RichmondHens wrote:Have you dusted the birds themselves with DE? It is worth slathering them thoroughly from head to toe rubbing well into the skin then even if there are a few residual mites in the housing and they make it onto the bird they will be put off by the DE on the bird itself.
If you don't mind your eggs getting garlicky then a few crushed cloves in the drinking water will also act as a general insect repellent.
I have been dusting the birds with the DE, mainly under the wings and around their back end as I didn't want them to breathe too much of it in. I have bought some garlic powder which I have been stirring into the water. Thanks for the tips RichmondHens, it confirms I am doing the right things.
Minorcafan wrote:I get my DE from EBay,
Do you have an eBay seller that you recommend Minorcafan? There are quite a lot on there and it is difficult to tell who is selling a reputable product and who isn't so recommendations would be welcome.
[quote="bigyetiman"]The problem with rats is they can get under somewhere and they breed rapidly, and eat the hens food, chew holes. Plus the diseases they can carry. Not something you want around, squirrels can be a pain to.
Thanks for the info on the rats bigyetiman. We also have squirrels nearby but they only come into the garden to steal our nuts and thankfully this is nowhere near the chickens.