Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Poultry and Pets => The Hen House => Topic started by: broodyhen on July 13, 2010, 07:49
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HELP!!!!!! I'm at breaking point - seriously this problem has made me become red mite OCD. I have been aware that I have had it for some time and thought I was keeping on top of it ie, spraying the birds, spraying and dusting the coop, Jeyes cleaning the coop, blow torching it and I have even painted it with motor oil this week as a last resort....to NO avail. I am even changing bedding DAILY (newspaper as base and shredded paper in the boxes).
I am now seriously considering getting rid of everything birds included. We lost one last year not sure what to but looking at her she had alot of lice on her. The girls have gone abit quiet and their egg supply has been reduced. I am at the end of my tether and cannot see any solution I feel I have tried everything and its really starting to get to me. Its as if I'm too clean - if that makes sense???
Please someone HELP!!
Thank you
Broodyhen xx
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Do the birds have a favourite dusting place or 'out of the wind' shelter? If so these could be reservoirs. How you deal with them depends on situation, but they live away from birds for a considerable time (Google for lots of info and pictures). I also found that in the coop they were not in the usually described areas such as ends of wood, but were where two pieces of wood were flat side by side. The gap was sufficient for the mites, but not for ingress of treatments. Only solution was dismember. I put new wood in and can use the original later on after they've been cleaned. HTH
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They do have favourite areas and I'm even dusting them with powder. A friend has given me some Verm X liquid that you put in their water she says that works for her so I'll try that. I feel alive and I suspect they're on us and our dog :( or its psychological???
Thanks for your help anyhow :)
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Im having the same problem! my girls live in a large wooden dog run with integral kennel that is their 'bedroom'. I lost my favorite girl on Friday, and another looked a bit 'crook' on saturday - but has thankfully pulled through. I have dusted them with red mite powder and put them on straw in a seperate makeshift shelter whilst i have been pressure washing and spraying with bleach in the chicken house (on another fancier's advice) but here i am 3 days later still checking the house and i can still see the little buggars in the crevices and knots in the wood - I find them on me almost immediately and am running out of ideas on what to do. i have 'puffed' powder all over the floor and walls of the coop after the bleaching.................................how much longer can i keep the girls out of their home? they are getting very frustrated at being contained.
Mine have the run of the garden during the day normally and have several dust baths that they have made for themselves around the garden, i feel like Im fighting a losing battle and dont want to lose any more of my lovely girls!
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Had same prob last year lost a hen to red mite and lost lots of money on products that only reduced numbers of red mite after 8 weeks i got milbernex 1 week later no red mite 14 months later still no red mite(exspensive at £50 for 1ltr) but only used 40mil so will last.
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I rang Bowden and Knight to buy milbenex and they recommended a cheaper product which you mixed with water. Sorry cant remember what it was called. I had to spray the entire coop and did take the floor apart to ensure I had sprayed it really well. I also sprayed the ground under the coop because I was convinced that some would have dropped underneath and just climb back up the legs of the coop!
I can empathise with you as I would be sat on the sofa convinced that the little blighters were crawling on me despite having put all my clothes straight in the washing machine, having a shower and washing my hair every time I went near the girls.
However 8 weeks on I still havent spied a red mite in the coop. I am touching wood, crossing my fingers as I dont want to tempt fate!!
Paula
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I only have 3 chooks and feel that £50 is rather expensive I already have a garage full of mite chemicals as it is but thanks for the advice! I thought I was going to lose one last night as she looked pale and lethargic but seems bright as a button this morning, in fact she is pacing the run waiting for the coop to dry so she can lay!
After researching rm on the web I have turned to alternative remedies and have put crushed garlic in their drinking water (apparently the little * don't like the odour!) I know it may come through to the eggs but like I said I'm at breaking point :(
I am still cleaning out daily and Jeyes (almost neat) cleaning it too - my household bin is now alive with it - these creatures are surely taking over my life!
I'm glad its not just me and I totally sympathise with anyone else going through this - its so saddening to see and I'm putting my investation down to the long warm weather we've had - I've never ever had it this bad. What I'm doing now totally got rid of anything living in the coop last year.
Oh well I'll fight on - for how much longer I don't know?
broodyhen x
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remember that they can live on the ground for weeks :(
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Thanks JF I had heard of that :( what about dogs and humans??
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I don't think they can live on us but treat your dogs anyway with frontline or similar just in case.
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Ok will do - thank you :)
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I use the spray for my dogs and also for my chickens (prescribed for my chickens by my vet :)).
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Sorry to hear of all your troubles Bh - hang on in there I'm sure you'll get on top of it eventually.
Mine had both lice and mites a few weeks back brought in I think by two new warrens, one of which had a very pale comb and I'm sure was anaemic. Frontline eradicated both beasties (treated twice, 7 days apart). I washed with Poultry Shield, steam cleaned with a wallpaper stripper and used newspaper only in the coop for a few days. It did the trick and my poorly warrens and other 2 girls are all laying every day now and seem healthy.
Good luck
PS Friend just took his hen to specialist @ £60 for consultation plus cost of meds. Did the same as my non-specialist vet who charged £15 inc meds!
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sorry to hear you are going through all this stress with Red mite, I bought a new coop for my girls a few months back, its is creosoted (came already done) but oh my it sure would be a haven for them, loads of knooks and crannies in there for them, i havnt seen any and dont want to either, im like a demon with the poultry shield spraying everywhere until the coop is soaked and spend a fortune on buying it but id rather do that then have to face redmite, im a right nite mare when something goes wrong and really to be honest dont think i could deal with it, knowing me and its just my personal view on wot im like i would probably just get rid of the coop and buy a new one, ive just moved my coop as it backs onto a wooden fence, yesterday i spotted loads of little black round beasties, havnt a clue wot they are, i think i read that redmite dont like the light so im sure these are redmite as they are out on the fence but ive just been out armed with the poultry shield cleaning out the girls coop and decided to spray the whole fence aswell with it lol lol, ive only got a bit left now in the bottle cause of that. Hang on in there though broodyhen, im sure with all your cleaning you will get on top of them, fingers crossed. nickyx
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Sorry to hear of all your troubles Bh - hang on in there I'm sure you'll get on top of it eventually.
Mine had both lice and mites a few weeks back brought in I think by two new warrens, one of which had a very pale comb and I'm sure was anaemic. Frontline eradicated both beasties (treated twice, 7 days apart). I washed with Poultry Shield, steam cleaned with a wallpaper stripper and used newspaper only in the coop for a few days. It did the trick and my poorly warrens and other 2 girls are all laying every day now and seem healthy.
Good luck
PS Friend just took his hen to specialist @ £60 for consultation plus cost of meds. Did the same as my non-specialist vet who charged £15 inc meds!
Ooh thanks for the advice not heard of Frontline for chickens is this something new or a product used on other animals??? I might give that a go!!
broodyhen x
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Well the Frontline is for cats really and not licensed for chickens but many people on here use it on chicks to no ill effects. I dosed 2 drops for my big (and I mean really rotund!) RIR, just 1 for the little warrens on the back of the neck onto the skin (you have to part their feathers so it helps if there are two of you).
It will kill mites and lice that are on the hens but if you do it the same day as all your coop cleaning you've got a better chance of clearing them. I also put alot of mite powder in their run as well as coop when it dried. Made the powder into a paste for perch ends and cracks, joints and all 'entry points'.
Gave the warrens porridge made with water with egg scrambled in for a few days then a fishfinger now and again until they looked better. The anaemic chicken really completed her recovery following a bath and blow dry.
Keeping my fingers crossed I won't see them again this yesr at least.
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Sorry to hear of your problem Broody Hen. I have just had a similar problem with the dreaded red mites. Everytime I went near the girls I felt cooty and was running to the washing machine with my clothes then straight to the shower. I put 7 bottles of Poulrty shield on my coop last week , blow torched it to the point of nearly setting it alight :ohmy: :ohmy:
I nearly lost one of them due to anemia :( :(. That is the price you pay for the cheap coops on Ebay with plenty of crevices between the timber!!
When I took it apart to steam it and clad it I found so many of the critters I had a fit so lit a bonfire instead!! The girls had been emergency housing whilst I was treating the coop ( a rabbit hutch).
I also spent £50 on tonics and almost gave up - my hubby mentioned that my eggs were getting dearer than Waitrose with all the money I was spending it would be cheaper to get rid of them.
But I didn't want to give up on my lovely girls and as I got a refund from my Electricity company at the end of last week I bought myself a preloved Eglu and no sign of the critters yet. (I thought I was being charged a lot for my Electric - I was beginning to think I was rigged up to the whole neighbourhood the prices they were charging me!)lol
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I don't think they can live on us but treat your dogs anyway with frontline or similar just in case.
Thank you Joyfull I am just going to put some Frontline on the dogs - I feel like putting some on myself as I have come over all cooty again :unsure:
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Thank you thank you all of you for your words of comfort - this is really a great place to share tips and ideas alike. I will get some frontline defo tomorrow as I have a warren that looks abit poorly today :( :( I'm keeping a close eye on her. I was thinking I was getting on top of it but alas just been out to change the paper and clumps of rm under neath the paper :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: cannot believe it.
My household bins are now a breeding area for rm and we have another week before they are emptied >:( gonna blast the little cretins when they are :D :D
To do list this weekend then: Jeyes (again) powder (again) and Frontline (new!)
My eggs are the most expensive money can buy!!
broodyhen x
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Poor you Broody Hen. Red mites are the most orrible little things.
I've just come back from holiday, and found quite a few in my coop. Poultry Shield seems to take too long for me...I prefer the instant death method!
The only thing I have found that seems to work is a garden pressure spray bottle with a
dilution of Jeyes and bleach in it. I cleaned out my girls today, making sure every nook and cranny was blasted. You then need to wait for half an hour or so, and go back and do it again. I went back a third time - just with clean water this time, and scooshed the whole lot out. I have diatomed the perch and fresh bedding and have put a few drops of citronella in the bedding too.
They will be comfortable tonight! BUT I shall be back doing the same thing in 3 days time, and then 3 days after that, just to make sure I have nabbed any youngsters or eggs that have hatched in the mean time.
The bad news is that I believe wild birds have mites and thats how they can just pop up. We will never eliminate them altogether, but it is satisfying going on a murdering spree.. :tongue2:
I haven't resorted to Frontline yet - but if my girls are really bothered , and I can't get rid of them all in this hot weather - I shall. It makes me itch just typing this!
Keep going Broody Hen - you WILL get'em eventually!!
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please remember though to also treat the grount where you are washing down the coup as red mite can live for weeks so will make their way back into the coup.
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quick question (and apologies if I have missed the answer in any of the posts), if frontline is used on hens does it affect the eggs? can they still be eaten? I use frontline on my cats but can't recall if it is a surface acting preparation and so won't be absorbed into the system meaning the eggs would be ok......or if it goes into the bloodstream etc. Does anyone know? ???
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We eat our chickens eggs when treated with frontline - mine was prescribed by my vet as it isn't licensed for poultry.
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For the last eight weeks our chickens have had mites or lice (not red ones, but ones that were on them constantly). We tried powdering them every week, spraying them until drenched on hot days. Then this week we used frontline for cats (the droplets) and put 3/4 drops on each chicken behind their heads. 3 days later and we can't find a single one on them (except the one who wasn't done cause she is on anti-biotics for a foot infection and we didn't want to mix medicines). Hope that is helpful. Also my dad said if you put your hand in coup then they will crawl on you if they are still in there, plus chickens will be reluctant to go in at night.
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I posted this response to another concern about red mite, hope it helps!
I have had similar problems with red mite and tried various expensive products, which were meant to clear up the problem! The technique I found to be most "enjoyable" was using my butane weed wand to blast the little critters when they come out at night! I would get all the hens out of their house and blitz them! This has not proved to be a long term solution though.
I have tried Jeys fluid, which does not work. The original formula used to be a lot more effective.
The solution I have recently found is Poultry Shield, this is a potent and excellent product. I have sprayed the whole house with this using a pump sprayer and also keep some in a small hand sprayer for targetting small groups of them, which can sometimes aggregrate on a fallen birds feather.
If you are fed up with red mite, buy some Poultry Shield, and use this as part of your regular poultry sanitation measures. I bought 5 litres of it for about £25 including delivery and this will dilute down to 50 litres. I would suggest using regularly for the first one to two weeks, and then once a fortnight should suffice. During the colder, winter months, red mite should not be such a problem.
Good luck and I hope this post is of help to all with red mite concerns!