The Poultry Keeper

Trev · Joined: 10 Jul 2005 Posts: 2 Location: west midlands

Hello chicken fans.
My name is Trev and i have 3 chucks.
Always had then when i was a kid and i thought it was about time i had a few and followed in my fathers footsteps.
Don't ask me what sort of chickens they are all i can tell you is that they are brown and make loads of noise about 7-30am as i am about to let them out of the coop.
I have had them for about 18 months now and they seem to be quite happy.
The only problem i have is that i have some sort of mite in the coop and they are driving me made as well as the chickens. ( i am guessing on the second part )

Every time i get the eggs i end up with these little buggers crawling over me. They cant be doing the chickens any good either.

please some one tell me how i can kill these little pest and live a mite free life.

Me and my chicken mates want to see the back of these things and i would like to know what to use that's not going to harm the chucks.

We feel like we are living an episode of Dr Who.
I never thought that such a little bug could make our lives a misery.

Please help....

P.s Not sure what color this is going to be written in but if its bright or two in your face i will try and change it for next time.
New to all this forum thingy bob. Confused

Aussie Chick · Posted: Sun Jul 10, 2005 9:53 pm Post subject:

Hi and Welcome,
I'm new too to chickens but If you do a search for red spider mite you will find your answers. You could also buy some mite powder and rub it into your chickens feathers and in their house.

Hope this helps a bit.
AC

CP · Posted: Sun Jul 10, 2005 10:26 pm Post subject:

If you have a bad red mite infestation, then they will be hard to get rid of quickly.

One of the best things to use is a steam cleaner, if you have one. Or a blow torch, but used very carefully!

Otherwise, there are various sprays & powders you can buy.

Hope that helps a bit! Good luck, you will get rid of them if you persist with your cleaning regime.

NannyP · Posted: Sun Jul 10, 2005 10:41 pm Post subject:

Welcome Trev,

Yes, get rid of them soon, once they get really bad they can cause real problems and your flock will become anaemic. Have a good clean out with a steam cleaner, specially in the gaps at the end of perches or where they join walls etc. If no steam cleaner ( I bought a cheap one specially) then use Poultry Shield which you can purchase from www.sprcentre.co.uk I think and follow the instructions on the tin. I now use Diatom everytime I clean the coop,(also available from SPR. I sprinkle it on the floor of the coop and in the shavings in the nest boxes, I also sometimes add it to the hens dustbath along with Louse Powder. IMHO the Diatom stops the red mite before they become too difficult to get rid of. I don't think I have red mite yet, this summer.
To check for Red Mite, wait an hour after the brids have roosted and then take some kitchen paper and wipe it along the perches, if it comes out with red blood spots on it, you have red mite Rolling Eyes

Hope this helps and Good Luck
Laughing

Aussie Chick · Posted: Sun Jul 10, 2005 10:44 pm Post subject:

Thanks for the Tip Nanny, I don't think I have any but now I can check!

nigel · Posted: Mon Jul 11, 2005 6:38 am Post subject:

I use a 3 pronged attack to keep the dreaded mite at bay. I use barrier red-mite powder in nest boxes and dust baths, I spray with poultry shield and flame the joints with a small blow torch (actually a creme brulle torch I stole from the kitchen - sorry Steph)

There are other things you can use, there is duramitex which is a malathion based organophospate based pesticide. If you choose to use this one be v careful and follow the instructions as it's nasty stuff)

I'd recommend steam cleaning too, but we have no electricity on the allotment

Aussie Chick · Posted: Mon Jul 11, 2005 6:56 am Post subject:

Nigel can you post a pic of your hens on the lottie please? I would like to get some for mine, but wondered how close you have them to other plot holders.

Thanks,
AC

nigel · Posted: Mon Jul 11, 2005 7:55 am Post subject:

i'll take some pics for you soon,

but in the mean time there are pics here of all our chicken keeping over the last year if they are any help.

Trev · Joined: 10 Jul 2005 Posts: 2 Location: west midlands

Thank you to everyone for your replies
I did dress for combat with the bugs yesterday with the pressure washer but it sounds like i need to invest in a steam cleaner.

Not to sure about the blow torch, I now it would do the job but i don't want to worry the chickens into thinking there up for a roasting. I think i will keep the pressure washer handy when i do go in for the kill just in-case i get a bit carried away and set fire to there house.
Better take out some buildings and contents insurance for them.

Do you think direct line would do it ?? LOL Confused

Many thanks once again. Very Happy

chicken mummy · Joined: 26 Jun 2005 Posts: 25

We've only had our chickens for about 6 weeks and I wasn't looking forward to catching them and putting the louse powder on them so when I read somewhere about making a dust bath out of a cat litter tray and some sand and adding the powder to that I was onto it immediately! What a great idea - let the girls de-louse themselves whilst rolling around in the sand!
Slight problem - they have all got completely the wrong idea and have ignored it for the whole 2 weeks that it has been there. I put it under their house to keep it dry but they just walked through it or round it. So today we moved it out into their play pen in the sun. They all gathered round and started eating the sand!
I have steam cleaned their house and put lavender essential oil in various nooks and crannies to help deter red mites etc but just need the girls to help out a bit. Any ideas on how to encourage them to use the sand as a dust bath?
We haven't actually seen any of them having a proper dust bath in the ground either - do they need to do it alot, or only every now and then? A couple of them do scratch a bit of a hole and lay in it, but don't do anything like roll around or flick it up with their wings which is what I think a dust bath should be like.
All suggestions welcome

nigel · Posted: Wed Jul 13, 2005 6:34 am Post subject:

Mine made their own dust bath under an old apple tree where it is usually dry. Their dust bathing is indeed like you imagine crouching in the hole, wriggling and kicking, then they stand up and give themselves a shake dust flying everywhere.

I'm not sure how you'd get them to use a dust box though Confused

carl · Joined: 03 Oct 2005 Posts: 2

i am new to this site but i thought i shud let u in on some tips that i used to help clear the mites.
the powder i got does not work i found that painting the whole shed with creosote killed all the mites apart from those on the hens and once i find out how to kill these i shall soon tell. Dancing

Chippypip · Joined: 27 Oct 2006 Posts: 2

This may seem a silly question.....

But where do the Mites come from?

Diane · Joined: 05 Feb 2006 Posts: 274 Location: Dorset

They come from wild birds - I think they just drop out of the sky Shocked

CP · Posted: Sat Oct 28, 2006 3:44 pm Post subject:

They are whisked to you magically by an evil wizard! Twisted Evil

Don't really know as they don't live on the birds, only in the housing. Confused

Maybe they hitch a lift occasionally on wild birds & as Diane says, they drop out of the sky! Shocked