Red (Black) mites

[RichmondHens]

Build a box shaped house out of exterior grade ply with a slightly sloping roof to let the rain run off. Fill the joints with silicone if you wish. Then creosote the lot internally. Make removable perches/slats which can be taken out at each clean.

While you may not avoid mite altogether, this gives them very few places to hide, so can easily be seen and dealt with when you do get them, therefore avoiding a major infestation.

[di]

Just wanted to report on a new product we're going to give a try(new to us but probably not new as such!)
It's called GET RID & is 100% organic~"consists of untreated microscopic algae which physically penetrates the outer layer of crawling insects causing them to wither & die...."Ha~ha!!!
Can't personally vouch for it's effectiveness but my friend that got it for me has been using it throughout the summer & is really impressed.I'm assuming it will work on lice too?
I think she said it's five ponds a tub...350g...and if you buy three you only pay £5 postage.She got it from Ebay.
I shall let you know what I think in a week or so.
Although,touch wood,since the creocoting I've not spotted any anyway.

[roitelet]

This may not be the conventional way of dealing with red mites but it has worked for me.

In France there is no spray available for red mite due to it's toxicity. On the advice of another grape I used hot vinegar and a hot air gun to first season and the fry the b******s. This worked up to a point but was rather long winded. Earlier this summer with little time to spare for the vinegar treatment and a bad infestation in desperation I sprayed with Raid for crawling insects. I let the house air well before letting the chooks back in.

At the next clean-out there were considerably less mites but I sprayed again. Just cleaned again and guess what NO MITES I know it's getting cooler and they are not such a problem but there are usually a few about.

Guess what I shall use from now on?

[colliebird]

I had a very bad infestation of red mite. Cleaned out the coop, sprayed it with Poultry Shielf. When dry, I put new shavings on the floor and heavily sprinkled floor, nesting boxes with lots of diatamacous earth. (I use shredded paper that can be changed every couple of days in nest boxes).
The perch is washed and scrubbed every day and sprayed with Strike Back. No more mites seen.

[mr darcy]

http://www.calciappro.fr/documents/F...3_Screen.jpg?0
LES PARASITES EXTERNES DES POULES (POUX: insectes et acariens)

hi there! god I didn't even know about these little blighters!
the first link i've given might be interesting for roitelet (it means little king no?!) it's also a non chemical way of treating red mites.
The second link is some gruesome photos for those of you who want to see the beasts close up!!! yukk, you need a strong stomach, and i'm off to ispect my girls house asap!
have just checked links, the first one only gives a photo of product but if you google name roitelet, it will come up, it's bicarbonate of silicone

[colliebird]

Those flippin' mites

From the minute I sprinkled the diatamaceous earth all over the deep litter (shavings), in the nest boxes and on the hens, I haven't seen a red mite anywhere.
They disappeared within just a couple of days, and my coop was really badly infested.
I also slightly dampen their perch and sprinkle it on there as well.

It is non toxic (even if they eat it ).

I also use it on my dogs as a flea deterrent. A darned sight less toxic than
the stuff they have to swallow or have sprayed on them.

[mr darcy]

what is the product?

[Suechooks]

what is the product?

One of the trade names for it is DIATOM

[Hashette]

Do people reckon it's okay to not spray the coop with poultry shield this week? We've had snow on the ground for 10 days or so, and I did it last week.

I don't want to leave them cold and damp (although obviously don't want red mite either). What do folks reckon?

[Suechooks]

I haven't done mine either - I've added Diatom to the dust bath area and sprinkled it in the coops too. No sign of anything yesterday.

[Hashette]

Thanks Sue, I'll just give them a quick change of bedding then. The girls will be happier too - normally when I do it I have to shut them out of the run while the coop dries out. Even though I put their food and water outside for them, and do it in the afternoon after everyone's laid, a small picket line forms outside the door!

[Liza]

The subject of the dreaded mites is also on the thread "Hen house cleaning regime"

I've had my chooks since last September and never had mites until this past 10 days. I had been bitten many times and although I deflea my dogs regularly, I thought it was fleas. Mistake! I found literally clusters of thousands of mites on my hens perch. I've been scrubbing the perches every day since and spraying them with flea/insect spray, and the following morning I find them all dead.
Tomorrow morning I've got someone coming to help completely clear, spray, and dis-infest the coop. I've been using deep litter that is only changed every few months (poos taken out regularly though). I'm now wearing a plastic shower cap and an old
cotton coat when I go in the coop because the mites were getting in my hair, and it's
giving me the screaming pieackers!
The coop will be emptied, sprayed with Poultry Shield then sprayed everywhere with StrikeBack, only newspapers put on the floor and the place dusted with Diatom. I'm now so paranoiac about mites, I'm undressing in the utility room and putting the clothes in the washing machine immediately. I've been finding the mites on the shower cap so that goes in the machine as well.
I've just resprayed the perch with insecticide.
Does anyone with an Omelet chicken house also have red mites?

Can you post pics of you in your stunning outfit

After reading this thread I could do with a laugh

[potty]

have you tried stalosan f, i use it on my coop. its a dry powder dissinfectant you spread on the floor, the chooks do the rest with there feet. kills vertually everthing and is animal safe.also reduces amonia hop this helps,all the best

[jessmorris]

For mites use a Permethrin based disinfectant all over the house, especially in the crevices. You use Frontline on the birds themselves, between their shoulders, the amount determined by their weight (and you can't eat the eggs I think). Get on top of the mites now as their life cycle is only 7 days! I had an explosion of mites last year and lost two hens to them. Once the infestation is gone, use a diatomaceous powder to dust the house. This is harmless to the birds but will cut the mites to pieces. It won't deal with a heavy infestation though. Check your birds vents also for northern fowl mite - these live on the bird and for these you need flea powder or anything Permethrin based. Mites are a bugger! Red mites look dark red and shiny when full of blood. Northen fowl mites are dark grey and move FAST!.
Good luck!

[jessmorris]

You can buy this stuff for £28 for 25kg if you look hard enough on the web...we are being ripped off by a lot of places.......................