Mites

Chris are you saying that because redmite can't survive in a creosoted coop, any that are around stay on the hens all the time?

I've read on another forum that limewash is also inhospitable to redmite - and has the advantage that the inside of the coop would be white. We've used limewash in the old dairy (now utility room/pantry) in the cottage because it helps keep flies away. Anyone had any experience of using it? Presumably there'd be the same problem of redmite on the hens.
 
I have heard limewash is effective Margaid, but not used it myself. It is an advantage to have a lighter interior in house and wood does darken over years.
 
Limewash flakes off wood because of the relative thermal movements. Only good for brick built houses. Used a lot in France as they have stone or brick coops.

Red mite we have seem to be living only on the hen(s) Margaid. We've tried Frontline which is better than Ivermectin in my opinion, certainly on Northern Mite, but it had no effect on Red mite at all! Am now gathering up a load of wood to burn on the fire. The ash will be added to their dust bath areas. This is also a French method, as all the chemicals we have available here are banned over there. Can't kill them all but will limit the numbers. We're trying to get rid of them before export, but I'm sure a few will survive! It only takes one.
 
it's a problem that most of us will suffer from at one time or another, like you i have had a infestation with mites this year and in the process of getting rid of the blighter's, they are so hard to get rid of and they are very hardy, i read that they can live away from their host for 6 months and still survive, horrible little things. i have just sprayed my coop with jeyes fluid and put some hawkers on the back of the chickens neck.
good luck.
 
Creosote it is then , and going by another of your posts Chris, I'd better get a move on and buy some.
 
Today we did the hen house again with Red Mite X and I found a load more of the little buggers dead on the floor this evening .. I have also dusted tonight with powder. I am dismayed though because I can't help feeling that the only solution to this may be to burn the house. Having soaked everything in sight today I found them crawling out from where a screw held two pieces of wood together! We also treated our girls today for Scaly Leg and although they don't really know us and didn't like being caught, once we had a secure grip on them they seemed to give in quite willingly to their treatment.

We also spent the whole day moving the girls to a different piece of paddock and reconstructed their run. Now in for a DVD and a beer .. Quite the day.
 
Utterly disheartened this morning. More live and dead red mite in the hen house. I spent all day washing it out yesterday and powdering it afterwards. The hens do not seem to have much of an appetite either which I am sure is because they are being affected by the mite. I was going to bathe them today but what is the point when the hen house is so full of mite that they will just climb back on them tonight.

I do not have the money for it but think I am going to have to search online today for a plastic hen house - at least then I am curing part of the problem.
 
cresote will do the trick. My friend had a major infestation a couple of years ago he even lost hens to it. He tried everything cleaning out every few days with a power wash he used everything poultry shield, smite, total mite kill. In the end they got some creosote five mins after treating with it millions climbed out of cracks and died it solved the problem and he has not had a reoccurrence since. His house came to bits totally so a couple of days of leaving it out in the air and the hens could go back in. I use lime wash every year that seems to be keep them at bay .
 
It has to be the genuine creosote though which can e difficult for some people to get - and it tends to come on 20 litre drums and supposed to be to professional users only although some firms sell it without asking questions.

This is about the best price I've found so far - we're a registered farm so it's not a problem buying it.

www.creosotesales.co.uk/shop/
 
We got some two years ago but OH friend has a farm so it was not a problem anyway. Thing is I ordered it for them and to be honest there was no checking up on the fact he had a farm. I know it comes in big quantities but for the peace of mind and the fact it will last ages its probably worth getting the 20L after all buying a new house would be much more expensive. You have to be careful when applying make sure you wear a mask and protective clothing.
 
On the point raised by Hectorshome about the mite hiding. I took a coop apart completely and even removed the cladding. My intention was to use the cladding for something else but, even after spraying before dismantling, the things were everywhere. In the grooves, behind all the joints, in the knot holes and in the screw holes behind the screws! Lit a bonfire and burned all the cladding as I took it off. Soaked all the framework in creosote and then re-clad it, treating again with creosote:paraffin mix. I think once you have them in a wooden coop spraying achieves nothing much. So the choice really is plastic or creosote. Having said that the Elector biocide we used two weeks ago appears to have wiped them out completely, but I know from experience that they will multiply from the few that are immune to it. If creosote is banned I believe the only choice is plastic coops.

The place I bought our creosote from does 25L or 205L drums, at the moment! I've done all our coops of various sizes with 50:50 mix -10 of them. Have used about 12 litres so far and one more coop to do. Would say an average 6 bird coop needs 1 litre neat (2 litres mixed). Pretty cheap for a years treatment, about £3.
 
I feel better today and have decided that a plastic coop is the way to go. I am going to phone Green Frog this morning and get one ordered. Meantime the girls and the cockerel have moved to a brick built stable on a temporary basis.

I really appreciate all the advice given to me but I think even if I did keep this old coop AND I treated it with creosote if I managed to get some, I am going to be paranoid about them still finding a bit I have missed and returning.

Because of the red mite the girls seem to have a suppressed appetite so I may shortly be writing in about treats to stimulate their pallet again!
 
Good choice Hectorshome, I looked at Green Frog on my way to collect the 2nd hand Solway - the Green Frog has better ventilation and comes apart completely and easily for cleaning while the Solway doesn't, but I bought it in order to have a second coop available when needed.
 
i'm sure you'll be happy with a Green Frog, but be as careful as you can that the girls dont bring mites in on their feathers to start it off again. The mites will drop off the old coop if you try to move it, is it possible to burn it on the spot? and perhaps site the new coop somewhere different?
 
Marigold that is a very very good point which I hadn't considered. Yes it is possible to do exactly as you suggest. We have plenty of space here and are trying to use as little wood to rebuild their run each time as possible! Making the most of old gates and chicken wire.
 
Has anybody used a sulphur candle to kill the mites? I have a similar problem, one small wooden coop suddenly infested with red mites.
 
I use Sulphur candles in the greenhouse Roisin. I have no doubt they would kill red mite and anything else in there as well -vicious stuff that takes the skin off your throat if you breathe it in. If it gets into the wood the coop will be uninhabitable and it strips the plating off screws and fittings, so I have never used it in a coop.
 
Also, I could get frontline- spot on. Presume I use the stuff for cats (as they are smaller than dogs) and only use a tiny bit on each bird?
This Harkamectin (Ivermectin) for pigeons sounds better if I can find some....
 
We tried Frontline spray on a bird with red mite and it had no effect whatsoever. Ivermectin is cheaper and not as good as Frontline from what I've gathered.
 
I have a combination of large sheds/playhouses for my birds. With regard to redmite I use an insecticide which has a residual activity and I spray twice a year, spring and early autumn. In between sprays I just use a diatom slurry.

When you actually have an infestation they are very hard to eradicate, and generally need something a bit stronger that relying on Poultry shield or Diatom powder.

Frontline is effective, however with redmite this will not reduce the colonies which reside in all the nooks and crannies of an henhouse and even feeders and drinkers.

There are some very good products here from organic to very effective pyrethroid based products

http://www.chickenvet.co.uk/shop/products/index.aspx/category/mitelice-treatments-7
 
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