[chickychick]

Hi everyone havent been here for quite some time due to some rather upsetting rubbish however now my poor girls are suffering.  I went to clean them out today and realsied there were red streaks when I wiped the sides of the egg box on close inspection there are little red fat bugs with legs on the eggs and grouped around the place, I had noticed the hens being a bit scratchy and scruffy this lst week but thought it might be time to moult so just upped their corn and gave em a drop of cod liver oil in their mash etc.

Anyway it looks like this is red mite and I know it is really bad news so please advise me of the best products to zap them.

I have three chickens all of whom are normally happy and healthy about 2 years old laying well.

Thanks

[Vember]

Hi Chicky

Good to see you back
I know Roughlee Handled has had a bad Redmite problem    Here's the link to what he's done to get rid of them.
http://www.chat.allotment-garden.org/viewtopic.php?t=23506&highlight=red+mite

Also Babe has had a bad time with them here's what she's done

http://www.chat.allotment-garden.org/viewtopic.php?t=21884&highlight=red+mite

Babe moved her girls out of their coop here's the link about what she did with them

http://www.chat.allotment-garden.org/viewtopic.php?t=22546&highlight=red+mite

Hope you get rid of them soooon

Sarah

[kimT]

Red mite are a nightmare! :evil:

If possible steam clean your hen house and then when it's dry spray with a anti red mite spray something like Poultry Shield  then rub the perches with fresh garlic (they hate it) wear gloves because it's very pungent.

It won't get rid of them altogether but it will greatly reduce the numbers.

You can also buy red mite powder and spray.

It's a real battle with red mite and I have found natural garlic to be the best deterrent.

Good luck.

[poultrygeist]

Hi chickychick.

That's upsettign news

I can't offer any advice but I hope you manage to get rid of them. We could do with a few good frosts but the weather is getting warmer!! :evil:

Go get 'em girl !

Rob

[WhatCameFirst]

We could do with a few good frosts but the weather is getting warmer!! :evil:

Hi, does that mean red mites are less of a problem in winter?

[poultrygeist]

So I've been told.

Never had them (yet) but they like warmth apparently. Trouble is, it's warm most of the year nowadays.

Rob

[WhatCameFirst]

Many thanks. I haven't had them either, but they are clearly nightmarish, and the more I learn, the worse it seems!

[Oliveview]

Does anyone know of a link to where I can see what red mite look like?  Just so I know what to look for.
Thanks
Pamela

[Kate and her Ducks]

Look at Roughlee Handled's posts (you can search for them through his posts if gthey are not among the ones that Vember posted. He posted some really good pics and a video.

[Oliveview]

I looked ..... eeuugghhh :shock:  Hope they stay away from here.
Pamela

[poultrygeist]

I would have thought you'd all sorts of heat loving creepy crawlies hanging around Pamela. :shock:

Maybe the bigger ones will eat the red mites, if they appear.

Rob

[Oliveview]

We get the odd locust, the hens love them and one day one caught a baby snake- it probably thought it had a big fat worm  We are in the ´brown crunchy bug´ season now, not the cock chaffer bugs, they are really BIG they are the baby brown bugs, the hens like them, come to think of it, so do the dogs
Pamela

[poultrygeist]

I'm trying to avoid the big spiders that insist on making webs across pathways and everywhere you need to bend down or walk past.

Spectacular to see though.

Rob

[T C]

If you do have a plauge of red mite Pamela, i have found a good treatment here in Spain, i couldent get the poultry shield, and the rest of the recomended treatment that was posted on the fourm, so i used a treatment called arrpoon, i use it on the horses, i sprayed the hen house, and dipped the hens in a tub in a mix, twice, i sprayed the house a number of times, and now once a month, havent a one scince, hope you dont get them, they are horrid tina

[chickychick]

Hi Just wanted to say thanks for all the advice.

I am waging war on the red mites and hope I am winning.

I cleaned out like a maniac with jeyes and very hot water then while the wood was still damp in the chicken house and egg box I roasted it with the flame thrower making sure the flame got into all the nooks and crannies and under any little stick out bits etc I did this over and over so that the wood got good and hot and played the flame everywhere every single inch apart from the ashelt outside of roof/lid after that I changed my gloves and threw handfulls of diatom all over smearing it into all the corners and up the walls then I added bedding and more diatom mixed in.

Then I got the girls out one by one and in a washing up bowl literally gently massaged diatonm into the base of their feathers paying close attention around thier vents as advised.  Ended up with very ghostly looking chickens.  put then back inside the house so they would puff and shake the remainder off in the house and then flopped into a chair exhausted..so far looks hopeful I did it yesterday and on inspection tody not a thing in sight not even on a warm egg which is where they seem to go first.

fingers crossed I must have cut them back and now I just have to wait and see how fast they regroup!

thanks for all the advice it has been invaluable.