Solitary chicken - need advice

[imogen1]

Hi

I wonder if someone could help me please. I am new to the world of hens, I took in 3 ex batts a fortnight ago and everything is going well, except...I have put bark chipping (as you would use for decorative borders in the garden) in the eglu run. It all looks lovely and the girls seem to like it, but I noticed when replenishing it last week that the bag was crawling with small white mites.

Is this dangerous/a pest for my chickens? Is there a way to kill these mites? Should I be using something else?

 

Any advice gratefully received!

 

Many thanks

Imogen

[Beantree]

Could be whitefly Imogen1. Whatever they are the chickens will eat them. The pests to worry about are host specific, so you won't find them living and breeding in bark chippings, only on birds. They drop off from one bird onto another with very little time in-between.

 

Bark chippings are what we used when we had fixed runs. Just keep up regular inspections of the coop for red mite (light brown when unfed) and on the birds for lice and Northern Fowl Mite. Catch any pests early and it is considerably easier to deal with them. We inspect the birds weekly, whether they like it or not. The perches in every coop are checked every morning for red mite, but they just lift out and we've had major problems this year. Once a week checking under the perch and the perch mounting points with a torch or tissue should be fine normally. The red mite have to hide in the coop during the day (as close to the roosts as possible) or the chickens eat them, so be suspicious if they are continually digging up the bedding.

[acw295]

Hardwood woodchips (playgrade) are better, they are drier and don't break down as fast or contain the mould. But they are much harder to source (I have not found them in any shops locally) and although available online they are expensive for delivery.

 

I use hardwood woodchips (bought online for £10 a bag plus expensive delivery) as I find them better (I only need to change every 6 months) and as our set up is small the cost is ok, but plenty of people use bark chippings with no issues.

[imogen1]

Thanks both for really helpful answers.

[Grandmashazzie]

I understood it was wood chips that were best for WIR,we got ours at B and Q.I was told bark chippings harboured mould which could cause problems.

[gongladosh]

The mould in the bark chippings caused breathing issues with my bantam - I switched to Aubiose/Hemcore and the problem went away quickly

[Chickabee]

I started off with bark. I have a covered Omlet WIR. After quite a short time the bark became smelly. I tried to maintain it, but it just soaked up,any damp in the air. I got rid of it in the end and changed to Aubiose or easichick or easibed

[PixieDust]

Well OH has insisted upon seasoned bark as he wants it for compost. He knows it will need replacing often and I will keep it turned and sanitised. We have a WIR but it is covered. I had read about the spores but OH insists upon it.

[mullethunter]

Just see how you go PixieDust. If it costs you a fortune in sanitiser and gets stinky OH may change his mind. You can compost Aubiose type things too.

[PixieDust]

Just had a chat which nearly turned into an arguement, and he insists seasoned bark will not break down that quickly as there is no cellulose in the bark structure. The bark he uses at work takes years to break down. And he can't understand how stuff which would be on a jungle floor could be bad for them. Anyhow, a seed is planted he may read up for himself!