[mohs.ayaz]

Hello people, im thinking of getting someone to use ficam w on my coops and on the floor around them. Couple of hens are sitting on eggs and i could see some mites walking around.

They have gone down in numbers but i wana get rid of them before i move the chicks out soon. I have been reading alot about ficam w online and here, hilfooter uses it

Any suggestions or advice?

Mo :-)

[joyfull]

and you will also found that hillfoooter was told that he should not be using it because it is for professional use only and not for the rest of us. It is not licensed for general use. Whoever is selling it should check you have a license to use it. Stick with poultry shield and diatom or similar.

[ANHBUC]

You need to move your broodies to a mite free place before the chicks hatch.  The hen is a sitting target and already losing condition through sitting and you could lose her/them.  The other thing is that if a chick gets attacked by the red mite they will go down hill rapidly.  Even if you put them somewhere temporary like a large cardboard box in a shed with a mesh top.  Then you can eradicate the mites legally without harm to your birds.

Someone posted last year that they were using plumbers pipe freeze spray to kill them off.  I don't know if they had continued success but it would be worth a try.  Good luck.    

[mohs.ayaz]

Thanks guys, i'll carry on with PS and diatom :-)

[ANHBUC]

Others have used a blow torch or heat gun to kill them but you have to be really careful not to burn your coop.     I hope you get them under control.

[Mum2mj]

Would cleaning the inside with a pressure washer work?

[ANHBUC]

Would cleaning the inside with a pressure washer work?

The problem with jet washing is that the mites get blown all over and on to the ground so all they have to do is climb back into the coop.

You would have to move the coop to a driveway or somewhere solid, dismantle the coop, jet wash.  Then move it somewhere for it to dry, then put it back together and coat the inside with diatom slurry. 

If someone does come up with a safe product that really works they will be on to a money spinner.   

[Mum2mj]

That's a shame i'd have thought they would get blasted to smithereens. Would an epoxy resin be suitable for cracks to stop them hiding there?

[ANHBUC]

It is their waxy coating that protects them and they are so tiny some will get away.  They breed really rapidly so they can soon overrun the coop again. 

I think they would just find somewhere else to hide and it would also stop you from dismantling the coop to give a really good clean.

[Mum2mj]

Determined little suckers aren't they!

[ANHBUC]

They certainly are, more's the pity.  They are the dread of most poultry keepers.  A friend of mine gave up trying to get rid of them from her coop and ended up burning it!   

[splash101]

my jet washer has an attachment bottle that you can put poultry shield (or any other additive in) and it dilutes it as it sprays. It gets it into all the nooks and crannies. I use poultry shield in it for the coop, then jeyes fluid for slabs and pathways.

Not much help if your jet washer doesnt have the attachment but if anyone is thinking of investing in a jet washer, its something to look out for.

Has anyone used a steam cleaner successfully?

I dont think that you would successfully fill the gaps adequately because they are so minute and would always find somewhere to hide.

I dont have a problem with RM touch wood, but if i had tried everything else and still had a problem, i would look to using a bug bomb

[Mum2mj]

Ooh that's good we're in the process of getting one & it has the attachment  easily pleased me..
Saying that I'm not sure we have them but I like to be prepared!

[ANHBUC]

Prevention is better than cure to coat the inside of your coop with diatom slurry or a red mite product.

I think the steam cleaner works if you persist at it and your coop is strong enough.  The cheaper wooden ones would fall to pieces after a couple of cleans or jet washing.

[ehs284]

Suggest the opposite of filling gaps - make all big ones, then you can clean and get DE or something else into the gap. Oil. grease, vaseline in the gap will stop their antics. Steam will kill, but only if it makes contact; a lot will condense without doing any good. If you really don't want to use Ficam you could use pyrethrins with the DE. Cheap, legal and safe, they irritate and make the mites more active so speeding up the process of desiccation.