Chicken bald back

[mullethunter]

After having my gang for almost exactly 3 years I've just found mites for the first time. Yuk. They must have pretty much come from nowhere - spotted 2 on me when I was cleaning them out and when I started to look there were loads on their perch (a wooden one I out in the Cube because they don't like roosting bars) and ten when I started taking the removable bits out of the Cube all the crevices were crawling with them.

 

I only found all this after 6 o clock tonight, so I emptied out the nest area (actually weren't many in there), took apart everything that easily comes apart, swept out the Cube and pressure washed everything that comes out. Chucked out the perch (I'll make or find another one) and piece of wood that covered the hole in the best box. When everything was dry I covered everything in the Cube with Johnsons mite powder (does it work?), and also put the powder on all the perches in the run and the dustbaths.

 

So questions...

 

1. Is Johnsons mite powder any good or do I need something different?

2. Do I need to get rid of all the woodchip and wooden perches in the run as well?

3. Do I need to do the chickens?

4. Do I need to completely dismantle the Cube and clean it all?

 

Thankyou - I guess I've been lucky to avoid them this far - horrid things.

[Cat tails]

Grossss!

Hope you got them all!

[mullethunter]

I doubt it

[Grandmashazzie]

You and me both. Your post encouraged me to check and my cube is teeming with them.Strangely the classic seems clear. Both now dismantled,doused in scalding water and power housed and left in sun. We will put a box with shavings for laying and let them roost in perchs in WIR and keep power hosing cube and classic also will do girlies tonight with Invermectin.Yuck itchy all over.

[mullethunter]

I'm glad my post helped you out

 

For me pressure washing, drying in the sun and covering everything in powder does SEEM to have done the trick. Can't see any sign of mites on the girls (the two that'll let me look anyway).

 

They're not at all happy to have lost their perch though - they hate roosting bars.

[Luvachicken]

I am going to blast my cube tomorrow.

I have seen tiny bugs but have no idea if they are red mite or not.

I have squashed what I've seen anyway and there are not many of whatever they are

Would there be lots of them if they were red mite ?

[The Dogmother]

OK, so it's that time of year...

 

1. Blast clean everything as thoroughly as you can, a pressure hose into all the crevices will work well.

2. When it's dry, spray everywhere with Total Mite Kill Concentrate (pink spray, which is ready made, or use the concentrate - diluted - from the big 5l container to refill)

3. Powder all areas with Buz Busters powder.

 

Repeat this every 3 days until you have knocked it back, then revert to your weekly clean, using the above products and you will keep clear.

 

* Either burn all bedding or double bag and put it in the wheelie bin.

* Do not use straw, hay or paper in your housing

* Take great care not to transfer it to your own house - all clothes in a very hot wash and scrub yourself in the shower. If you think they are on you, then shower with a dog flea shampoo or head lice prep containing permethrin

* You will find that a preventative spot-on treatment used quarterly on your birds will prevent red mite infestations in their housing

[mullethunter]

Thanks DM. Excellent advice as always

[Luvachicken]

I had great fun yesterday in the heat of the day pressure washing my cube.

I stood in puddles, accidentally aimed at things so the spray would bounce off and soak me and generally had a good time with the water

 

Best of all the cube was spotless, got baked in the sun to dry and then baked again with the pink spray

Not only that, I didn't spot a single bug

 

The chickens are quite scared of the pressure washer but they were very pleased at the end to discover their bone dry soil was now cool and damp.

[The Dogmother]

Try to get sunlight into the cube and panels as much as possible when you dry it off - this will disinfect it and kill off bugs.

[Luvachicken]

Try to get sunlight into the cube and panels as much as possible when you dry it off - this will disinfect it and kill off bugs.

 

They sure had that

Any more sun and I think it would have all melted

[Cat tails]

I did check my Go yesterday too. No mites. Plenty of bugs though, but of the spidery kind.

Decided spiders are a good thing in the coop as they will probably eat other bugs that actually might be harmful.

[mullethunter]

Third pressure wash, spray and powder today and didn't see any of he little blighters. Was a bit like you luvachicken - accidentally getting water everywhere! Used the last bit of hot sun to dry it all out. Fingers crossed that's done it for now, and thank Omlet for a plastic house

[Luvachicken]

Was a bit like you luvachicken - accidentally getting water everywhere!

 

I'm glad you had a fun time in the water too mullethunter, and I hope you have managed to kill off all the mites.

 

Thanks for giving us all a much needed push to clean our own houses

[mullethunter]

hope you have managed to kill off all the mites.

 

No such luck. Squashed about 10 tonight - all with blood in. I cleaned out much better this time and used mite kill spray in all the crevices which I hadn't before, so I guess all the ones which were still hidden away are now coming out.

 

I don't think there are enough left to cause any problems at this number, but I know they'd multiply again quickly, so I'll do it all again at the weekend.

[Luvachicken]

Oh, that's a shame

Fingers crossed the temperatures are back up to roasting at the weekend so you can toast the last few.

[The Dogmother]

I'm afraid that the key to eradicating them is persistence. That combined with a preventative spot-on will do the job, and keep it clear.

 

I find that the spray, followed by Buz Busters sprinkled into all the cracks really works.

[Grandmashazzie]

Did you take yours apart Mullethunter? Pain though it was we unscrewed ours down to main components and there did seem to be a lot of hidey holes we wouldn't have got to without dismantling.

[The Dogmother]

Totally agree Shazzie - I do that same twice a year and really blast it clean, then spray and powder each section before putting it back together.

[mullethunter]

No I didn't take it apart any further than removing all the inside bits, doors and roof. I guess that's what I'll do on Sunday.

[clucker1]

Uuuuugh!!! My lot have taken to camping out for the last few days. Yes, you guessed... a few critters ... black tiny tiny things running round on the bars. Off to farm shop tomorrow to purchase red mite stuff. Yuck! First time in 7 years to have critters in the cube.

[clucker1]

Would it be ok to fill the trays with wood chip? Or better to leave them empty? Will the chickens know the blighters have gone and will they return to the cube by themselves? They are tiny tiny black things is that red mite?

[The Dogmother]

Wood chip isn't absorbent, best stick to Aubiose.

 

Follow my instructions above and you will get rid of them.

 

Red mites are grey before a feed, and red afterwards, they leave droppings, which accumulate like grey fag ash.

[clucker1]

Definitely fag ash around. Can't believe it, how they have moved in! Cleaned the cube 9 days ago before we went on holiday, then didn't last week as there wasn't much poo in the trays....and now a nice lining of the little blighters droppings around the edge of the trays along the edge of the cube. Plus they kept jumping on me. Itchy!!! So have used Nettex total mite kill liquid and nettex louse powder (the latter I had anyway and co uldnt see the busters product in the shop. What is in your busters product DM? Hoping this all works, just pleased about he cube at least it is easy to clean. Yes, I meant aubiose, not wood chip. I didnt disamantle the cube for 2 reasons...1 I'm not sure if I could put it back together again and 2 we have a leak in ours when it torrents and I dont want to make it worse. Was working against the clock tonight after work too. Did Iots of spraying, going to get shares in Nettex. Will repeat exercise on

Thursday.

[The Dogmother]

Buz Busters contains permethrin; the same active ingredient as Total Mite Kill Conc. Together they work very well.