Agri Vehicles Insurance from Greenlands

Author Topic: Red mite  (Read 9777 times)

Clansman

  • Joined Jul 2013
  • Ayrshire
Re: Red mite
« Reply #15 on: August 25, 2014, 08:35:56 am »
I think the same as Hseter F. I tried a 50:50 parafin to "creocote" mix and it doesn't seem to have worked very well... I couldn't get hold of real creosote. Where can I buy it?

http://www.creosotesales.co.uk/products-page/

madchickenlady

  • Joined Nov 2013
  • Old Newton Suffolk
Re: Red mite
« Reply #16 on: August 25, 2014, 06:21:08 pm »
I too have had a mite infestation - first ever! I want to treat the birds but would find dusting them all rather difficult so ha thought of using ivermectin drops. Any advice please as they don't seem to come in 'chicken sized' doses1
Heather

Stereo

  • Joined Aug 2012
Re: Red mite
« Reply #17 on: August 25, 2014, 07:38:17 pm »
One thing that can help is a good dry dust bath area. Apparently adding DE or clean wood ash is great for the dust baths too.

Oopsiboughtasheep

  • Joined Aug 2014
  • Hampshire
Re: Red mite
« Reply #18 on: August 26, 2014, 11:00:10 am »
Thankyou all for your replies. I have made a note of all suggestions for future use incase I need to use them.
I decided to go for the ant powder option first as suggested by Clansman but didn't think I'd be that lucky. However, one week later, I have blitzed the henhouses, brushing the powder hard into all the crevices and joints inside and outside the 2 and rubbed it into the girls, liberally sprinkled on bedding as well. Added diatoms (which I always use anyway) just for good measure....not a sign of red mite since!
I couldn't quite believe it, so I repeated the whole procedure again after 4 days and so far, so good. Will watch like a hawk though. Hens all happy and bright. Laying as well as can be expected considering that they are moulting. Thankyou Clansman! And everyone else for being so helpful.
Anything that costs you your peace is too expensive

Clansman

  • Joined Jul 2013
  • Ayrshire
Re: Red mite
« Reply #19 on: August 26, 2014, 11:21:50 am »
 :thumbsup:

I swear by it, it kills everything, ants, wasps the lot.

I do creosote every year but as a quick fix when you have mites and birds in then spraying some ant powder is as easy as its gets.

and its CHEAP!  :thumbsup:


« Last Edit: August 26, 2014, 11:27:35 am by Clansman »

lord flynn

  • Joined Mar 2012
Re: Red mite
« Reply #20 on: August 26, 2014, 11:33:42 am »
is this bog standard permethrin Clansman?

I will try it-just a word of warning for those of you with cats and cats that go into chicken housing -permethrin is toxic to cats.

Clansman

  • Joined Jul 2013
  • Ayrshire
Re: Red mite
« Reply #21 on: August 26, 2014, 12:01:14 pm »
Yep, just looked and that seems to be the active ingredient.

It only says dangerous to aquatic life on the warnings, don't eat, breathe it, mix with water etc

but i did just google permethrin and it does indeed seem to be dangerous for cats, most cases its from the concentrated flea spot treatments given to dogs but i'd guess a cat with ant powder on its fur/feet is going to ingest quite a bit of it when cleaning itself.

 good to know  :thumbsup:
« Last Edit: August 26, 2014, 12:14:32 pm by Clansman »

Steeple Ducks

  • Joined Mar 2015
Re: Red mite
« Reply #22 on: March 09, 2015, 03:57:33 pm »
Hi ready for this year ..... if you loose all hope, a sulphur candle that you can get from an ORGANIC CATALOGUE will get into all the nooks and crannies and frazzle them including the eggs. Obviously follow the instructions on the can! Permethrin is a contact insecticide that they don't like. A spray with any soap based product such as Ecover washing up liquid will cut through their waxy protective coating making them vulnerable to other products such as gritty scratchy diatom so they become dessicated. Oil based products such as Creacote or even baby oil or vegetable oil will bung up their respiratory system. Natural products all need follow ups but you're eating the eggs or birds so .... A sulphur candle really hits them but are for quite large sheds or greenhouses so really permeate a smaller wooden house with the stink and sting of sulphur so your birds will need somewhere else for at least 24 hours after you've started the airing process.

DavidandCollette

  • Joined Dec 2012
Re: Red mite
« Reply #23 on: March 11, 2015, 06:03:23 pm »
I have been using corrugated cardboard. I think it cost about £12 for a huge roll of the Internet. Just cut a piece for floor and nest box and burn and space every week

HesterF

  • Joined Jul 2012
  • Kent
  • HesterF
Re: Red mite
« Reply #24 on: March 11, 2015, 11:47:51 pm »
But does it work? Surely they still get into the wood work crevices? Also not practical for more than a house or two - I have chickens in four houses at the moment and waterfowl in four more so that would be acres of cardboard!

chrismahon

  • Joined Dec 2011
  • Gascony, France
Re: Red mite
« Reply #25 on: March 12, 2015, 07:29:59 am »
We tried ant powder in the houses. It contains Permethrin. Not only did it have no effect at all on red mite (they were nesting in it), the result of bantams inhaling the dust caused a total collapse of their immune system and two died. We also had an Orpington develop a urinary tract infection. My advice would be not to use a Permethrin based product because chickens flap their wings in the houses, raise the dust and then inhale it.

Marches Farmer

  • Joined Dec 2012
  • Herefordshire
Re: Red mite
« Reply #26 on: March 12, 2015, 01:42:19 pm »
I had one house with red mite last year and have creosoted it three times inside and once outside.  It's been parked (empty and closed up since August) on a field all winter.  I took a look at it when it got quite warm the other day and there were some red mite crawling around on the outside - I guess they'd been under hinges and not been clobbered by the creosote.  Have now used a whole can of Raid on the house.  I put a slab of stone to warm right through on the radiator yeserday and put it in the house overnight.  Acts like a long-lasting hot water bottle and should attract any remaining red mite as they seem to respond to the warmth of the poultry.  Have decided not to use that house this summer even if I can't see them any more.  Would burn it but it's a good one from Smiths Sectional Buildings (made of T&G, alas).

twizzel

  • Joined Apr 2012
Re: Red mite
« Reply #27 on: March 12, 2015, 01:52:55 pm »
My chicken's current house is a lovely 8x6 shed with 6 nest boxes... it's perfect but absolutely riddled. Have to move them to a different part of the farm this spring so taken the opportunity to build a new house. The old one is great and on the outside looks fine but the only thing for it is to burn it to the ground. The new house is going to have an automatic pop hole opener, onduline roof and clad with onduline too (hopefully the wood will stop it getting too hot inside), the door is going to have a weldmesh window in and a couple of nest boxes on the side- going to be a palace :)
« Last Edit: March 12, 2015, 01:54:33 pm by twizzel »

nutterly_uts

  • Joined Jul 2014
  • Jersey - for now :)
Re: Red mite
« Reply #28 on: March 12, 2015, 06:28:15 pm »
I'm pretty sure ivermectin isn't licensed for chickens, especially layers BUT (!) your vet can advise the use of it off license via the cascade system.

I did mine with a rabbit/guinea pig/cage bird spot on called Xeno under my vet's supervision and that wasn't licensed but we pulled all the eggs for a fortnight and then suffered no ill effects

Kimbo

  • Joined Feb 2015
  • Anglezarke, Lancashire
Re: Red mite
« Reply #29 on: March 13, 2015, 09:47:01 am »
Ivermectin definitely isn't licensed for chickens and you cant eat the eggs for about 2 weeks but Im told that it really does work very well and lasts for months.....the problem is knowing how much to give of the cat spot-on treatment. Obviously only a small amount but what is a small amount? And do you judge it by the hen's weight or what? Because its not licensed there's no product  advice and my vet wont risk advising me. I don't want to experiment and wipe out half my flock in the process.
Maybe one of our vets here might feel like sticking their neck out?!

Im still learning .....my  latest error might make you smile. I thought Id make a nice dust bath for the hens with DE to help with parasites. Got a good plastic shallow container that I could easily clean, put the DE in mixed with some of the earth they currently bathe in under the hedge, took it into the run feeling quite pleased with myself. The birds seemed to love it. Then I noticed that they didn't seem to be interested in it...... maybe that's because I had forgotten to put drainage holes in the plastic box so I had just made a very expensive mud bath!  ::)
Is it time to retire yet?

 

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