[Newbie]

I have spent the weekend in the hen house, well I came indoors to sleep and think I have managed to fill all the cracks thanks to a couple of tubes of filler.  Is there anything else I can do to protect against mites before my beloved chooks arrive at the end of April?  Also do you use red mite treatment as prevention or cure (ie use it to stop getting mites or use it to get rid of em if you get em?). :?:

[poultrygeist]

Both !

You use the red mite powder as a deterrant but if you get them you can use poultry shield to kill them off but then as a long term solution I believe diatom can be spread around the coop to kill them as they appear, as well as the eggs.

We've yet to encounter them but as the weather warms, it's likely to happen. All I've done so far is sprinkle red mite powder around and on the chooks.

You'll get some better advice shortly but that's as I understand it.

It's a big worry isn't it ?
I must say I have a good look every time I go for eggs or to clean out but I don't really know what I'm looking for other than what I've read or seen in photos.

I hope you're trouble free. As long as you follow the advice of the more experienced keepers, you'll not go far wrong.

Rob