[gingerplant]

I feel the need to vent my rage and anger.   So I'm sorry, but I'm going to share with you all what I've been up to today...

Cleaned out all bedding
Hosed out henhouse
Scrubbed henhouse with poultry shield
Flicked red mite off my arms whilst shuddering with disgust
Squashed loads of red mite critters
Hosed hen house again
More squashing
Sprayed house with Viratec disinfectant
Probably inhaled disinfectant
Used whole bottle of total mite kill permethrin all over house
Not a millimetre un-saturated
Got banged on the head many times by hen house roof due to wind
Followed by wasps due to lavender smell of total mite kill
Poor children sorely neglected all day
Probably poisoned self with total mite kill
Chased hens out of henhouse multiple times
Some pleasure in watching critters washed away
Moved henhouse single handedly (big job)

Going to now:
Have a cuppa
Have a chocolate chip cup cake
Take a deep breath and....

Paint inside of henhouse with emulsion paint to fill in every single nook & cranny
Paint inside of henhouse with diatom slurry
Put bedding back

Collapse in a heap...

 

  feel better for my rant now!  Well done if you got this far 

[grinling]

would recommend not to paint the inside of the house as some may come off and eaten by chooks.

If the chook run is easily accesible to birds, which have red mite, it might be wise to prevent access.

[Casey76]

Be prepared for a repeat performance at least once a week for a month... the only way you can kill all the mites throughout their life cycle.

 :blink:

[Ma Larkin]

I am battling against red mite too! and nothing seems to be working. We took our coop apart last time we treated it and I flamed all of it, inside and out with a blow torch, and the nasty little critters still came back! I'm not a great lover of chemicals, but I would be willing to try anything to get rid of these little vampires! Help!

[Brood of Bournemouth]

I'm sure your girls will sleep sound in their house as a result of the red mite massacre, so its not in vain.

Has anyone tried steam cleaning as a control method?

I myself have been lucky enough to not have them yet. I use plenty of what seems to be a never ending 5kg bucket of smite powder on a weekly basis, which I hope will keep them out forever.