This Facebook follower of mine had to have her hen put to sleep from a severe mite infestation that she had been trying to control with DE, aka: food grade diatomaceous earth, which failed to work, predictably. A dust bath should never include food grade diatomaceous earth nor any other additive! Good sanitation practices, frequent flock inspections and providing ample access to sand for dust bathing are sufficient preventative measures without exposing the chickens or humans to the ever-present exposure to a carcinogenic respiratory hazard. I NEVER use and do not recommend food grade diatomaceous earth for any purpose with chickens. It is not an effective insecticide and is hazardous to hen health as well as being a known carcinogen in humans. Never use food grade diatomaceous earth with chickens in any way. With its moist, rich blood supply, the vent area is a favorite feeding ground of mites. Red roost mites are active at night when they venture out to leech blood from chickens. Mites can be grey, dark brown or reddish in color and can often be seen along feather shafts and underneath roosts after dark. Red roost mites are partial to cracks and crevices in wood, roosts and inside nesting boxes. These tiny, eight-legged beasts can live both on the chicken and in the coop. Northern fowl mites and Red Roost Mites are two of the most common poultry mites. Poultry lice are NOT the same as human head lice and people cannot contract lice from chickens. The two most common categories of external parasites in chickens are mites and poultry lice. Some of the common signs of any type of mite or lice infestation in a chicken are: dirty-looking vent feathers, decreased activity or listlessness, a pale comb, changes in appetite, a drop in egg production, weight loss, feather-pulling, bald spots, redness or scabs on the skin, dull, ragged-looking feathers, crawling bugs on a chicken’s skin or nits on feathers. Dirty vent feathers demand a closer look.
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