Treating wooden perch to protect against redmite

[Wax_Crayon]

Hi all,

I'm soon to acquire some ex batteries and am preparing their retirement home.

I've been warned of the evils of red mite, so have bought a plastic coop (not Eglu). However, it doesn't have a perch inside (it does have nesting boxes), so I plan to make one myself.

I was thinking if I build in wood but treat it with a good covering, this might offer sufficient protection against red mite as there wouldn't be any open wood available to them. I'm thinking a thick lacquer or a robust gloss paint.

However, I'm mediocre at DIY and a chicken newbie, so I thought I'd ask your expert opinions.

Will my plan work?

If not, how should I build the perch?

 

[chrismahon]

Hello Wax_Crayon and welcome to the forum. Our perches are not painted at all. Red mite hide in gaps and cracks in wood, not on the wood itself. The accepted size is 2" square with rounded edges, but ours are 3" or 4" across x 2" deep which allows larger birds to rest more easily. I have filled some knot holes with epoxy adhesive and dipped the ends in creosote where they slot into the hangers, as all our perches are removable to give better access for cleaning out.

 

[Marigold]

Hi Wax Crayon, and welcome. Yes, Chris is right - the perches need to be easily removeable and scrubbable, and there is no need to paint or varnish them as if this should in time begin to flake off this will make places for redmite to hide. You just need to watch out for the nooks and crannies in the coop, eg where surfaces join, or parts are inserted such as the ends of perches into the sides. You can pre-treat such areas with diatomaceous earth, made into a paste and painted on, or just sprinkle redmite powder along the cracks and joins when you clean up. There is no need to spread it all over flat, open surfaces as the mites like nice dark corners to hide in during the day. In fact, too much powder can be harmful to the breathing, both for you and the hens, as it works by desiccating tissues, on the mites or in the lungs.
Just to say that many people, myself included, have never had redmite, (tempting fate saying that, aren't I? ) and if you start with a new, clean coop and are watchful for the early signs, you may escape it, or at least avoid bad infestations. One thing I feel has helped me is that my run is roofed and so no wild birds can get in and spread the mite off their feathers.
When are you getting your lucky girls? Several people on here have exbatts and you will find some threads about them that may interest you. I would think that if you plan for exbatts, the 2 in square perches would be fine, Chris keeps some larger breeds than hybrids which do like bigger perches but these take up more room in the coop of course.

 

[Wax_Crayon]

Thanks guys, just sealing the cracks makes things a lot easier.

The ex-bats come in a couple of weeks. We're also moving house, from a flat to somewhere with a garden, so I have a small window of opportunity to set up the coop and build a run, and try to make friends with the neighbours so that they're a little more understanding when they see our family arrive