Marieemily Posted August 28, 2016 Share Posted August 28, 2016 For the last couple of nights my 4 chickens have not wanted to go in their coop choosing to sit on top instead so I've manually put them in. I ve just been down and horrified to see the inside of their coop seemed at first to be covered in dust, a sandy colour, but it's tiny mites/lice. Feel awful as should have spotted this before now, having not had an eggs over the last few days. It's too late for me to clean the whole thing out tonight now but it's not safe leaving my chickens out over night so will have to put them in again. Please can anyone advise me on what the procedure is for me cleaning out the coop and treating my poor chickens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvachicken Posted August 28, 2016 Share Posted August 28, 2016 I don't know exactly as my chickens have not had them as yet, but I do use Total mite kill (pink liquid) on my cube and Red mite/diatomaceous earth powder sprinkled on the chickens themselves. Someone else will come with more precise instructions to help you out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marieemily Posted August 28, 2016 Author Share Posted August 28, 2016 Thank you. From what I've just read it's lice not mites. Hopefully Countrywide will have something to treat it with tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvachicken Posted August 28, 2016 Share Posted August 28, 2016 I think lice live on the chickens themselves whereas red mite live in the house and come out at night which is why the chickens don't want to go in there to sleep. Hopefully your shop will have something to sort it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marieemily Posted August 28, 2016 Author Share Posted August 28, 2016 I've looked up pictures of red mite and they are dark, reddish, these are a sand colour. Can't wait for the morning now tk get them sorted, feel so bad to have not noticed sooner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvachicken Posted August 28, 2016 Share Posted August 28, 2016 Don't feel bad. Things sneak up on us no matter how much we do. Think of it as a learning curve and that you can use it to know what to look for in the future Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted August 28, 2016 Share Posted August 28, 2016 Just as a thought... Do you have a wooden coop? And might it be termites instead of lice or mites? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plum Posted August 28, 2016 Share Posted August 28, 2016 Yuk theyre grey until they feed. Just had a dose in my cube. Right so kill them before you clean the coop or they find their way back. I spraydd Total mite kill left it 10 mins then clsaned the coop with the same getti g it in all nooks and crannies. I used silicon tpo bung up manufacturing holes and the front join where i couldnt get the panel off. I double bagged all the bedding and muck and it went in the bin. Reassembe everything using dichotomous earth in every join and surface. I repeated this every week 3 times to catch any hatching eggs. Somewhere along the line i changed to poultry shield. With the girls i used Invermectin 1% approx 3 drops on back of neck every 10 days 3 times and will use it monthly I changed the run floor chucked down some dichotomous earth and sprayed run perches gym etc with poultry shield. So glad the flaming things went im exhausted. Good luck and have your weetabix first Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gavclojak Posted August 29, 2016 Share Posted August 29, 2016 Another one here who swears by ivermectin based spot on. I treat the girls every 8 weeks during the summer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plum Posted August 29, 2016 Share Posted August 29, 2016 Do you eat the eggs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marieemily Posted August 30, 2016 Author Share Posted August 30, 2016 Yes we eat the eggs, they have not laid now for several days. Sadly one of our younger hens had died over night on Monday. We have rehoused them temporarily and have ordered a new coop as was indeed a red mite infestation. We gave them a thorough dusting last night but can't seem to find any info on when we should do it again. Please can someone advise on how often we should treat them with the red mite powder? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marieemily Posted August 30, 2016 Author Share Posted August 30, 2016 I have just read in the health section to dust them 3 to 4 times a week so will do that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted September 8, 2016 Share Posted September 8, 2016 Use an ivermectin based spot on* on your birds on a regular basis Clean the housing and spray with Total MIte Kill Dust the housign with Buz Busters powder and use it in the nest box Repeat the housekeeping steps every 3 days until you've knocked it back, then use those products weekly as part of your basic clean. *not licensed for use on poultry in the UK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
