Mite prevention

[crazyhorse]

Hi

I got my four hens last Sunday and so far, all is well.

I have a query about mite prevention. My hen house is brand new, so is the run. The hens are only in the run when we are not there, other times they have a large area to themselves. The hens are vaccinated and wormed to date. However, at the moment, I am using newspaper under the perches in the house and the newspaper is removed, replaced and discarded daily. I have barley straw in the nest boxes. I am intending to clean it properly (using a disinfectant) once a week. Is this all ok so far?

The query is, should I be using Poultry Shield to clean inside the house even though (hopefully) I don't have a red mite problem at the moment? And, should I be dusting my hens with red mite powder at all? As a preventative measure? And, if so, how often?

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks.
Lisa

 

[bex46]

My opinion is yes yes yes. Use poultry shield and dust your chickens as if you already have redmite. Once youve got them, you will never get rid of them. I also use a creosote substitute in my hen houses at least once a year. (not had a problem yet) Goodluck!

 

[Marigold]

I agree with Bex that you're OK until you actually get infested, but with care you can prevent this or quite a long time. If you are clear, the barley straw is OK in the coop, but be aware that if you do get an infestation the mites will colonise the hollow straw stems and thus go unnoticed for a while whilst breeding away happily. So as a preventative measure, maybe you might change to wood shavings which are just as comfortable for the hens and can be powdered as well.
Does your run have a roof, either solid or mesh? If you can keep wild birds out, it will help as a preventative measure, as they can deposit red mite on to your equipment if they land and shake themselves. I have a friend who had a really bad outbreak, her first, when a pigeon was found sitting in one of her runs and the place he was sitting on was subsequently found to be literally heaving with a pile of mites. I wait unil I think laying has finished, usually by lunchtime, and then let mine out, shutting the run door until time to get them back in. Of course I provide another drinker and feeder outside, which I take in at night.

 

[crazyhorse]

Hi

Thanks for the replies. The run is completely covered with mesh (it's about 6ft 4 high) so you can walk around in it. I am hoping to get some clear plastic sheets before the winter to put on the top to keep the rain out. There is a massive conifer tree from next door which is stopping the heavy summer rain from falling into the run. I have concrete slabs around the inside and outside perminters of the run which is useful to walk on and also, I hope something to stop the fox digging under.

We do have bird feeders and encourage wild birds but they are some distance from my 'hen area' which is a completely separate part of the garden. Every now and again I think I'll let the hens have a peck around the garden but they'll be supervised.

Lisa

How often would you dust the hens with the powder? I am going to order it today online.
I'll also swap to shavings as that's a good point about the barley straw.

 

[chrismahon]

In hottest weather red mite can reproduce 6 days from hatching Crazyhorse. So one lands and lays 100 eggs which feed, lay eggs and hatch which then becomes 10,000 just two weeks after the first landed potentially (and 1,000,000 shortly after that). The dust is probably effective for a week or so, so I would say dust every two to 4 weeks, depending on the weather.

Funny thing this year. The converted shed which was riddled with red mite last year and had two small areas of them locally sprayed early this year in that hot spell, has no further mite at all. I've been hunting for them and haven't seen any signs at all -amazing. The rest of the coops are creosoted.

 

[crazyhorse]

Thanks.

Lisa