4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[mum2boys]

Not sure if this is in the right place....

 

About 1 1/2 weeks ago when doing my daily clean of the hen house (and poo pick of the run!) I found 2 huge clusters of red mites - literally seemed to have appeared overnight! I totally cleared the house out and then dusted (heavily) with red mite powder everywhere, I also dusted each of the girls. Within a couple of days all seemed to be ok in the hen house - I couldn't see any noticable signs of mites.

 

Last night dh was went to put the girls to bed (close house door) and came back in to wake me up and tell me that they hadn't and wouldn't go in the hen house. When I went down to invesigate.. there were loads of mites in the house again - I redusted the house last night and will dust the girls today.

 

Is there anything else I can do? The box said that the powder was effective for 6 weeks - obviously not... so how often should I be dusting the house?

 

Thanks M2B

[mum2boys]

thought I better add that the girls stayed in the run last night - I didn't force them in the house!! But... we would prefer they were shut in each night - for noise more than anything as they are close to our and our neighbours bedroom windows...

[Egluntyne]

Red mite do come out at night, and are very determined.

 

I would dust the hens again thoroughly, and then use **Poultry Shield** on all wooden areas and in particular, nooks and crannies.

 

They are notorious for hiding under the roofing material, so it might be a good idea to find a way of spraying under it.

 

Good luck.

[superjules]

I can't recommend Diatom highly enough. The red mite powder you mention may just be a repellent, but diatom kills them without using chemicals.

 

I agree with Egluntine, clean their house out, burn all the infested bedding, take the roof off and poultry shield the house, getting into every nook and cranny. If the perches are fixed, take them out because they'll be in the crevices. Spray the outside of the house too. Leave the house to dry in the sunshine with the roof off, then get a bucketful of whatever bedding or nesting material you use and mix in a good couple of handfuls of diatom (buy it in 5kg tubs, 100g is not going to get you very far) then throw the mixture up the walls, in the corners, until the whole inside of the henhouse looks dusty.

 

Diatom really works, I have a wooden henhouse which must be the worst design in the history of chicken keeping for harbouring red mite and diatom has kept the blighters away.

 

Good luck getting rid of it and let us know how you get on.

[abwsco]

Lots of members on P.P. are spraying their coops with a diluted mixture of Dettol (1:9 ratio) as part of their weekly clean and having no problems with red mite. Has to be the proper stuff though.

[mum2boys]

Thanks for all your replies

 

I haven't been able to get Poultry Shield at my local farm place but I did get some concentrated stuff for red mites so I am going to spray the entire house and roof with that and do it every week.. And I will get hold of some Poultry Shield and diatom as well - may as well go the whole hog!

[Christian]

Good luck M2B

 

Hope you eradicate the little crawlies soon.