chickens will distribute it themselves as they ruffle their feathers and preen.
