Tried that garlic powder trick for mites and ate my words

My neighbor swore by mixing garlic powder into their feed and I thought she was crazy... but after a mild mite outbreak last August I gave it a shot. Cleared up in about 10 days without any chemicals. Anyone else had luck with kitchen pantry fixes?

3 comments

3 Comments

xenar141mo ago

Used to brush off stuff like that as old wives tales honestly. But heard enough people swear by it and tried it myself last fall during a bad feather mite thing. Mixed a little garlic powder into their water for about a week and a half, and the scratching pretty much stopped. Still not sure I'd use it for a full blown infestation but for early signs it's been solid for me.

faithbaker1mo ago

Garlic powder in the water huh. Never tried that myself, always heard it was more of a myth. Might give it a shot next time my girls start looking itchy, beats pulling out the big sprays for sure.

ninasanchez26d ago

honestly I gotta agree with @xenar14 on this one, it's not a magic cure but it works way better than people give it credit for. I've used garlic powder in the water for my flock a couple times now when I saw them scratching more than usual and it honestly calmed things down within a week. Ngl I was skeptical at first too because it sounds like one of those backyard chicken blogs that just recommend random stuff. But the thing is garlic has natural antiparasitic properties that actually do something, it's not just a placebo for the birds. The only downside is your eggs might have a slight garlic taste if you use too much, so I'd keep it moderate. Still better than dumping harsh chemicals on them for a minor itch though.