The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: waterbuffalofarmer on June 05, 2016, 09:32:58 am
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as the title says..... I need something to get rid of red mite. I was thinking would a mild bleach soloution do the job at all? Thr coop is clean its just red mite have take a fancy to it :rant: how long would I have to leave it for after treatment to use it?
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There are red mite sprays which I have found very effective. There are in the poultry section at the feed suppliers.
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I would stick to the proper red mite treatment. Not sure if bleach would be safe or do the job.
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Creosote or the substitute works brilliantly but will need a few days empty to air out
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I shift the hens somewhere else, spray the coop thoroughly with Raid, shut it up and leave it for a couple of days.
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Being a pyromaniac, I go for the blow torch/weed wand approach if the hens have only the one coop. You have to get into every last corner, between any slats etc, and repeat that regularly all season. Ideally, have two henhouses so you can treat one with fire then creosote. Check really well at the ends of perches.
I also treat the hens themselves - it's said that red mites don't stay on the birds during the day, but of course some do, or they wouldn't be able to travel around or re-infect the henhouse after treatment, which of course they can do.
Having just reread your OP I see you are talking of a broody coop. A sitting hen will be so uncomfortable if there are red mites in her coop, plus the chicks will not do well either. You will still have to treat the main henhouse, as well as the coop, as they will be there too.
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Thanks for that guys will do. I got the coop from my brother last year and it hasn't been used by me at all. I have 2 other henhouses but they have no red mite in them, as i make sure not and the hens are very healthy :) I'll have a look a bit later at the products suggested, once again TY for your helpguys I really appreciate it :)
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I found formaldehyde worked well. Put in a tin and heat with a tealight with everything sealed up and let it all evaporate. Smells terrible but seems to work.
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I got the coop from my brother last year and it hasn't been used by me at all.
I've seen several different figures for the period of time red mite can survive. I know from personal experience it will survive in a henhouse that's been power-washed, blow-torched and sunk in a farm pond for three weeks and then left sealed up outside over winter for over a year!
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In other words would you burn it? :-J
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When we first started keeping hens we modified an allotment shed, which was on its last legs 10 years before that. It can't possibly have had red mite, but pretty soon it did. So, yes, we burnt it :thumbsup: 8) and started afresh with new garden sheds, modified.
It seems a pity to expose your flock to red mite from a second hand broody coop, when you have kept their main accommodation mite-free.
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Creosote, the proper stuff you get for fence posts. But not the job to do on a hot day...
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I'm with Fleecewife. If your flock is red mite free at the moment, burn it. They are horribly tenancious.
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TY guys will do :)
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I used a blow torch too. Great adrenaline rush as the chicken shed is inside the barn and the house is attached to the barn. I did clear some straw from the sides of the chicken shed and had some water to hand in case of fire.
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We have chicken mites - have sprayed the coop, treated the chickens, burnt all the old sawdust etc.and they are back again. Am seriously considering burning the coop and getting a new one. If I do that do I need to treat the soil/outside runs? The bloody things are driving me - and the chooks - mad.
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2nd the burning option- my house had terrible red mite and despite regular spraying with poultry guard and diatomaceous earth sprinkled it never really helped. We burnt it along with all the other smaller coops and started again- the new house we made from scratch and liberally painted with creosote inside and out before the hens moved in.