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Hi,i bought 6 warrens @18 weeks old 7 weeks ago,the pen they were in for the first 4 weeks now has red mite,it was'nt there before,does red mite travel on the birds,also they have'nt started laying yet,does that mean they have mites and would a good spray of ***** help?cheers kev.
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Yes red mite will travel in on a bird so it is highly likely thatthey had it when the arrived..
All new arrivals to this house get a good spray with frontline and a worming regime before they leave "quarantine"
Spray the birds themselves with frontline - it has to be the spray version from the vets as the widely available spot on will not work on a hen as it will not travel around the system like a dog or cat (its all to do with oil glands!!!) The treat the coop as per normal, clean out, scrub with a good disinfectant, spray with a red mite spray, look in the red mite sticky post for how people have managed to clean the houses - some use a blow torch, sulpher candles etc - we use Smite - its a personal preference thing!
As for laying they are still only 25weeks which is actually still quite young to be laying. Also laying cycles are triggered by a hormone that is secreted from behind the eye, the level of light intensity and length of light tiggers the production of the hormone, also the ambient temperature will affect the metabolism of the bird diverting more energy to keeping warm that producing eggs - it is not uncommon at this time of year for your bird to not lay at all. Of course the extra load on the system from mites will not help but unless they are plastered in them it will not have a significant effect on the egg production.
I would plan for eggs from the spring onwards and any you get in the interim are a bonus! -
Cheers bramble,is the frontline the same as you use on your dog?.Comment
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unless you have a feed store that sells veterinary products, then you will need to speak to your vet and lie with impunity when you tell then that your "kitten" is riddled in fleas and you would like to buy some spray on frontline.
There is a poultry version, same size and costs around £50, whereas the kitten one (same active ingredient) is only around £20. However, Frontline isnt licensed for poultry (but the active ingredient is) so you have to tell them its for your "kitten"
Our vet always winks when we say we want it for the kitten. He knows, we know and we know he knows but as long as none of us say it he is happy!
Do not use the spot on as Jennie (my OH) says as it doesnt work on birds as they have a different system for transporting the ingredients around the body than cats or dogs. It has to be the direct application spray on one. But dog or cat version is fine as long as its the spray one.Last edited by Bramble-Poultry; 25-10-2009, 02:35 PM.Comment
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I bought some of the frontline for my dog, as he went hunting in the sand dumes and came out with a couple of ticks....would this be the same strength or is kitten version lesser?Originally posted by Bramble-Poultry View PostComment
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It will be fine - It is exceptionally hard to overdose them a couple of squirts, will be fine.
I buy the kitten one because its the cheapest - no other reason - with so many to treat cheap is best
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