My eco solution to rat problems

[shaunw]

Hi Hen,

 

Knowing the shed in question i think you are right, its a battle you will not win whilst you still need to use it.

 

I have been known to knock up a run or two......

 

Why dont we come over for the day in the next few weeks and build a new run?

 

Because it is inside the electric fencing it doesnt need to be secure just wethertight.

 

You and I could make one big enough in a day easily.

 

and if you are spending lots on treatments then it would cost no more than that for the bits (wood(uprights/bracing), tarpaulins(for the sides and roof cover) and we could use pallet wood to make the roof with a tarpaulin on for water seal.

 

What do you think?

 

Wood (uprights/bracing)- about £30

Tarpaulins (Tarpaulin - Size 2.7m x 3.5m from Tarpaflex £3.50 - need 2 or 3 so £10 (plus postage)

Pallet wood for a strong roof - you might be able to get that........

 

We could put a wethertight run together cheaply enough so you dont have to use the shed.

[Isabel]

I've no advice but plenty of sympathy. Hope you get it sorted somehow!

[figarogir1]

(uprights/bracing)- about £30

Tarpaulins (Tarpaulin - Size 2.7m x 3.5m from Tarpaflex £3.50 - need 2 or 3 so £10 (plus postage)

Pallet wood for a strong roof - you might be able to get that........

 

We could put a wethertight run together cheaply enough so you dont have to use the shed.

 

My local garden centre will let you take their pallets if you ask so asking around is probably worth a try.

Good luck, I dont have any more suggestions but am thinking of you and hope you can sort something out.

[Hens@HalfMoonLane]

Isn't Mr Shaun W lovely, I'd take him up on that kind offer and I'll send a chocolate cake over with him for his hard work.

[Egluntyne]

I'd burn the old shed, as the redmite will just stroll across to the new structure.

 

ShaunW and his missus are stars.

 

Better make a big slab of rocky road.

[shaunw]

She wont be allowed to burn the old shed as it belongs to the owner.

 

how far away do you think the new run and enclosure would have to be for the red mite to stay away? 10 metres? 20 metres?

the field is big enough to move them a fair way away.

 

My idea hen was to make something like this

i drew the sides transparent so you can see inside but these would be filled with tarpaulins until you can afford to put something else there. The good thing about the tarps from tarpaflax is they come with eyelets for easy fixing to the wood.

 

This way you can easily put small houses inside to sleep in and lay eggs in etc.

 

Biggest cost is wood and this depends on the size you think you need. this one is drawn as 2m x 2m x 4.5m. so i might have got the wood cost a little wrong maybe its £40/£50 unless you can beg steal or borrow some 2m long pieces?

 

Oooooh payment in K's Rocky road.... that sounds good to me (its the best i have tasted thus far).

 

Right i best go to bed now, enough time has been spent playing on google sketch up.

Edited August 6, 2010 by Guest

[Egluntyne]

Might be worth treating your birds with something like Eprinex*, HEN.

 

*Not licensed for use on Poultry in UK

[Patricia W]

Hen, don't know if this helps but my friend has a wooden shed ( but not the size of yours) and her vet gave her a permethrin flea spray to use - which fingers crossed - seems to have done the trick. But I like Shaunw 's idea - and yes, he is a star! Everyone should have someone like that nearby.

 

Tricia

[chick wiggle]

Awww Hen, it must be so demoralizing for you. Sorry i cant really help with anything constructive, just wanted to give you my support.

What absolute stars mr & Mrs Mossy are

I know it wont help with all your girls, but at the moment i have an empty eglu you could borrow if you needed some temporary housing.

If i can help with anything let me know. Together we will beat these little monsters.

Dont give up yet hunni

[Mercedes55]

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.

 

Yes it does dry and a lot of people find this an effective way of getting the diatom into the nooks and crannies. I've also read where people paint the inside of the coop white, once it's been treated and the red mite are gone, so that they are able to see clearly the inside of the coop. I would imagine the inside of a wooden coop can appear very dark and it would be easy to not see any creepy crawlies in there. I still think plastic is the way to go though and I really hope you find a solution as they awful little critters

[The Dogmother]

I always suggest that people with wooden housing take the time (before they get the birds) to fill in all the nooks and crannies before painting the inside with something that will seal the wood up - gloss paint or varnish are brilliant for this. Of course, it will need to be well aired before the hens go back in.

[lillybettybabs]

Is there a good iron supplement that can be given to anemic hens?

[The Dogmother]

Is there a good iron supplement that can be given to anemic hens?

 

Life-Guard is good for that.

 

HEN, sorry to hear about your problems; I missed it when the threads were merged. An acquaintance had a similar problem a couple of years back and ended up torching her sheds and buying a couple of cubes.

 

Tricia, The Total Mite Kill spray and concentrate both contain permethrin, which will kill bugs, as does Buz Busters powder - I use all of them.

 

Shaun... what a star!

[HENthusiastic]

Thank you all so much for all your helpful and kind replys. I have now returned to my usual emotional state of positivity so while I know its a problem that needs sorted, I dont feel totally demoralised by it - partly thanks to you guys

I'm at work, so cant answer everybody very fully now but I just wanted to do a quick reply.

 

Shaun - you are a star

Egluntyne - thanks, I will get some of that for treating the girls. Any idea of the best place to get it from?

 

I think we are going to shut up the big shed; move the electric netting so the girls are on a different area of the field. Invest in a metal or plastic shed. We have replaced some of the wood with plastic in the shed and the critters are living quite happily on that; but they are easier to spray, so plastic / metal is the way to go; knowing that we have redmite around.

So Shaun -I think we are not going to risk another wooden structure with the critters living in the other shed. Thanks ever so much for your generous offer though.

HOWEVER; moving the electric netting, setting up plastic / metal shed and treating all girls will still be a bit job and we would still be greatful for any help. We will also be treating the new shed with every redmite killing product known to man; before moving the chooks in (thanks Claret).

 

I feel that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

 

Now then, the search for a metal / plastic shed begins................

[Guest]

i personally wouldn't get metal, might end up like an oven in there in hot weather!

[HENthusiastic]

i personally wouldn't get metal, might end up like an oven in there in hot weather!

 

Good point. Roast Chicken........ Bad idea. Thanks Poet

 

Okay......... now begins the search for a plastic shed.............

[HENthusiastic]

Mind you..... thinking about it theres not that much wood on ShaunW's plan. Maybe that would be better. Oh gosh I dont know.

[HENthusiastic]

Awww Hen, it must be so demoralizing for you. Sorry i cant really help with anything constructive, just wanted to give you my support.

What absolute stars mr & Mrs Mossy are

I know it wont help with all your girls, but at the moment i have an empty eglu you could borrow if you needed some temporary housing.

If i can help with anything let me know. Together we will beat these little monsters.

Dont give up yet hunni

 

Thanks so much for your kind words and your kind offer. I need to sort something bigger to house them all, but thank you for thinking of me.

[chick wiggle]

No problem Hen, just holler if you do want it. I think Shauns run looks ideal, the wood that is there will be so easy to treat too, I spray the wood of my run with PS and so far, touch wood, its kept the little monsters at bay.

 

Just glad your feeling a bit better now

[chickencam]

I have been using a small cooks blowtorch on all the nooks and crannies daily for the past week, and seem to be winning the battleThe girls have moved back in

 

I hope that you find a solution soon.

[The Dogmother]

If you do decide to go with Shaun's lovely design, then treat all the wood first, then seal all the nooks before sealing the wood with some varnish or similar.

[scarlettohara]

Go with Shaun's WIR - it looks great Here is a link to plastic sheds which look nice but are very expensive

 

http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.200-3625.aspx

[Jools]

I always suggest that people with wooden housing take the time (before they get the birds) to fill in all the nooks and crannies before painting the inside with something that will seal the wood up - gloss paint or varnish are brilliant for this. Of course, it will need to be well aired before the hens go back in.

 

As someone who actually has wooden poultry houses (and seven year's experience of them), I'd advise not to use varnish or gloss paint.

 

Both degrade and flake, which means you'll need to rub them down and re-paint or re-varnish as the flaking will provide perfect conditions for red mite.

 

It's up to anyone with a wooden house whether or not they want to seal any gaps (not ventilation gaps obviously), but it's not something I have ever done, or needed to do.

 

Nothing beats red mite prevention (red mite powder or diatom / regular cleaning / constant vigilence) regardless of what type of housing you have.

 

Henthusiastic - you were on a hiding to nothing with this one and I doubt there's anything you could have done to avoid the dreaded red mite. Having read your description of the shed (double walled), it was a disaster waiting to happen as those are the ideal conditions for the dratted blood suckers. The further you can site the new housing from the shed the better as red mite do travel for a blood meal. The most important thing is to make sure you don't transfer them from the old shed, so once you've vacated it, don't go back! I'll pm you with more information.

[The Dogmother]

I was thinking last night about how lucky we are with all the brilliant pest control products we have these days.

 

I grew up on my grandparents' smallholding, and clearly remember the annual campaign against red mite; on a good hot day, the two hen sheds were taken apart into panels and the wooden shingles on the roof were stripped off. A flamethrower (the sort you use on weeds) was used to crispify any visible mites, then the whole thing was scrubbed with a sort of lye soap. We had one of those old brass pumps, like an upright bicycle pump, which was used to spray a pesticide - powder mixed into water - all over the housing panels (I got to operate the pump ), which were then painted with a sort of limewash before the ends of the roosting bars were coated with old engine oil from the pick-up truck... in fact this oil was also used to coat the hens legs if they had scaly leg I loved the smell of the creosote that we painted on the outside of the sheds, shame you can't really get it any more.

 

That was about 40 years ago....It was much more time consuming in those days.

 

..... One of the reasons that I choose plastic now! I have to say that it is far easier to clean and keep mite-free, but that's just my choice.

[scarlettohara]

You've reminded me that we used to put goose fat on the cow's udders if they were sore - a couple of the lads once offered to put some on my Mum's sunburn - she declined