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

[carenb]

Hello,

 

My girls have had red mite and maybe lice - they have since been treated - and all seems to be ok. However, since finding the blighters, they have been on my clothes and subsequently on my furniture (sofa).

 

Currently only in my conservatory - but its very warm in their - so I think they are breeding ! Can they live in my house without chickens?

 

 

Please help me get rid of them in MY HOUSE - any advice greatly appreciated !!

 

My husband wants to get rid of the chickens !!!

 

Thank you all,

 

Caren.

[TOMWARDFARM]

how can you tell the difference between mites and lice? how do you deal with each?

[Egluntyne]

Tom - detailed article **here** about Lice and Mites.

 

 

Carenb - I think they will eventually die off, in the house, but can give humans a nasty bite.

 

Perhaps a good vaccuming of the sofa and a spraying with one of the cat/dog flea sprays for the home might shift them.

[The Dogmother]

I'd spray it with the Johnsons spray every day for a week - take care though not to inhale it.

 

Red Mites are the only ones which aren't host-specific; they are related to bed bugs. Northern Fowl Mites can give you a nip, but don't live off hoomans.

[LJ's Chooks]

Ok I can feel it brewing... Lj's dumb question of the day.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

... red mites are different to Red spiders (the tiny little red things that seem to love the sunshine at the front of my house )arent they????

[The Dogmother]

Yup, but not a dumb question

[LJ's Chooks]

Wow, thank goodness for that, when I saw the post about them being in the conservatory thought I,d better check, we've got the little spiders everywhere including occaisionally on the outside of the cube lid....hubby is paranoid that they are red mites, and now I can reassure him.

 

I can feel another 'Claret says...' Coming on!!

 

 

Thanks

[The Dogmother]

Red spiders:

 

 

Red Mites:

 

 

Red mites are killed by UV light, so if you see the little red spiders (we used to call them germ spiders) out in the light, then they are unlikely to be red mites.

 

That's one reason why the eglu and cube are less likely to get red mites; the majority of both types of Omlet housing can be opened to let the sunlight in.

[TOMWARDFARM]

uv light tube in my chicken shed then?

[The Dogmother]

Don't laugh - it might just work.

 

See if you can find any research on it first.

[TOMWARDFARM]

May assist with laying in winter as I had heard chickens need 16 hours of light a day to lay fully, but concerned the uv might damage thir eyes, and not seen chicken goggles on the market

[Chucky Mama]

You could always try a household insecticial spray such as Skoosh or Acclaim.

[LJ's Chooks]

...and not seen chicken goggles on the market

 

 

Could be a huge market!