[bedifferent]

I have had to move my chooks out of their shed as i recently discovered that the shed was crawling with tiny grey mites - none of them red! When you walk into the shed you are covered with them.
I have scrubbed the shed with Jeyes from top to bottom and again with poultry shield and the place is still crawling - i cant put the girls back into that. I have tried to get hold of some Duramitex Liquid but apparently it has been taken off the market! I really don't know what to use instead.

I dont think these are red mites as none of them are red - although they have had no chance to feed for a bit. There were literally millions of them.

Any help or advice gratefully received

[Foxy]

Oh dear, they do sound like red mite -which are grey during the day, and if they have been without a feed for a while.

Dont panic, but it will take a few sessions to get rid of them. Firstly, empty the shed out, remove perches, nestboxes if you can burn and then replace them all the better. Buy some poultry shield and literally soak everything!!! leave for two hours then do it again. Wait until dry then use diatom mixed in the bedding (woodshavings) dont use straw until you are sure they are gone, use a little woodshavings in the nestbox for now. Then in 5 days do the whole thing again. Pop  crushed garlic in the chooks water, that will help as a deterent to the mites. Duramitex is not available, however, you can get duramitex plus which is supposed to be quite good. I use Milbenex, but it is very, very strong stuff.
Make sure you head straight for the shower after though....

Good luck!!!

[Thompson24]

I have the same problem, do we put anything onto the birds or just treat the shed?  I have another shed i can move the brids to however wont that just spread the problem? should i treat birds as I move them or whats best?

[snowflake]

I had it bad last year and got Insect-o-kill milben-off mite-off, worked a treat did it twice week apart and that was it no more mites. there web page sss.horizont.com
made in germany but the feedstore I used got it in on recomendation. If your in the bedford area I can give you the addy of the feedstore.

[grumpydad]

try a steam cleaner, they dont like hot steam, and no side effects for chickens, make sure you  get the hot steam in all the cracks, dry then diatom again

[leena]

I have been told  real creasote will kill them?

[grumpydad]

real creosote, the oil based will kill them stone dead, but the fumes are not good in an enclosed space, so it needs to be well aired after.
water based modern alternatives are no good

martyn

[Aunt Sally]

I have been told  real creasote will kill them?

Welcome leena

We've had this suggested on here a few times in the past but we have to point out to you that "real" creosote in not available to amateurs.  It can only be legally used by people with a licence and then only for retreating already creosoted timber in an industrial setting.  Ti's the Law !

[dizzylizzie]

hi, i love the idea of steaming the little blighters....chemical free and all that.....but what will the steam do to our wooden houses?....its taken quite a few week to build mine and i would be gutted if the steam made everything swell of what ever steam would do ....is your house wooden, is it ok?, thanks lizzie

[Thompson24]

Hi my sheds are on an allotment and dont have anywere to plug a steam cleaner in.  I have tried red mite powder on all the birds a couple of times however they dont go :-( would i have to get something like front line or something for them?

[grumpydad]

yes, but use a small nozzle, there will not be enought steam to damage the house but it will kill the mites.

martyn