[Bagpuss]

Can you please advise me on the best thing to use for cleaning out the hen house.  I've just used mild soapy water so far.  Is this enough so long as I put down mite powder or should  I should be disinfecting it.  When I asked out our local supply shop they said to use Jeyes fluid diluted, or Milton sterilizer for babies, but I am a bit wary, especially having read that Jeyes is dangerous for small animals. and I seem to remember Milton coming in very small bottles.  I looked on the net and saw something called Genie.  What does everyone else use?

[richyrich7]

Think you'll find Jeyes is OK for birds but not small animals, VERY bad for cats! Here's a lnik to a similar thread earlier in the year DO NOT USE JEYES ON A FERRET HUTCH Last year when I had a bad mite attack I painted all the nooks and crannies with paraffin that seemed to work well.

[Bagpuss]

Thanks, the thread was a great help.

[Aunt Sally]

Muntjac recommends Jayes fluid for chook houses so I'm sure it is fine  

[slowef]

My house is old and although we have refurbished it and cleaned it up its not like a plastic egloo or similar that is maybe easier to clean, how best should I treat my house for mites and bugs.  It has a dirt floor with a deepish layer of shavings

[GrannieAnnie]

We use Jeyes in our chook house, but I don't use it while they are inside!!!!  I shoo them out first!!!!!

[slowef]

How though do I spray, take the shavings out first?? not sure where to start with this one?

[GrannieAnnie]

When we've got no chickens, I clean the whole house out then just chuck loads of jeyes water around and let it drain out, but when there's chooks, I leave the shavingsin  and use the jeyes diluted in one of those spray bottles, got my new one the other week from Wilko as I was a bit worried about red mite.  Just made sure I sprayed right into the corners, round the perches, any little nook or cranny.  I do it everytime we get new birds in just in case....

[slowef]

thanks I will do that then
x

[Aunt Sally]

If you dust all your nooks and crannies with Diatom it will help to prevent red mite !

[slowef]

Knoocks and cranny I have a plenty of, where can I get this stuff drom Scats didn't have it, also the worming treatment that was recomended is no longer being sold by them, is it only vets that can sell it now?

[Aunt Sally]

Flubenvet

Diatom

Hope that helps  

[The Chicken Lady]

Muntjac also says that after cleaning with jeyes you can spray a solution of: 4 cloves of garlic - warmed in a microwave and soaked for a month in mineral oil. I did this a couple of weeks ago when the weather was warm - scrubbed all the perches etc. I also give a spoonful of garlic powder to feed once a week and 1/4pt of cider vinigar to the drinking water once a week this seems to have all angles covered. Oh and treat for worms once a month

[slowef]

thanks Sally thats a great help.Do you use these? if so how much do you add to smaller amounts of food, they seem to deal in tons, my poor girls would be like ostriches if I fed them that much LOL

[Aunt Sally]

I don't remember how many hens you have slowef, but the correct dose is to all 1.2g of feed to 1 Kg of feed.  That is about 1/4 of a teaspoonfull  and should be their majour source of  food for 7 consecutive days.  

That's fine for dosing a number of birds but I don't do it that way as I only have two hens . I put about a gram in a little pot and add a bit of that to a piece of food (I use a grape which I have hollowed out) each day so that it is all used in 7 days.

The dose is not really critical