The blighters are back!

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I can't say how relieved I am to get some sunshine at long last.
The weekly clean out on one of my chook houses revealed the blasted red mite are back :twisted: :twisted:
I'm just glad I found it quickly - they definately weren't there last week. Be warned :!:
Has anyone else found them yet?
 
I haven't seen anything - although that's not to say they are not there, just in cold storage :roll: I'd have thought it was too cold for them still to be active at night on your birds... May is the real time when they start to multiply like mad.
 
i wiped under all the perches this week but saw nothing, there again all the houses were new in autumn and creosoted so hopefully it will stay clear for a while yet
 
I've also found red mite in my one hen house Hippie Chick,I discovered it because my eggs had small blood spots on them.I think they have come from the wild birds.
 
Yes Lydia, I think they 'blow in the wind'
We've had a couple of lovely warm days, and the house I found them in had redmite last year, so guess they were lying dormant. Pebbledashed the inside of the house with ecomite and will so every week until I can persuade hubby to take the roof off for a really good clean.
Last year I tried steaming the b-----s, creosoting the inside of the house, jeyes fluid, poultry sheild (Not all at once). never had any problems b4 2009. Guess I'm getting my share now. Anyway, the girls are all fine and starting to lay well now. Will keep a close eye.
:mrgreen:
 
They are a bugger aren't they,I found dettol(recomended by snifter)the best for getting rid of them in my hen house.I diluted it 50%,with water and it worked really well.much better than poultry shield that doesn't seem to touch them.
 
I swear by Dettol, using it once a week in the spring and summer, getting into all the corners and on the perches.

Also encourage earwigs. Give them a cosy corner in the hen house, under a bit of lino or something and when you clean out make sure you save a heap in a jar and put them back in the hen house. They eat red mite I was told and another poultry keeper swore by them. I had them in one of my hen houses and it was the only one not to get red mite. I've let them stay ever since.
 
I'd forgotten about the earwigs,the hen house that hasn't got them did have earwigs in.Not that I can find them anymore,assumed the chooks had eaten them for a midnight snack :D .
When I can find some again,will put them into all hen houses.We've had frosts most nights now for nearly a week,didn't expect red mite to stick themselves onto my chooks and start blood sucking yet :evil: .
 
Hi,

I am dreading a red mite attack!!!!

Having just thoroughly deep cleaned or should I say soaked the house with poultry shield, and dusted with DIATOM I am now wondering what to do next. Don't even know what I am looking for never mind if we have them. Also read Snifters thread about Dettol, so will try that. My OH wants a go at Jeyes fluid and we were advised to buy some Creosote or Creocote as it it now appears to be called when we visited Syston show at the weekend. Am even considering purchasing a stem cleaner- surely they can't live when blasted with a steam gun of over 100degrees??

Have read Tims blog on how to get rid of Red mite, which I have book-marked. Went out with a flashlight last night to have a peek, but all I can see is the dusting of Diatom, which is like an ash colour. How hard is it to spot these mites?? Our girls all seem well, lively, and laying lovely eggs?? cant bear the thought of their blood being sucked......This is really worrying me........

Sharron
 
Hi Sharron,

Try not to lose sleep over red mite. They are easily spotted (if you have them in your coop). They hide in any crack or crevice in the coop, particularly at the ends and under perches. If you can lift your perches out, the mites will be hiding underneath and appear as a cluster of tiny dark coloured dots. If you crush them with your nail ( :D ) red liquid (blood) comes out. They hate the light and hide away during the daytime then when it's dark they climb onto your birds for a feed.
I think their life cycle is approx 6 days, so it's important to treat your house weekly if you suspect an outbreak. (it's easier to prevent them them get rid of them)

My favourite treatment is diatom as the mites cannot survive if they come into contact with it and yet it is a natural non-toxic product. It can also be used directly on the birds and in their dustbath. I believe it is also possible to add it to their food to keep internal parasites at bay.

I'm always open to new ideas though - thanks for the dettol idea guys, and I'll send my two boys out earwig hunting!
 
I've got them too - well not personally. First time, and they were under the perch on Saturday. I've sprayed with something from the pet shop but still a few on the perch Sunday despite -5 overnight. I've ordered poultry shield and diatom and a pressure washer. Chickens are fine and laying still so hopefully it's not too bad yet. Wish I'd known about the dettol before ordering the poultry shield though.
 
Hi,

Thankyou for the reassurance. Hope this link works re red mite:-

http://poultrykeeperforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=394

I would also like to ask which item works best a pressure washer or steam cleaner ? Am undecided which to get-

Sharron
 
elmwood said:
I would also like to ask which item works best a pressure washer or steam cleaner ? Am undecided which to get-
Click to expand...

I've never used either. I've never needed to. I'd suggest not spending money on a steam cleaner or pressure washer at the present time.

If you use preventative methods, Diatom, dettol and other things people have tried and tested and keep a close eye on your hen house chances are you won't need one. I'd say it was overkill for one hen house. I used to get a good clean with a scrubbing brush, hot water with dettol added and then rinsing it out, letting it dry before using Diatom and other things like Vaseline on the perch ends and so on.

Tim has a fair few hen houses and I can understand using a pressure cleaner when having many houses to clean. But really, try not to panic now and just start with your good husbandry and keep up with it.

Also don't place your hen house under trees or too near them. Red mites travel from wild birds and so will climb down from trees to infest your hen house. Just simple things like that can save.

Also, a good coating (I only ever do this if I actually have an outbreak and it takes a good 10 days to air the house before I put birds back in) in old fashioned creosote will kill them all. Once a year is plenty and if I've had red mite, they haven't come back into those hen houses in the following couple of years either.
 
dawn said:
I've got them too - well not personally. First time, and they were under the perch on Saturday. I've sprayed with something from the pet shop but still a few on the perch Sunday despite -5 overnight. I've ordered poultry shield and diatom and a pressure washer. Chickens are fine and laying still so hopefully it's not too bad yet. Wish I'd known about the dettol before ordering the poultry shield though.
Click to expand...

I found Poultry Sheild to be useless and never use it now.

When using Dettol I find a sponge and a scrubbing brush all I need. Never used a pressure washer. If you let the dettol solution soak into the cracks and crevices with the sponge it does a great job.
 
Thankyou Snifter,

Can't really comment on the effctiveness of Poultry shield as yet, but what we now realise is that having used 2 litres (diluted), to thoroughly sanitise the house, we can't afford to keep that up!
We will definately be buying some Dettol and currently sourcing creosote. As for the location of house, wouldn't you just know it- its under some trees, on a sunken patio, where the birds have a bench and small pond...... Was becoming concerned about the amount of bird poo landing on the roof of the house.

Never realised just how much of a learning curve hen-keeping is proving to be, but very rewarding!

Great advice & common sense prevails- thankyou Sharron
 
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