Creosote and Red Mite - What do I do next?

Hi Icemaiden,

The skin on the underside of hen's feet is quite soft so the creosote could actually burn their skin. It's also possible that it would be absorbed through the skin with probable detrimental effects on their health. creosoting the ends of the perches should mean that the redmite (if any have survived creosoting the coop) won't move along the perch to reach the hens. Creosote would almost certainly be absorbed inot the eggs as the shells are porous. I'm fitting the plastic Chick Box (external version) wherever I can. Unless the house is a really big shed it needs to be left for a few weeks for the smell to go before putting hens in

Don't know where you can buy small quantities of creosote as it is only supposed to be sold to "professional users". We're a registered farm so have no problem getting it - in 25 litre drums. I haven't had to buy any yet as I found two 5 litre containers in one of the outhouses.

At the moment my hens are still with my friend's flock, and she uses shavings. I'm going to try shredded cardboard first - there are a couple of different types but apparently there's not much to choose between them. There is a review on the main website. When our building work is finished and the caravan is replaced with a wooden building, a section will be for poultry keeping stuff - feed and bedding so I should be able to think about bulk buying. Anything other than shavings are expensive to buy as single bales.
 
I use creosote everywhere, paying particular attention to the perches as the mite will colonise the underside of the if the surface has any blemishes. I also pay particular attention to the ends. Once it has soaked in, it has never had a bad effect on the feet. Even the real stuff is not as strong as it used to be as it used to burn my hands. Now it doesn't.
The smaller amounts on sale seem to be creocote which is sold in the DIY superstores.
 
My OH creosotes the perches etc every year & like Chuck we havent had any problems. Doesnt burn my skin either.
 
if your worried about amy tpye of dust then i would suggest using paper bedding i didnt think i would like it but i just love using it theres not one bit of dust at all , i had my horses on it but it was working out pretty expensive at £30-£40 per week as i can only get it from one place and thats £10 a bale so i put my horses back on aubriose and the dust was everywhere which isnt good as my horse as allgeric bronchitis so hopfully today i will put him back on paper { annoy the hell out of someone on my yard but i dont care } but my other pony i will keep on aubriose as hes small and dosent mess much an also the chickens will go back on it yes it does blow everywhere in the run as the chickens love chucking it out the house but its not that bad really as it can be raked up every easily i have used all tpyes of bedding for the horses as this is the only one that it dust free, i tried the cardboard chips for the chickens and i didnt get on with it at all besides theres so many places for the mites to hide inside the cardboard .
 
If the perches are creosoted it's likely to come off on the hens feet when they roost, through close contact when they grip, and apart from making them messy the toxic chemicals may be absorbed through the bare skin. On other parts of the coop the hens don't actually touch the wood, or only fleetingly. Nestboxes will be protected by bedding from direct contact with hens or eggs.
I'm asthmatic and find either dust-extracted wood shavings or Aubiose is fine for me, or newspaper on the floor, so presumably also for the hens, who are sensitive to dusty bedding when shut up in there all night.
Don't know about the creosote, but I believe the genuine stuff is only sold to farmers who would want a large amount. Personally, given the choice, for a small domestic flock not needing a shed, I would never contemplate using a wooden coop, partly for this reason!
 
As a seasoned user of creosote, I can say that creosote is not messy when dry and does not have any adverse effect on the birds. There are in my opinion, more noxious substances used without much thought going into what might be the long term effects.
However, we all make our own choices.
 
I think you have said somewhere that you have spare perches Chuck. How long do you leave the creosoted perches to dry before using them? I will be using "new" timber, ie timber that has not had a coat of some sort of preservative. The bits of the coop that have been previously preserved don't dry very quickly - although it probably isn't the best time of year to coat with creosote.
 
I re-do them any time between clean outs Margaid. My pens are deep litter and only get cleaned out once in three months. So they get done when I've got the energy after cleaning out the pens ! If the weather is warm, it only takes a couple of days for it to dry but it does depend on the wood and how well it soaks in.
 
Sorry for the stupid question, but as I haven't got my hens yet, I don't know...
Is it OK to creosote the underside of my removeable wooden perches, to stop mites from lurking underneath them, & to creosote the rest of the coop (but not the nest box except its roof), & to use Total Mite Kill on the rest?
Should I creosote the outside of the coop & nestbox?

If I do it in the next few weeks, there'll be plenty of time for the smell to wear off, as I'm not expecting to get my hens until the new year. Will that be OK?

Icemaiden
 
You can use it everywhere, inside nest boxes and all sides of the perches and the whole of the outside too as it's a good preservative.
 
I agree, just paint it everywhere, mix a bit of diesel in and it dries quicker, nohing will be living after that, then do it every year. I do mine in the summer when the forecast is good for a few days, I get filthy looks off the girls when I seal the pop hole up, they must think....Oh no,.... not the garage tonight!
 
I avoid the nest boxes because of the fumes given off in Summer when they are in there laying. I also avoid the perches where they actually roost, just do the ends. The bedding prevents their feet from contacting the creosoted floor. We leave the coop airing for two weeks at least.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Back
Top