war against red-mites

S

senna

New member
Joined
Feb 26, 2010
Messages
76
Reaction score
0
Is anyone else struggling with the war against red-mites this year, or is it just me? I'm treating every 5 days but I'm getting nowhere. They were under control but now they're on the rampage! :x
I'm currently using 'Red-Mite Concentrate' (at the correct concentration!) It's made by Barier Health Care. It's more expensive than 'Total Mite Kill' but can also be used on the birds themselves, & when the mites are under control, maintenance treatments are supposedly every 6 weeks :D So I decided to pull out the stops & go for it. Now I'm wondering if I've been had!
Is it this warm wet weather that's making the numbers sooooooooooo high? It's not just red mites, but 'normal' mites as well...I'm at my wits end! :cry:
Our grass is also quite long because we can't get it cut due to all the rain, is that also a contributing factor? All I can think of!
All help & advice very gratefully received!
 
Sorry you are having a bad time with red mite, you are probably not the only one!

If what you are currently using is not working, then it's time to try a different approach, I find a two pronged strategy the best method. When you have a resistant infestation you want to consider more of an insecticide based product combined with a Diatom slurry (DE powder mixed with a liquid washing up liquid plus water) paint the slurry in all the hard to reach places and leave to dry and harden.

Some good products are available on the Chickenvet website:

http://www.chickenvet.co.uk/shop/view/index.aspx/product/tyrant-super-me-500ml-41

With respect to any other external parasites that may be causing irritation to your birds, try Johnson Anti Mite Spray for Cage birds:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Johnsons-Antimite-Spray-Extra-150ml/dp/B00393MGDO

Good luck! :-)17
 
Red mite develop resistance to certain chemicals quite quickly so you need to alternate treatments. I'd dust the hens before they go to bed so that mite don't stay on them in the morning. Then hit the coop with Nettex Total Mite Kill, which we found to be the strongest stuff, first thing the next morning. Even better steam the coop before you use the Nettex which should drive them out of the tongue and groove cladding and other timber joints. Repeat the exercise the following week as normal Senna.

If they persist you could try Elector biocide (attacks the mite's nervous system), which can be used alternate years to insecticide.
 
dont worry i am still getting them at the mo as well but nothing like it was when i first had them that was more then an eye opener , i havent found any on or in the crevices as of yet and i have used all the stuff you mentioned and also stuff from the chicken vet site and still get them but i only found them on or in the plastic royal mail boxes i use :-)05 even the ends of my perches are totally clear i know as i can be out there at 5,30am doing a check and spraying :lol: :lol: when i let the girls out .
 
Hi All

I'm new to the forum, so you will probably see me on most pages as I need so much information om keeping hens!

I've just had a new coop delivered. The inside has not been treated at all. I'm worried about red mite after seeing all these posts.

1) If I creosote it, how long will it be before I can put hens in (hoping to get 3 in about 2 weeks)?

2) Is it better to treat the coop BEFORE I see any?

3) It sounds like there are 2 products, a powder to dust the birds, and something else to use on the coop?

4) Do I also need to use it on the wooden parts of the run?

Many thanks

Carol
 
Whether you pre-treat the coop depends a lot on what has been done to it already. As it will be free from redmite when it arrives, the main concern initially is to make sure it's well and truly waterproofed with several coats of shed preservative, the good stuff that lasts 5 years, especially if the coop is an inexpensive one which may be liable to leaks. It will be much easier to do this thoroughly and let it dry off if you can do it before the hens arrive, as you would have to let it dry off and the fumes disperse before birds could go back in to it. 'proper' creosote is now only available in large drums from agricultural suppliers, and the sort sold as 'Creocote' in DIY shops is not so effective, so you are better off using something which will be easy to apply and more long-lasting as preservative. What sort of coop is it? Could you perhaps post a link? It may well be that your coop doesn't need this done to it, if it's one which has been properly treated beforehand.

When you are ready for the hens, powder all round the inside of the coop with diatomaceous earth or redmite powder, especially in the places where 2 surfaces join or there are cracks, also in the nestboxes and round the perch ends. No need to overdo it, too much and the birds will suffer from the dust. When you go to buy your pullets, if possible take someone with you who can examine the birds to see if they are clean of lice and other parasites and apparently in good health, or read up about what to look for yourself. If you have no redmite, theres no need to powder the birds as redmite won't stay on their feathers. Just be vigilant once they are in the coop, but theres no need to be paranoid, many people don't get red mite, ive been lucky so far for several years (famous last words,) although if you do, you can deal with it better if you notice the early signs of an infestation.
 
Regarding Creocote Carolb, there are coops are the market treated with it inside and out. Whilst it may not be as good at deterring red mite as the old Creosote it does have some effect and it's not so dangerous for whoever is applying it either. But avoid treating the nestbox as the fumes in hot weather with no ventillation are an 'unknown quantity' -we don't treat the nestboxes. We didn't get red mite for two years. But it does literally fall out of the sky and we have one hen with them on her now. The coop needs retreating every year and it is best done with it in sections as it dries much faster. Two weeks in sections or a month plus in one piece (and really stinky to apply). But you have the same problem next year so without a spare coop I'd adopt Marigold's strategy.
 
The General Chickens section has a sub forum Photos of Chickens see http://poultrykeeperforum.com/viewforum.php?f=27 which has two threads about how to post pics. Basically, go to the Upload Attachment part at the bottom of the box you use to write in (If you've used the Quick Reply button, you need to click on Full Editor to see this) then click Browse to find the pic on your computer, then carry on as in the instructions thread. Have courage, even I can do it, at a pinch!
Looking forward to your pics.
 
Well, hopefully the pics of the coop are here. Going to put it on blocks and there might be enough room underneath for a dust bath.
 

Attachments

  • BILD0021.jpg
    BILD0021.jpg
    50.5 KB · Views: 1,829
  • BILD0024.jpg
    BILD0024.jpg
    26.9 KB · Views: 1,829
thats a really cute looking house where did you get it or was it homemade ?
 
It looks a nice sturdy little coop. From the pic, I can't see any ventilation holes or grids, though, other than the one at the front. It would be good to arrange for an airflow through the coop by making more ventilation if there aren't any more, and this should be quite easy to do. It's important that there's always lots of air for them at night, as otherwise you may get damp conditions through condensation, especially if they go to roost damp on cold winter nights. There was a long thread Condensation in coops last winter where we thrashed all this out between us.http://poultrykeeperforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=5388&hilit=Condensation+in+coops

As this thread started off being about redmite, maybe you'd like to either start a new one of your own about your coop, or resuscitate one of the ones on coop design, of which we have quite a few?
 
Looks a nice well built coop Carolb. As Marigold says the ventillation looks inadiquate, although I can't the the top of the back wall. I would consider adding vents to the top of the apex at both ends and fitting a removeable cover over the one in the door as it will result in a draught across the perch -OK in summer but bad news in Winter. Poor ventillation creates some major health problems.
 
Thanks Guys

We thought the same about ventilation so will be addressing that.

Karminski - It was made by a local firm that builds sheds, kennels and coops.
 
We did a check of the double coop (shed conversion) last night and found red mite. We were expecting them much earlier in the year but perhaps red mite don't like cold and damp either. This is the shed with fixed runs we can't creosote as we have nowhere to house the displaced hens. Time is short for us so its out with the biggest weapon we have -Elector by Elanco, the 'nuclear bomb' of mite treatments. 30mL in 7 litres sprayed over 125 square metres of everything, including bedding (and chickens if they are in the way apparently). Takes about 5 days to have an effect and acts on contact, so mite travelling over the area will be affected. The biocide attacks the mite's nervous system and completely disorientates them. So they can't find the hens or hide at night. Repeat after 4 weeks if required. They will evolve immunity as they did last time so it can only be used alternate years. But for someone with big sheds with loads of hiding places this is the stuff to have. So easy to apply as well. Its an industrial product which can be mail ordered and the smallest bottle (250mL), with a 4 year shelf life was £70 two years ago. We used it two years ago and it wiped out a really chronic infestation in one simple hit.

So job done and all the tools and brown bin (old bedding) sprayed with Total Mite Kill. There were thousands in there, crawling up the inside of the bin to get out they were. Rosie was covered in them so clothes in the washing machine and good shower. I had the easy job.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Back
Top