[nic99]

There are millions of them, they are everywhere! I cleaned them out last weekend and didn't see any, they have multiplied so quickly. There are so many, my initial thought was just to burn the hen house and buy a new one. But I have discovered you can get chicken house fumers. Anybody had any experience with these? Is it worth bothering?
I have an unused, but much smaller, house I can put them in in the meantime. I figure it's better to be squished than eaten alive! I have noticed some mites crawling round on the hens too so will sprinkle them all with diatom powder.

[Daisys Mum]

Never used a fumer but if you can get hold of some real! Creosote and paint inside and out that will definately get rid of the little blighters. I did what you were contemplating once and burned the hen house down, moved all my hens int a new one after spraying them with Frontline. It did work although rather drastic, now I just creosote everywhere.

[chrismahon]

You can get Sulphur candles for greenhouses. Can't imagine anything surviving that but the fumes attack metal (not aluminium) so you may get some rusty catches.


Never tried a purpose fumer for coops on that basis as we have metal parts.

[Castle Farm]

If you cant get creosote use red diesil that works the same or parrafin.

[mentalmilly]

If you use parrafin when can you put the hens back in their hut?  Do you have to leave it as long as creosote?

[colliewobbles]

I tried them twice last year when we had a major infestation - they did no good whatsoever 

[Fleecewife]

We use a flame thrower (weed wand) for several days in a row if we have an infestation, then every week, or every time they are cleaned out, after that.   The flame will get into every nook and cranny, but don't point it in one place for too long or you will burn the whole place down.   Then we spread diatomaceous earth throughout the house and on the hens, working it well in under their wings.
 
Red mite always come back, even if you do burn the old house and buy a new one - we've done that once before too.  'The word' is that they stay in the old house when you move the birds, but in fact enough seem to hitch a ride on the hens to re-infest the new house.
 
We make sure the hens have a dry wood ash dust bath, or access to the bonfire site once it's burnt down, as the ashes seem to help keep down parasites, and of course they love a good dust bath.

[Pedwardine]

Interesting about the wood ash. Didn't know that.
One year we brought an old chook house back into play which hadn't been used for over eighteen months. I couldn't believe that it still was teeming with mites, albeit almost invisible ones as they hadn't fed in all that time. Thought they must hav been dead by then if any were still around when we'd taken it out of circulation. It got blasted with a steam power washer, then gave the house a really liberal soaking with deosect and the birds got dunked in a solution too to be sure. Didn't wok so we tried a blow torch making sure to get into any crevices. Bloody things still came crawling out from under the top charred layer!! I know cockroaches are supposed to be the only living things to survive a nuclear blast. Hmm I've wondered if red mites would too    I think as long as wild birds are around your chickens you'll never be entirely rid. The infestation just has to be managed as best as you can.

[mwncigirl]

not tried  a fumer, but we had to creosote four or five times to make a difference. 

[fifixx]

I know there is a new product that can be used once ever few years (so as not to build up a resistance) and I know it is somewhere on this forum - am hunting and will add the link when I find it!

[mentalmilly]

I have started to blow torch the mites l find every morning, get a lot of satisfaction seeing them die.  Will have to do this every day for a bit as well as powder and DE. Dusting the birds etc.  Creosote only seems to work in the short term for me.  Will try the wood ash though, thanks. Its all out war now, and l WILL win.

[fifixx]

Elector - expensive, but might be worth having if the infestation is really bad http://www.poultryhealth.co.uk/Elector

[nic99]

Thanks for all your help peeps. I don't think this could have happened at a worst time. I am getting married next weekend and it is total chaos here trying to get everything ready on time. Yesterday afternoon/evening was spent entirely on sorting out the hens instead of wedding preparations, which lead to major stress and grumpiness all round. But no way could I let them spend another night in the infested house.
So a lot of the mites are still on the hens. Loads of them were crawling up the sides of the new house I put them into. Went round with a spray of poultry shield and a liberal dusting of diatom this morning and will try and repeat that several times a day if I can. Cracked rather a lot under my thumbail too, goodness me, that was satisfying! What a beautiful crunching sound.
Don't have time to do anything with the infested house at the moment, so it just going to have to wait. Have bought the fumigators anyhow, as they were quite cheap so figured worth a shot. Will give them a go and see what happens. If not will either resort to my original plan of burning it or give it a go with creosote/diesel/blowtorch/all of the above.
This is the first time I have had an infestation of these. It is horrible! I feel so sorry for my birds.

[bloomer]

hint don't do the creosote/diesel then the blowtorch thing!!! 


i only have a small house but a very liberal attack with the liquid concentrate stuff... and then powder when it had dried out repeated after 5 days has seriously knocked the problem on the head...


I am going to replace the roof though as its felted and guess where the buggers love to live, new roof is a project for the next couple of weeks when i get time!!!

[chrismahon]

They only go into the roof felt if they have run out of space everywhere else Bloomer. At that stage you might as well torch the lot. We have never had them in the roof felt but we do paint the inside of the roof with white gloss to reflect the light. Plywood roof removed most of the spaces they hide but does need painting as we have had fungal spores problems in Far Eastern Ply (exterior grade hardwood).