Pro - Does anyone else's nest boxes get soaked in rain?

[tdf010604]

Hello...I have a red mite infestation in the wooden coop..I am about to attack the coop but just wondering as it is inside a wooden framed walk in run would they be living in the joints and slats of that too?

Not sure how far the little wotsits travel....

[Egluntyne]

Yes, I'm afraid that they will be everywhere, in all nooks and crannies, screw holes and the like.

[Beantree]

We have been unable to control red mite long term with anything else but creosote. It is best applied diluted 50:50 with paraffin so it soaks in better and dries much faster. It is just as effective. Chickens can go back in after two weeks if the weather is good. Never treat the nest boxes as fumes are given off in warm weather for months afterwards. You will therefore need a temporary coop Tdf010604. The coop needs treating every year.

 

I don't know how well Creocote, the environmentally friendlier alternative, works on red mite?

 

My advice is to consider buying a plastic coop, as they are easier to clean and have far less hiding places in them.

[tdf010604]

Thank you...I am hoping to get a plastic coop once finances improve...

I will try and make some arrangements to get the run creosoted at least whilst I am dealing with the coop...

It's been 2 years since we got the chooks so I've been lucky so far....

[Luvachicken]

Does that mean that red mites could be living on my wooden run that the girls have, even though the cube is on the 3 metre omlet run first ?

[Beantree]

No it doesn't Luvachicken. Red mite feed at night and stay as close to their hosts as possible, keeping dry and out of sight during the day. Chickens will eat them otherwise, so if you see them pecking at the bedding have a good look under a magnifying glass. We have treated coops as said above, but the critters can still live in the wood shavings of the bedding.

 

They certainly won't be travelling 3 metres to get to the chickens. I'd say the furthest point to ours that red mite have travelled is 500mm.

[Luvachicken]

Thank goodness for that, thank you Beantree

But I will be keeping an eye out just in case.

[chickenanne2]

Try a mini-blowtorch - the type sold in kitchen shops, rather than an enormous great big one! That should be enough to clear them out/sterilize the house. Obviously don't hover over the same spot for long enough for it to burn the wood itself. I had red mite within 3 months of my chickens, but this cleared it out and I've never had a problem since (in about 8 years).

[Beantree]

We use a mini steam cleaner with fine jet which works quite well. But you would probably need to use it every week to keep the numbers down. An alternative is to encourage ants into the coop with a trail of honey or something. They will eat all the red mite and won't harm the chickens.

[fizzyegg]

I dealt with red mite the first 3-4 years I kept hens. I tried all the usual spray and powder stuff you get in pet shops to no avail.

 

Eventually I switched to a cheap plastic coop (cheap would be around £200 for plastic ones) and bought a big bucket of diatomaceous powder and covered EVERYTHING with it every time after I cleaned it with a pressure washer. I put the powder on the ends of perches, in the bedding, on the chickens, known mite walkways and in their dust baths. This kept them under control and when the cold weather came last winter I haven't seen them since. Now the warm weather is back I'll probably start using diatomaceous powder again just in case they return.

 

But yeah, I didn't have the room to house my hens anywhere else to let other mite killing products do their job, and diatomaceous powder worked for me!

[The Dogmother]

Folks... if you're using Diatom ,then please be careful to wear a mask and not inhale any when you are sprinkling it around as it can cause serious lung problems.