Cube mk2 and WIR

[Spud]

Hi guys,

 

I sadly lost one of my girls to red mites last week - the infestation was clearly much worse than I had realised. I'd ordered red mite powder, diatom and poultry shield as preventatives 2 months ago from a local shop and they have still 'not had time' to sort out my order. I finally managed to get the products elsewhere this Monday, and have treated the coop as thoroughly as I can - it's going to be a long, ongoing battle, I fear. We brought the chickens indoors until we'd eradicated the worst of them, so are most probably infested in the house now, too.

 

However, whilst treating the coop I noticed what I guess must have been thousands of tiny little brown beasties crawling between the wood on the door of the coop, as well as the wood just beneath the roof on the outside, and on the run. They were about 0.5mm wide/long, and whenever I touch the coop I now seem to get covered in them. I've sprayed with poultry shield and most of the ones between the wood on the door seem to have disappeared, but the roof still seems to be crawling with them. I can't understand how I can have missed them, and have no idea what they are. They're smaller than the red mites that I've been finding, and in much greater number. Does anyone have any ideas as to what they might be, or how to eradicate them?

 

Also, apart from using poultry shield, diatom and barrier red mite powder, is there anything else I can do to try to fight the red mites? I've been told by a few people to buy a blow torch/wallpaper steamer - is this effective, and do any of you have any other tried and tested treatments?

 

I feel awful. Had I realised that we were infested, I would have gone out of my way to get supplies immediately and perhaps I wouldn't have had to lose one of my poor girls. Any help would be extremely gratefully received.

[Egluntyne]

You could treat the hens with something like Xeno 200, an Ivermectin product *not licensed for use on poultry in UK. There is an egg withdrawal period, but the drug is very effective.

[jomaxsmith]

You could try painting the coop with wood preservative, pushing it into all the nooks and crannies as this should kill any lurking beasties. you'd have to let it completely dry and air before the hens go back into it though.

 

Jo

[The Dogmother]

The roof is the worst part to get rid of them from.

 

After a very fraught summer mite and lice-wise, the last of my 'wooden coop friends' has gone over to the dark side and bought a cube.

[Spud]

Thanks guys,

 

I've purchased Ivermectin in the past to treat foster guinea pigs, but it was £8 for a bottle that I had to dilute myself. Is there a difference between this and the stuff that you recommended?

 

I've asked on freecycle for a wallpaper steamer, pressure washer or blow torch (all of these have been recommended to me by various people!) and think I'll have a last ditch attempt at attacking them. I really can't afford £370 for an eglu that is so small in comparison to what I have at the moment (my coop is the size of a cube, maybe a little bigger) but will have to find the money somehow if I can't get rid of them.

 

I don't suppose Omlet sell reconditioned eglus, or sell them without runs?

[LorMac]

We have those tiny brown bugs too - are they almost like tiny moths? They are all over the grub and the drinker I have in the bottom of my ark but I've not seen them at the top. We've got chip bark down in the run and I wondered if they were related. They're not inside, just outside and whilst they make me feel all itchy and nasty I don't think they bite or anything. We have a shed for the girls and the bugs don't go in there - just the ark where the chip bark is. They're horrible!

 

Laura

Carrie, Charlotte, Samantha and Miranda

[The Dogmother]

I don't suppose Omlet sell reconditioned eglus, or sell them without runs?

 

They certainly do; give them a ring.

[jomaxsmith]

If you get a pressure washer it will just disperse the red mites. I heard that they can live as long as 9 months without a feed so that's plenty of time to crawl back from wherever they've been blasted to!

 

Jo

[Spud]

Would a wallpaper steamer have the same effect?

 

I've just called Omlet - they said it would cost me £270 without the run, so at least I have that to consider.

 

They don't really look like little brown moths - I found a picture of 'bird mites' that look similar:

 

 

The picture was taken from here (there are a few more pictures on the page):

http://www.bed-bugs.co.uk/birdmites.html

 

I always thought that 'bird mite' was just another name for red mite - are they simply unfed red mites? It seemed odd that they were swarming around the outside of the coop, just below the roof, during the day, until I piled Diatom on top of them. Yesterday I also found some on the brick that holds the perch up - before I had considered that perhaps they were an infestation of the wood rather than the girls, but now I'm not so sure.

[LorMac]

Ours are a fly of some sort with wings as large if not larger than the body. I caught one on some sellotape and they are not bird mites which is good. Still no idea what they are but presumably they are not harmful to the girls.