Hen Mites: Do you dust your hens enough?

I’ve found most information on hen mites talks about dusting your chickens after you’ve found a lice or red mite investation.

Personally I prefer the “prevention is better than cure” route, so we dust our girls every six weeks. Routinely dusting your hens is labour intensive however its essential for their health and happiness.

Some hints and tips when dusting:

• Don’t wear your Sunday best as you will end up wearing almost as much dust as the girls!
• After you’ve dusted the first couple of hens for the mite, the rest of the flock will cotton on to what’s about to happen and run for cover. So, if there is a spare pair of hands available, don’t be proud, ask for help. Also, if you have a spacious run get them corralled into a corner first. This will save your time, temper and pride.
• Keeping their coop tidy and free from a build up of their waste will also help keep parasites down, along with regular bedding changes and scrubbing of the hen house. When you dust the hens, throw some extra dust into their bedding and any area where they scratch and dust bath.

We make our lives easier by mixing both “Barrier” red mite and louse powder together and then dust the girls with the mixture as per the instructions on your mite powder.