[hillfooter]

Don't despair I've PM'd you my banish RM advice which will clear the house of RM for a year or so with little work (one or at the most two spray treatments) and an outlay of about £6 or so.

Forsham houses are the best (wood) houses you can buy and once repaired will last years and be easy to maintain so it's worth persevering.  Too large a house for the number of birds though is not good in winter so if your little ark is sound I'd consider sticking with that too but don't get rid of the larger one if it can be repaired it's worth the trouble.

HF

[hillfooter]

Hillfooter uses Ficam W which he gets from Bowden Knights, if you give them a call they should be able to help you - they also sell hemexen (which Grannie Annie uses) which is the same as DE but costs a lot less.
I have given up with wooden coops and just ordered my second giant plastic ark so will only have 2 wooden arks left (1 for the broodies/injured and the other for the sabelpoots) and these will get replaced in due course.

Here is a link to Bowden and Knights website and you will find their telephone number on there:-

http://www.bowdenandknights.com/

Spot on Joy that's what I use.

Hemexen IS Diatomaceous Earth (DE) and is just another brand name like Diatom (they obviously got there first when choosing a product name!).   Hemexsen only used to be available in industrial quantities for farmers but they've now cottoned on to the boutique backgarden market and sell it in smaller quantities.  I use this too in the larger sack size which will last a small keeper for years used as a paint on slurry.  

Dust floating about in the confines of the house is to be avaoided as chx respiratory systems are very prone to infections and iritations from dust.  Hundreds if not thousands of viruses can float about on a dust particle and dust is a serious vector of disease. So add the DE to a dilute disinfectant base with a dash of washing up liquid to wet it.  I use Vanodine V18 and I think GA does too which isn't neutralised by organic matter.  Mix to a batter (creamy) consistency and paint on the perches and into corners of the nestboxes and house.  Use to spot treat colonies of RM.  It won't clear up a bad infestation quickly but it will help keep your house clear once they are gone so use a pesticde first.

The added benefit with DE is that it is easy to scrape perches clear of droppings as it very drying.  When you clean don't hose out with disinfectant and detergent every time just brush out and scrape off droppings touch up the slurry paint and a mist spray of disinfectant is then all you then need.  every 3 or 4 months you can then do a deep clean with a power hose and detergent and complete reapplication and it will be less work and do the job.
HF

[richyrich7]

I've had plenty of success with the following
a) blowtorch
b) painting all the inside with paraffin ( not before blow torching ! )
c) Old fashioned creosote if you have any laying around in a shed some where , not sure how effective the newer stuff creocote is but it's still pretty pungent.
d) Crawling insect powder under perch mounts etc.
e) Deathlac ... a spray deadly for 3 months to anything that crawls over it. You must make sure it's no where the hens will get too.

My own suggestions nothing to do with any other member/owner of this forum.

[hillfooter]

I've had plenty of success with the following
a) blowtorch
b) painting all the inside with paraffin ( not before blow torching ! )
c) Old fashioned creosote if you have any laying around in a shed some where , not sure how effective the newer stuff creocote is but it's still pretty pungent.
d) Crawling insect powder under perch mounts etc.
e) Deathlac ... a spray deadly for 3 months to anything that crawls over it. You must make sure it's no where the hens will get too.

My own suggestions nothing to do with any other member/owner of this forum.

Sounds like the the MIL's toiletry kit 

HF

[joyfull]

Please remember that creosote is not supposed to be used by the general public - and I don't think the replacement creocote works as well according to peoples reports on here 

[arugula]

I'll confirm that first point Joy and second the second one from elsewhere than here too.

[hillfooter]

Please remember that creosote is not supposed to be used by the general public - and I don't think the replacement creocote works as well according to peoples reports on here 

Well that's ruined the MIL's day
HF

[joyfull]

 

[SurreyLass]

Ok - Jeyes Fluid again last night, and this morning I can only see the odd one ........... might I be FINALLY making some progress?!!!!!

The big ark is big upstairs, and I am worried about the girls in winter up there - its about 5 foot ish??? and I have 2 nice ISA Brown girls. Would you (A) use it for now and the summer / early Autumn, giving my husband time to design and build a bigger run and then move them back to the small ark with new run extension (B) Sort the bigger run now, and not be transferring them? Both are Forsham Cottage Arks - the toblerone shaped ones iykwim - the big one has the lift off side upstairs.

Thanks - massively appreciated

[joyfull]

I would get the big one clean and mite free and use that and also keep the smaller one as a hospital/quarantine unit for when you get more chickens - which you undoubtedly will just like the rest of us 
Plus build a big walk in run for the big ark to go in. As for them getting cold chickens come with their own feather duvets 

[SurreyLass]

Shhhhh dont tell my husband!

Okey - dokey. Will give the big ark another dousing tonight - need to order some DE - where is best? Also, does anyone use Apple Cider Vinegar in their girls water? And crushed garlic?

Am keen to try and keep things as natural as possible ONCE i have got rid of these beastly things - but willing to do anything to get rid of them in the 1st place so that the girls can move in asap!!!!

[Lindeggs]

Shhhhh dont tell my husband!

Okey - dokey. Will give the big ark another dousing tonight - need to order some DE - where is best? Also, does anyone use Apple Cider Vinegar in their girls water? And crushed garlic?

Am keen to try and keep things as natural as possible ONCE i have got rid of these beastly things - but willing to do anything to get rid of them in the 1st place so that the girls can move in asap!!!!

Uh-oh... it's the apple cider vinegar and crushed garlic discussion!    Don't let Hillfooter see this or he'll set his MIL onto you. 

I use both ACV and crushed garlic for my girls.  They have managed to pick up a dose of intestinal worms (presumably from wild birds) so obviously these didn't work as a worm deterrent in my case.

I intend to treat them with a chemical wormer, but continue with the ACV and garlic as a regular addition to their diet.  They are both things I'm happy to take myself, and I believe they don't do any harm to the chickens and may do some good. 

Pumpkin seeds are also supposedly a natural remedy for intestinal worms, but also didn't work for my chickens.  Again, I eat pumpkin seeds myself and have plenty of them, so the chickens will continue to get them too.

[hillfooter]

I intend to treat them with a chemical wormer, but continue with the ACV and garlic as a regular addition to their diet.  They are both things I'm happy to take myself, and I believe they don't do any harm to the chickens and may do some good. 

OK Lindeggs just continue with the ACV and garlic if you must but I'd definitely advise you not to sprinkle Flubenvet on your lunch

HF

[Lindeggs]

I intend to treat them with a chemical wormer, but continue with the ACV and garlic as a regular addition to their diet.  They are both things I'm happy to take myself, and I believe they don't do any harm to the chickens and may do some good. 

OK Lindeggs just continue with the ACV and garlic if you must but I'd definitely advise you not to sprinkle Flubenvet on your lunch

HF

I don't need to sprinkle it on my lunch as I don't have worms.  I attribute this to my diet of apple cider vinegar, raw garlic and pumpkin seeds.    (Oh and the fact that I don't eat wild bird poo) 

Actually I wish I had the option of sprinkling it on my lunch - so far I haven't been able to find any.  I have no idea why it's so hard to buy anything poultry-related around here!   

[SurreyLass]

Well sadly, we have admitted defeat - we had a bug free day on the cleansed ark yesterday and I thought we might have done it - gone out mid morning today and its crawling again. I feel like we have invested too much time and money on trying to treat it. My husband is off getting some timber right now, to start building a nice purpose made extension to their current abode. Ho hum - thanks for your advice though, and Hillfooter - MANY thanks for your PM - we just have had enough of the blimmin thing now!

Will post under a new hread for advice on mesh for said new run!