How can I find my old pictures?

[The Dogmother]

Foxes, ferrets and mink can chew through chicken wire - it's primarily for keeping hens off things rather than for keeping them safe in their runs. The best patch for now would be to double it up, but using weld mesh is even better.

[Jools]

Sorry to tell you but foxes can easily chew though chicken wire.

 

Your chooks would also be much better on growers until they're ready to lay as it's not the best idea to feed youngsters on layers.

 

Welcome to the world of chicken keeping

[lortloaf]

I'll double it up for now and find some weld mesh soon.. mmm a bigger run comes to mind! and I'll pick up some growers

 

Thanks!

[Patricia W]

Back to red mite topic! I found some in my green cube this afternoon- dratted things! Just taken it apart, poultry shielded everything, and got some spray from the vet which contains permethrin. Now trying to put it back together !!

[fluffyfeet]

After 5 years of keeping chickens I have my first bout of red mite - and they seem to find me quite tasty too as my legs are covered in bites - I could actually play join the dots on myself!

 

Have dusted with powder a few days ago, and now cleaned the coop out of all bedding material, sprayed with Total Mite Kill and once dry will mix some more of the powder in with their bedding before replacing.

 

Could they have arrived on my new girls? - although I have had them about 5 weeks now and only noticed a problem last week shortly after they joined the pekins in the big coop, but they did seem to preen a lot when I had them. Do you think I should mention my suspicions to the guy I had them from, especially as I have ordered another 3 girls from him!

 

Dawn x

[The Dogmother]

I would, and make sure that you quarantine and treat all new hens before letting them anywhere near your flock.

 

Buz Busters is an excellent anti-lice and mite powder to use in housing.

[chickenlickin]

Hi, I have a cube and last year had an infestation of RMs. I now pressure wash the cube and shed that I have with Poultry Shield and put diatam on the roost bars and have not had any more RMs.

 

I also Limewashed my shed in places which RMs hate as the dried limewash is like a drying out powder which gets on your fingers when you touch it and makes your skin feel dry and horrible, therefore drying out and killing RMs.

 

Another tip I have used, in case you also find lice on your birds, is buying Frontline spot on treatment (kitten strength) which you can get at Pets at Home, and put 1 -2 drops on bantams, 3-4 drops on large fowl, at the back of the neck. Lice Dead.

 

Hope this helps.

[The Dogmother]

Another tip I have used, in case you also find lice on your birds, is buying Frontline spot on treatment (kitten strength) which you can get at Pets at Home, and put 1 -2 drops on bantams, 3-4 drops on large fowl, at the back of the neck. Lice Dead.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Please bear in mind that this product is not licensed for use on poultry in the UK, and an egg withdrawal period would need to be observed.

[chickenlickin]

Yes, of course - used entirely at owners risk.

[HENthusiastic]

HI.

I'm usually quite a positive and optimistic person. Red mite have finally got the better of me today. I feel totally demoralised and powerless. Its just hit me that this is a battle, that realistically, I have NO chance of winning.

For those of you who don't know; Ive got a rented field with a big shed on it that the chooks live in. There is no way, however much I spray and spray, that I will get all them. The shed wasn't built by a chicken person and has loads and loads of places I can't get to with spray or powder. So I will never be able to get rid of them.

I've been spraying the whole shed twice a week or weekly. Ive been spraying the areas I've seen them in daily. They just keep on coming.

I cant win. But the awful thing is........... I can't even give up! I feel like I want to give up. If this was any other battle, Id realise it was pointless and give in gracefully.

The only thing I can think is to totally abandon use of the shed for a year (I read in country small holding that they can live a year without a meal- what are they..... totally indestructable...... some kind of alien life form????? How does that fit the rules of nature???)

I could get a plastic shed, move their electric netting area, treat the birds daily, treat the plastic shed daily and just wait until the Redmite in the shed die of hunger after a year.

It all feels hopeless right now.

Its costing money in powders and sprays. Its costing time in terms of spraying, spraying, spraying AND it feels like I'm continually washing and drying clothes so as not to transfer the horrid creatures to my garden girls. I'm afraid to lean on a wooden fence in case I transfer them onto that!

As I said................ it seems hopeless.

[sparkysmum]

Hi Hen, I've no experience of this at all but just wanted to say how sorry I am that you are having such a hard time. Hope someone will come along soon who can help & advise.

[Patricia W]

I feel for you!! I'm just fighting my first battle with red mite but hoping that I'm winning - but only time will tell so very interested in your experience ( although I have no wooden houses).

 

What sprays are you using? I've decided that mine are resistent to Poultry Shield and diatom because I saw them still walking afterwards. The vet has suggested a spray with permethrin in which he swears by. Others seem to think Total Mite Kill is the best. Ant powder is supposed to be good.

 

Do tell us what your experience of any of these is.

 

Tricia

[abwsco]

Have you tried Creosote? It is still possible to buy it and it will work.

[Mercedes55]

Sorry to hear of your problem with the redmite. They do at times seem to be totally indestructible. Is there any chance you can get a plastic house for them instead of the wooden one? I know of someone on another forum who built her coop out of a plastic wheelie bin house that she bought very cheaply and it's worked really well for her.

[Guest]

you can buy plastic sheds, we have one in the garden (not for the chickens but i don't see why you couldn't use it for chooks as it does have ventilation). If I were you i'd burn the old one and get a plastic one.

[HENthusiastic]

Hi Hen, I've no experience of this at all but just wanted to say how sorry I am that you are having such a hard time. Hope someone will come along soon who can help & advise.

Thanks.

 

I'm just fighting my first battle with red mite but hoping that I'm winning - but only time will tell so very interested in your experience ( although I have no wooden houses).

 

What sprays are you using? I've decided that mine are resistent to Poultry Shield and diatom because I saw them still walking afterwards. The vet has suggested a spray with permethrin in which he swears by. Others seem to think Total Mite Kill is the best. Ant powder is supposed to be good.

 

Do tell us what your experience of any of these is.

 

Tricia

Hope you get on better than me. Ive used Poultry Shield, Diatomaceous Earth and virkon. Whatever I use it wont work becuase I won't be able to get into all the crevices. Excuse my negativity; just cant help it at the moment.

 

Have you tried Creosote? It is still possible to buy it and it will work.

I thought you couldn't buy it any more. The trouble is, that I cant reach all areas of the shed to paint it. There is kind of an internal and external wall, so anything could be happening inside. I can reach to get powder in, but couldn't paint it. Would the creosote stop them from crossing the parts that could be painted?

 

any chance you can get a plastic house for them instead of the wooden one? .

Yes, as i said, getting a plastic shed seems to be my only option. It seems awful to leave such a good big shed standing empty. But yes I could do that. Thanks.

 

If I were you i'd burn the old one and get a plastic one.

Thanks, I would if it was mine, and dance a dance on the ashes. Unfortunately 1. Its owned by the owner of the field. 2. Its about 8' by 15' so I couldn't afford to replace it.

 

I really dont think its going to be possible to get rid of them out of the shed.

I'm so fed up of the whole business. Its really getting to me.

[Plum]

Sorry HEN can't help but just wishing you the strength to fight the little blighters. You better get some more of those swings they can't jump on.

[Guest]

I'd suggest scrubbing with poultry shield then when it's dry, blow torch in all the nooks and crannies then mix some diatom with water to make a paste and paint it all over the inside and daub it in the nooks and crannies, mix diatom into the bedding and give the girls a good dusting with it too.

 

we also use total mite kill to spray in the house and johnsons anti mite spray to spray on the girls.

[Olly]

Oh dear -I was going to suggest blow-torching, but if it has hidden spaces, that won't work. Is it possible to remove any of the interior cladding (without destroying the whole shed)?

[bennett]

totally agree with olly, i think a blow torch is prob the next step. I never seemed to have a problem in my wooden coops although i used a clear exterior wood varnish inside which i think helped. maybe worth a try but you would need a lot of it for a shed.

[abwsco]

Have you tried Creosote? It is still possible to buy it and it will work.

I thought you couldn't buy it any more. The trouble is' date=' that I cant reach all areas of the shed to paint it. There is kind of an internal and external wall, so anything could be happening inside. I can reach to get powder in, but couldn't paint it. Would the creosote stop them from crossing the parts that could be painted? [/quote']

 

My friend has recently bought some from a timber merchants although she had to take her own container. She said as she was painting her coops with it they were running to the areas where she hadn't creosoted. I think she also used a sprayer to drench areas she couldn't get to. She hasn't been able to do the underneath as coop too heaby to tip over but regular checks show no red mite inside the house or on all the rest of the outside.

 

Mind you if you really drenched it I suppose you'd need somewhere else for them to sleep overnight although my farmer friend used to do a house in the morning on all his coops and his hens would go back in at night and were always OK. They also used to use old engine oil.

 

What's on the roof of your shed? Can you change that to Onduline if it's felt.

 

I know when we had it I steam cleaned and then PS'd, then the same again the next day and the day after and it worked but mine was only a 6ft x 4ft shed plus I don't work full time.

 

Hope you can get rid of them.

Edited August 5, 2010 by Guest

[Charlottechicken]

So sorry you are having a bad time with red mite

 

I'd do as suggested and get a plastic shed and leave the old one empty, it sounds unsuitable if it has areas you can't clean. A plastic shed might be cheaper in the long run, saving both time and money.

 

Edited to add: I think creosote is still available from farm suppliers.

[abwsco]

mix some diatom with water to make a paste and paint it all over the inside and daub it in the nooks and crannies.

 

As far as I know Diatom has to be used dry to be effective

[Guest]

mix some diatom with water to make a paste and paint it all over the inside and daub it in the nooks and crannies.

 

As far as I know Diatom has to be used dry to be effective

 

it will dry.

[crankycookie]

Apparently some people have had success with fumigation, if you have a place to keep your girls for a day or so and are able to block ventilation somehow: http://www.practicalpoultry.co.uk/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1243121140