Garden Store

[Mikey]

Just a thought to pass by you peeps. I've been thinking about getting a garden store and adapting it to make a chicken coop. They seem a lot cheaper than getting a proper coop.

Yes I know I could build one, but where is the fun in that. I'm a designer, I'm into transfer technology.

[Snadger]

Good thinking Mikey! Seems ideal to convert!

[Mikey]

I've had a couple of spare days recently to do some thinking!!! can't think why that could be.

Is it possible for red mite to find a home in a plastic environment, such as an eglu or similar alternative. Has anyone here had a problem with mites in a plastic coop?

[RichmondHens]

Red mite can get in anywhere. Although it's not as common in plastic housing, they can still infest it if cleaning/checking is not thorough enough.

[Mikey]

Thanks RH, I thought that would be the case. Does hosing down remove them?

[chris]

I'm sure high enough pressure would do, unless they are in some crevice- but then a quick poke of the finger would sort that I did read about red mite in the eglu's on the omlet forum - may be a good point of call?

Omlet Forums • View topic - Cube - red mite - a warning!

[RichmondHens]

Hosing down a plastic house would remove them, but I suspect not kill them, so you would need to ensure the house was then moved to a new site as they are determined little critters and if not killed will eventually find their way back to the house.

Unlike lice, which need the bird's body heat to survive, red mite can survive for long periods without feeding - there have been cases reported of them living for 8+ months in uninhabited henhouses.

[Mikey]

My dear OH has one of those steam cleaners, can I assume that if I steam clean the house every so often, it will kill any little bugs that might try and find a home in it?

I'm talking about a plastic home, rather than a wooden one.

[Mikey]

In my industry, bathrooms, you can get a product that is applied to glass that smooths out any imperfections in the surface. It basically eliminates limescale from building up on the glass. Could this also work on plastic I wonder, to stop the mites from finding a home.

I'm looking for a sterile environment you can see.

[RichmondHens]

I've never used a steam cleaner but I would think it would kill them as the steam is so hot. Never underestimate a red mite though ............

[Suechooks]

I once used a plastic cat carrier as a nest box after red mite infested the wooden box and the little b^££"*s got down the holes where the pegs join the top to the bottom! Needless to say it only lasted there 1 night! Cardboard boxes now!

[motherhen]

Redmite will get into any crevices, so felted roof's they love as they are pretty much out of reach, if the plastic is double skinned they will get in the void and breed like crazy!! they can travel 300 mts and live for 38 weeks minimum without feeding. Not sure about steam cleaner, it would only work if the heat gets directly onto them. I know some large houses use flame throwers ( sounds dangerous to me) if that really worked they wouldn't have to keep doing it.
Also for those that have removable pooh trays take it out and look underneath apparently they love it!!

[womble]

Steam cleaners don't work very well if it can't get into the tiny crevices. I tried it repeatedly on a wooden house and it make virtually no difference.

Wooden house, painted with creocote once a year. Red mite defeated.

[Mikey]

On a plastic coop where there are less places to hide, wouldn't this be easier. Looking through studies, I can find, they will survive in temperatures of between -20, and upto 52 degrees C. So surely steam cleaning would eradicate the problem.

[Hilary B]

If the steam actually gets to where the horrible little things hide, yes, but can you be sure it will? Also, some plastics won't take the heat very well. Adding a suitable cleaning product to the water for steaming (I'm thinking vinegar, which I'm sure I've heard will get rid of the little %$%&*&, so combined with steam......?)