[hillfooter]

The hen shed was scrubbed with jeyes ( old formula....), and poultry shield.  The perch removed and only a small pile of straw put down for them to lay on.  The hens haven't beenback in since to roost.  I can't believe that the sheer volumn of the little * can be hatched since sunday... there were some around on Sunday but not this many.  If only I could identify what they are... can anyone point me to pictures.  I've ssearched these pages for 'mites' and can't find anythingn that looks like them.

Has anyone any idea if Ficam will work on these.  I've had to order a box of 10 sachets at £45 plus VAT plus postage but I did that thinking I was dealing with Red mite.  I know now that it definately isn't RM.  But will Ficam work???  It should arrive tomorrow (hopefully) but if it isn't going to work I'd rather return it and not have the additional cost.

Yes FICAM is very effective provided its not a strain of RM which is immune to FICAM which is now ineffective against RM in many commercial sites.

HF

[hillfooter]

Ficam w will eradicate them..........from personal experience these are RED MITE.  They are only red when they have been feeding, being, white, grey when hungry.  I would spray as soon as possible, everywhere!!  Please get rid of straw too, its hollow & they live inside it.  Hempcore or shavings would be better. Unfortunatley, I think once you have had red mite you can never get rid.....as they can lay dormant without feeding for up to 9 months in the soil.   If you have put anything from your coop on a compost you will have to bag up & take to tip.  I had a plastic composter & they lived happily in there too.  Sorry to sound harsh but I know exactly what you are going through..it took me a long time to get rid of the majority, Bowden & Knights advise to spray again after four weeks. 

I'm with Mumsy.  These are red mite without a doubt.  Northern Fowl Mite the only other candidate live on the bird and Frontline should zap them and lice and fleas too.  If they are in the house they are fresh hatches of RM.  If they aren't red they haven't had a blood feed yet or they are an immature stage of development.
HF

[Kym503]

Many thanks HF.

Having read your post I went out with a torch and low and behold...I can now see red mite on the hens.  It's a relieft to finally know what I am dealing with even though I know it's going to be an up hill battle.

As I put frontline on the hens on Sunday will the mites I saw tonight be killed once they have fed off the hens?  I thought frontline didn'[t get into the blood stream which is why you could still eat the eggs they are laying...

Should I also still put diatom powder on the hens or spray them with anything (Obviously not the Ficam...!)

MAny thanks

Kym

[hillfooter]

Many thanks HF.

Having read your post I went out with a torch and low and behold...I can now see red mite on the hens.  It's a relieft to finally know what I am dealing with even though I know it's going to be an up hill battle.

As I put frontline on the hens on Sunday will the mites I saw tonight be killed once they have fed off the hens?  I thought frontline didn'[t get into the blood stream which is why you could still eat the eggs they are laying...

Should I also still put diatom powder on the hens or spray them with anything (Obviously not the Ficam...!)

MAny thanks

Kym

Read the link in my earlier post.

Clean up thoroughly using detergent.  Spray with FICAM W.  When dry put in clean shavings.  in four days time clean out by just brushing out the soiled shaving and don't wash.  Apply Diatom by painting on as a slurry on all surfaces of the perches and in every nook and crannie and corner and where ever you have seen them.  Replace the litter again in 7 days time and touch up any diatom paint.  Your infestation should be gone and you can revert to two to four weekly litter sweep outs (depending on number of birds and fouling) disturbing the diatom as little as possible.  The diatom will stop the droppings sticking to the perches too.  Spot treat any colonies you see with Diatom paint.  

If after 4 weeks you still see RM repeat the clean and FICAM spray and reapply the Diatom.
HF

[mumsy]

  Thank you HF, that makes it clearer. I made the mistake of pressure washing, all it does is move them from one place to another.......  good luck

[compostqueen]

you could switch to plastic roosting bars from Omlet, which would make life easier for you

What an ordeal you're going through  I hope you quickly get top side of the problem

[mumsy]

My problem was last year. I learnt alot!!! I have had them again this year but not like the infestation before...like I say, once you've had them it will take years to eradicate completely, unless you burn everything & get rid of the chooks for a year or so then start again.  Still not completely sure that eglus wouldn't harbour them, maybe not as many but like I said they lived in the plastic composter quite happily!!!!!!  Roof on runs etc would help as wild birds seems to be the infectors!!!!!!  Unfortunately my run is too large to roof & they are free range in the winter so it makes it difficult.  I just battle on...but don't panic anymore!!!!

[animartco]

Yes they are definitely mites and you seem to have a huge infestation.  You need to get a powder that is specific to red mite, and dust the chicken and the entire house. Alternatively you could use potassium permangenate in a sprey, but make sure that you get the spray in all the cracks because that is where they are hiding. With any spray of course you do not let the hens into the house while there are still puddles on the floor.Er and you can't spray the chicken. You'd have to use Mite powder on them.

[hillfooter]

Yes they are definitely mites and you seem to have a huge infestation.  You need to get a powder that is specific to red mite, and dust the chicken and the entire house. Alternatively you could use potassium permangenate in a sprey, but make sure that you get the spray in all the cracks because that is where they are hiding. With any spray of course you do not let the hens into the house while there are still puddles on the floor.Er and you can't spray the chicken. You'd have to use Mite powder on them.

Potassium permangenate?  This is strong oxidising agent and is often used as a disinfectant in the water industry.   It's low toxicity so I don't understand how this will kill red mite however I'd be interested to know.

As RM spend most of their lives hiding in cracks and seams in the house the most effective treatment is to zap them in the house and dusting chickens is pretty ineffective for RM.  Hand dusting is only viable as a treatment for a small number of birds and doesn't scale to the number of birds I and many people have.  However birds dust themselves anyway, so saving us the bother.  If you want to treat the birds use frontline or invermectin which will be at least effective against any blood feeders but this won't get rid of a RM infestation in quick order.
HF

[Kym503]

It has been bought to my attention that many people have been following this thread and the very useful advice that has been provided by HF. 

Without thinking I started a new thread this morning entitled..  Follow up to my redmite problems.

If you h ave been following this one you  may like to continue the saga on the new thread.

Many thanks and sorry if I left anyone in mid story...

Kym

[hillfooter]

It has been bought to my attention that many people have been following this thread and the very useful advice that has been provided by HF. 

Without thinking I started a new thread this morning entitled..  Follow up to my redmite problems.

If you h ave been following this one you  may like to continue the saga on the new thread.

Many thanks and sorry if I left anyone in mid story...

Kym

It's   http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=63598.msg728407#msg728407

[minniebantam]

I think it sounds like lice, my Bantams had a terrible infestion of them, I bathed them on a warm day in Johnsons dog shampoo with Pyrethrin which really did the trick. Then after a few days I gave them a good dusting of Diatomatous ( spelling may be wrong ) powder and up to yet no more lice. Horrible things when you see so many and they get on your clothes.