Oh boy, we are back to this again. Don’t get me wrong, this is powerful stuff, these lessons a’learnin’. It is a very good topic, worth lots of speaking about, links to other topics that discuss medications and how they work and so on. So let's go. I have to firstly say I am not a believer in Eprinex. I used to, yes, and I used Exprinex in the past. And I wonder sometimes if I was underdosing my birds. I don't know. but what I do know. Eprinex did not have any effect on the northern mite that I had at our farm. I have never had lice on the farm, so cannot speak to that. Period. It did not work for me. and I received a bird that I did not realize was loaded with mites from someone, that remains private, and that person had always used eprinex for control. Try as hard as they could to eradicate any mites present, it clearly did not work for her too, maybe she too was underdosing. I know a strict regimen was at that farm too. I do not believe in the drug eprinex and will never use it again, because of that reason.
When I had a horrid mite infestation that would blow your mind, in the fall of 2012 I used frontline. It worked. The mites were mostly eradicated. I ran out of frontline and resorted to ivomec pour on for cattle. Same dosage. .5 cc in a eye dropper on the neck. In the spring I checked my chickens. Not one bird had mites. I have done the dusting, and I also think that that is a very effective method for fast kill too. The method for dusting I have employed was simple. So guess I use both, dusting and liquid product -- but now things are under control, I believe, I think I will not require to dust birds again. I checked my chickens this fall. Not one bird had mites. As I said though, I do not have lice. I treated them all with ivomec regardless. I don’t ever want to see that pest again in my chickens.
There is still not one single bit of evidence that there are any mites present. When a bird has mites, be that red or northern mite, there is usually signs of distress. Like a bird not well, listless, if no physical signs of any illness, I would certainly expect mites (or lice). Again, I do not have chicken lice here, never ever once seen one in all the bums and bodies I have inspected. Not one of my birds has any mite clusters on the feathers, there is no rough or scaley or damaged looking skin, which the northern mite can cause. I have seen that appearance of chickens' vental areas when the mites are present, and it looks like they are very agitated and sore, the skin is reddish off colour, and has crusties. The mites irritate the skin terribly and I think it would be somewhat painful when the load is heavy. Sigh. I hope never to deal with northern mite again. I can honestly say, using frontline originally and continuing use with ivomec pour on has and will be my saviour from this dread.
Mites can come from anywhere. Birds of the wild that fly into the yard, is a good example. We must keep on top of knowing if the mite (or lice, but I think chicken lice are host specific, only in the poultry world, not other species of wild, but not sure about that, cause so few dealings with that). Back on the coast, yes, we dealt with chicken lice, absolutely no northern mite, that I knew of.
I don’t doubt for a minute that the no pest strip works in smaller areas. I do not have small, closed in coops. There is lots of areas in the soffit where air escapes and the coops are very roomy. So I think far too many pest strips would be required for my main coop. The smaller coop, maybe, but I might need two. They are expensive, and I find the pour on ivomec cattle stuff works very effectively. I at one time did have the no pest strips, but found them not cost effective for my liking.
I do know that I helped out a friend that has a mite and louse problem and I dust bathed with the poultry lice duster and ivomec. The birds were with me for about 3 weeks and there was no recurrence of the lice or mite at our farm when they left. I checked deeply.
If you have a big mite infestation, you will see the eggs. The eggs and mites live in big huge clusters of thousands of mites along the feather shaft below the vent. Behind and upwards of the back legs. You will see it. The feathers look dirty and if you pull off a feather that is infested, you will see millions of mites all clustered along that feather. Guess that is where they live and breed, and travel then off that cluster to go and suck the living daylights out of the bird. I guess. Not sure, but when I had that horrid infestation, that is what I saw and it rocked me to my very soul that this could have gotten so bad and so out of control so quickly. That would have been early September of last year. I will never forget my horror of what I saw and will never again be in a position to experience this. Because I keep on top of the mite situation, and yes, I check many birds every few weeks to see if I see even one. I ALWAYS look to the feathers well below the vent as well. That is where the mites, if they are northern mite, will live. If they are red mite, they will feed on the bird and then leave to roost in the other areas not on the roost.
Chicory Farm has a great thread on her dealings with the red mite. Hers was not the northern mite. It was the red mite and she was on a huge program that took some time. But she eventually eradicated that pest in her henhouses. She has a good number of smaller coops and there was only one or two affected. I will see if I can find her post.
But I suspect it is the northern mite. Much more simple to deal with, as the mite lives on the bird. Sounds like I am a professional at mite eradication. I am. Truly believe I am
Yes, so bringing some pictures to this thread of what a feather looks like when it has a massive infestation of millions of mites and those egg clusters. This is shocking and I am not afraid to kiss and tell. I had horrid mite issues, that would leave ya cryin’ in your hands. Hope that you get this under control, anyone that has mite issues. Check your birds ventral areas, under the wings and neck (and yes I guess the pom poms too on the top of the head ). Have a most wonderful day, CynthiaM.
This is a feather that I had pulled off. There were about 6 feathers in total that had infestation like this, on this particular bird. It is embarrassing, to think things had got this out of control. But, I need to share, and so I bow my head as I put on a picture for all to see. To learn a lesson, to understand how awful these can get out of control, so quickly. This is probably the WORST CASE scenario that could be, but it can happen before you even blink the eye. Enlarge the photo and you get a really good picture of what was going on. Any feather that had any display of the mite clusters was removed. This helped to make it much easier to deal with smaller numbers of the pest.
There have been some wonderful threads on northern fowl mite. Please do a search for “mite”, if you do “northern mite” all kinds of threads will come up with the word “northern”, use only “mite”.
This is the method that Chicory Farm used on her birds to eradicate the red mite – this is the post on the thread and her reply is #12 post. She used the dusting powder, on a strict regimen and it worked for her....
https://wcps.canadian-forum.com/t9189-lice-mites
Now, we dust. Regularly. With DE or wood ash, whatever's handy. Also did the whole flock with Ivomec in their water; withdrawal time 1 week. Good luck.
need a new scan machine for chickens:suspect: (Goodness, what am I saying there??). Some of my girls feel like they have been abused when I give a tickle on their necks so they will be filing paperwork for lawsuits after I've checked them out for mites and lice! jeepers, tired, might not be able to complete sentences now, maybe not even a lick of sense. 
. Not everyone would think that was a form of flattery but I find it just groovy, being as I also like Johnny Cash (especially Ghost Riders on the Storm) and cornish chickens. I have two roosters who I originally thought were roosterettes and they are both called Judy (buff orp and buff orp x partridge silkie). no real good explaination of how that came about but I try not to laugh when I go to see them. sensitive souls 
Very helpful though, photographs really say 1000 words. I really don't want to find that. dealing with hang over today, turned out not a good one for seek and destroy lice and mites. if they have them they will have to keep them at least one more day. 