Chicken mite infestation that's infested us too!

[Anonymous]

Hello, I hope someone can help with my slightly embarrassing personal issue!
I found a mite infestation in my main hen house last week and took immediate remedial action - cleaned house, checked birds over and am doing so again regularly. However I (foolishly?) put the contaminated bedding in our green composting bin for collection, and a week on it is CRAWLING with them. Everytime anyone goes past they get covered in them, and the cat keeps bringing them in too. Then - horror of horrors - I have now found the kitchen covered in them, they had infested the water filter. I am now at a loss. Has anyone else experienced this?

I think they are spider mites, they are definitely blood suckers, and they don't seem to suck us, or the cat as far as I can see. What can I do? Could I have misidentified the critters? I presumed that without a host, ie the girls, to suck on they wouldn't be able to survive?

Thanks in advance, I am itching as I write!
Jacqui

 

[foxy]

Sounds like redmite, not spider mite...little grey slow-moving specks and red when they have had a feed. All bedding should be destroyed, burn if you can. Use a specific agent which kills redmite, they are a few available Poultry Shield.Smite, Duramitex Plus are a few of them, creosote is very effective too.

Dust the nest box and dustbath with diatom powder (diatomaceous earth a natural product which dessicates the mite) which should also help. You will have repeat the treatment at least a week later.

Make sure you take the henhouse apart and spray all nooks and crannies where the redmite tend to colonise, good luck and stick with it, redmite are awful things which can easily kill a hen by causing aneamia and immunsupression.

 

[ncotb]

Blowtorch is good for the chook house too (they pop when you get them). Diatomaceus earth is great. Flea spray the cat, ant powder & fly spray in the house can help too. Hope you get them all! But do repeat treatment in the chook house after 7 days to break the egg/mite cycle.

 

[Anonymous]

Sounds really nasty. I would throw all the compost material away as well, and spray the composter container. As for the kitchen, I would disenfect everything with a strong bleach cleaner...

 

[Anonymous]

Thank you all - I will try everything suggested, particularly looking forward to the blow torch option!
And yes - from your descriptions I think they must be red mites.
Thank you again for the ideas, I really appreciate it and feel somewhat less dispirited!
Jacqui

 

[foxy]

Everyone here will probably know what you are going through, I find it incredible that such a miniscle dot can cause such havoc! Keep with it, you will eventually get rid of them x