Do you know what works better? Controlling red mites through drinking water or a supplement through the feed?

There are various products available that combat red mites in chickens in a natural way. For example, there is a nutritional supplement that you sprinkle over the food, but there is also a drinking water application. Which product do you choose if your chickens have red mites or to prevent red mites?

Purpose of both products is the same

Whether you opt for a drinking water application or powder for over food based on herbs and essential oils, both have basically the same purpose. The herbs in these products ensure that the blood becomes indigestible for red mites, so that the adult red mites can no longer reproduce. As a result, the population is getting smaller and the red mites remain manageable. Both applications have no negative effects on the health of the chickens. You can also continue to eat the eggs because these products do not affect the taste and quality (unlike chemical products).

However, the drinking water application is slightly more extensive and also has a restorative effect after a red mite infestation.

Choice depending on housing

Most of the chickens just get their standard chicken feed, with no supplementary feed and live in their coop. These chickens therefore only eat what they are presented with. However, rain can often enter the coop, causing puddles of water that chickens drink from, but usually they just drink the fresh water from the drinking tower. The powder for over the feed is more than suitable for these chickens. The chickens then receive enough of their portion of supplement daily through the feed for optimal effect.

Some chickens get only limited chicken feed in the coop and mainly live on leftover food from the owner. A drinking water application is more suitable for these chickens because there is a chance that the chickens will not get enough of the supplement over the chicken feed. The function will then not be optimal. But these chickens do use the drinking tower, which means they get the supplement in that way.

Finally, there is the group of chickens that roam around outside during the day and get some chicken feed. These chickens also drink water from puddles or from wet grass. These chickens would not get enough through food, but also not through drinking water. For this group, we therefore recommend using both applications so that the chicken gets the right amount.

Additional tips:

• Temporarily not replenished
  Are the chickens sporadically fed? Do not do this if there are red mites and you are treating them with the supplement for the food. Due to additional feeding, it is possible that the chickens do not get enough of the supplement and then the effect will not be optimal.
• Use oil to make the powder stick
  Does the powder sink to the bottom too much because it doesn’t stick to the chicken feed? Then mix it with a little olive oil so that the powder sticks to it.