[Little jack]

  Help, ive got red mites in my chickens beds and house........................ lots of them!!!So far i have used jeyes fluid, that was no use.Then i moved on to poultry sheild that was not good either.What can i try next and where can i buy something else to treat them from
Thanks jackie.

[noshed]

Look at this:http://www.solwayparrotclub.co.uk/red_mite.htm

And this: http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=42676.msg502578#msg502578

Whilst you're waiting for someone who actually knows what they are talking about (My only chicken is in the fridge at the moment)

[littlewitch]

Hi Little Jack,  Try washing out with household soda in very hot water first, then treating with a concentrated 'Poultry Shield' which you then need to repeat after 5/6 weeks - seems to work for us so far.

Good Luck getting rid of the little bugs.....

[Foxy]

do you mean 5/6 days little witch?

[littlewitch]

Sooo.. sorry ...Foxy .... (yes it was a 'blonde' moment there!!)  It should have read 5/6 days initially - then use the poultry shield every 5 - 6 weeks regularly.

[henrietta5]

Hi - I havent yet had the problem but it will only be a matter of time.  I had heard that creosoting the coop really helps but that wasn't possible for us so I moved the hens out into the shed for a couple of days and after a thorough general clean, painted the inside of the coop with three coats of thick clear gloss yacht varnish. Then I siliconed every obvious crack I could find.  The varnish makes the coop much easier to clean in general as nothing really sticks to it and the silicone helps with at least some of the hiding places.  I know I haven't got them all but every little helps....   I also change the floor litter every couple of days and give the coop a good brush out right into every corner.  Then I give a scoosh around with premixed poultry shield, and when I put the floor litter back in I scoosh that around with the diatom powder.  I also varnished all the roosting bars and when I put them back after cleaning I smear the ends with a thick layer of vaseline, oh and a scoosh of the diatom powder.  So far, so good although with this belt and braces approach when I do get them them they will be the huge, indestructible, resistant to everything ones !  It might sound a bit laborious but it the whole thing only takes about 15 mins start to finish.  Just typing all this has made me scratch, I'd better check the hen coop tonight !  Also something available called duramitex plus, another spray for the coop.....although I haven't tried that yet!  Good luck

[p00rstudent]

i have had red mite in the coop for a couple of weeks now despite using a very strong concentration of poultry shield and red mite powder to get rid of the *, they are still there and the numbers dont seem to be going down, so i have decided that in the intrest of saving myself 6 hrs work every weekend that i would treat myself to an early birthday present and buy an eglu cube complete with plastic bars and everything. I am really hoping that this will be the end of the little blighters.

[Little jack]

 :blush:Hi everyone thanks for the advice, i will give diatom a go in the cracks n crevace's.I think i will have to look into varnishing the house maybe, as its newly built and its still bear wood.I first got my girls in april - being a new chicken keeper and i didnt have this probelm until july / august i think it may be the heat in the house from the sun.
Thanks again. Jackie.

[Julie in Somerset]

 :)I have reduced the red mite population by using garden sprays which contain bifenthrin or permethrin. I have sprayed the house a couple of times with poultry shield but used the garden spray on the main clusters on crevices on the perches. I sprayed daily for 4 days then reduced it and today only found one or two live ones after a week.

I also powdered the birds with louse powder which contains the same insecticide. I have always used diatom and the organic red mite killer but they haven't helped prevent a major problem 4 weeks ago. I'm wondering whether those products are cost effective.

Diosect and Milbenex contain the same type of insecticides but the garden ones are readily available in smaller quantities at most DIY shops.

[henrietta5]

Thanks julie  - I've done lots to the coop but nothing so far to the hens.  Some of my hens are still quite unhappy to be handled.  It was a major operation catching them at all to clip their wings and in fact one still hasn't been clipped.  How do you go about  applying the powder to the birds ?  Is it a quick spray or do you really have to get the powder rubbed right into their skin everywhere

[lukasmum]

My girls have been in temporary housing this week, whilst their coop gets a coat of waterproofing for the winter.
I took the opportunity to seal up crevices in the house, and give it a couple of coats of
pale coloured paint.

As its been left for the last 4 days for the paint smell to go, I noticed some mites creeping out of a crevice outside the coop and sneaking their way in.

The pale coloured paint shows them up a treat - so those crevices have been scooshed out with poultry shield and will be sealed up today.

2 points here - the mites weren't in the house (where it all gets washed down regularly with P Shield) and the pale colour paint reveals any that are in there very easily.

Chooks have plenty of ventilation - I was worried about sealing everything so tightly, and will keep a close eye out for condensation probs in future - however thats got to be better than beng invaded by mites when they go to roost.

I was lucky there weren't many, but a few become loads very quickly.
Feeling a bit pleased with myself...
The Terminator!!!

[Julie in Somerset]

I applied the powder to the underneath of the hens with help from my OH. I understand the mites don't live on the hens but feed on them at night. I thought the odd one may be on the bird in the morning so used this as another line of attack.

I have been keeping hens for nearly a year and had no idea how much I needed to know. I am really grateful for the forums as members know more about hens than my vet!

[viettaclark]

i have had red mite in the coop for a couple of weeks now despite using a very strong concentration of poultry shield and red mite powder to get rid of the *, they are still there and the numbers dont seem to be going down, so i have decided that in the intrest of saving myself 6 hrs work every weekend that i would treat myself to an early birthday present and buy an eglu cube complete with plastic bars and everything. I am really hoping that this will be the end of the little blighters.

I got totally paranoid about little beasties and got a cube from grandpa. 
WONDERFUL!!! Easy to move, to access, to clean, to get eggs, to open/shut pop hole, hoik Lulu out of the nesting box at night and put her on the perches. Thought they'd have a prob with the ladder....no way!  Run was expensive for what it is but the feeders are great. There are several gaps which have been designed for ventilation with no draughts but the one in the nest box is weird.   But they love going to bed!
Only thing is it's far too big for three (take 6 comfortably) and I hope it won't be cold in the winter. I'll probably be hoiking them all out of the nest boxes!!!
And as yet....NO RED MITE!!!

[henrietta5]

Thanks Julie and everyone else - will try to capture them for a scoosh of some ant mite powder .  I can deal with most things but somehow mites give me the total creeps

[woodside farm]

Hi,
I have been breeding chickens for years and this is the worst year I have known for red mite.
I have just bought some creosote (not the thick stuff, but smells the same  ) from scats, as the only person I know that has not had a problem is someone who has used this. (the black tub, not white). I will let you know if it works.

Michelle xx