[Bodger]

I've planned to replace the tongue and groove rooves on my factory made chicken sheds with Onduline sheets for sometime now and morning, I've stripped the first one off and OMG! No wonder I've been facing an up hill struggle to keep the redmite in check this year  There were thousands of them, both under the roofing felt  and where the planks were fastened to the frame. I've sprayed all the ones that have been exposed and I'm now giving the insecticide time to work before carrying on.
I've got another three sheds to do after this one and after they've been done, hopefully I'll have better luck in trying to keep things in check.  Take it from me, if you have roofing felt on your chicken sheds, you definitely need to get rid of it. 

[Tala Orchard]

We found the same thing about a year ago under the T&G there was a liner of thin ply this was covered with red mite. Since then we have used garden sheds modified to be used as a coop and our red mite problem is under control,  , we have found most of these factory made chicken coops to be costly and a waste of time and money. Unless one can afford the type produced by Smiths.

Tala

[nic99]

I had my own red mite horror story last night. I was cleaning out a small ark which is on the garden lawn and has been used to house chicks, completely unaware that it had a red mite colony living in it. Down on my hands and knees, scraping away at some dried on poo, resting my head on the side of the doorway, as it is a pretty small opening. Lean back to discover loads of red mite crawling around where my head had just been!! They were everywhere, all over me, hundreds crawling round in my hair. It was the stuff nightmares are made from. I was still finding them crawling up the wall of the shower a few hours later. I am traumatised. 
This is the 2nd house they have colonised this summer and they are no where near each other and haven't ever had the same birds living in them. This one is small and mobile so has been thoroughly pressure washed and moved to a different location. The first one is a 6 x 4 shed and is still locked up in situ waiting for me to decide what to do with it. I would love to burn it to the ground and replace it with a smiths one, but they are mightily expensive.

[Bionic]

nic, you are making me itch......

[ZaktheLad]

Nic - that's horrible!

[happygolucky]

I only nipped in and out of our shed and was itchy for hours, I do not think we even have many it was only one or two tickles but I felt like I had fleas and dare not go into the pups until I stopped itching, do others have the same problem? apart from dusting my head with that dust for mites, I am not sure how to stop the little Red mites, Cleggs and the Scottish midge should join forces, who needs guns and bombs? the enemy would run miles out their way

[devonlad]

BLOWTORCH !!!  and real cresosote

[darkbrowneggs]

Redmites lower the vitality of the birds and reduce egg numbers and quality, so its always best to keep on top of them.


Severe redmite infestation can even kill young or weak stock. 

[Anke]

BLOWTORCH !!!  and real cresosote

REAL Creosote - only solution (oh and Onduline roofs of course). We haven't had red mite for the last few years!!!

[Victorian Farmer]

Diatomaceous Earth /Diatom RED MITE you need this

[shygirl]

does anyone have problems in plastic housing?

[Railway Chickens]

Despite a plastic house we still get mites but its much easier to control them due to less cracks for them to hid in.

[chrismahon]

We have felt on all our coops. Only once did we get mite underneath and that was because the coop was so infested there was no space left for the mite at lower levels. Onduline has support and sealing problems so its not that simple a solution.

[jaykay]

I have tongue and groove houses, plywood rooves with corrugated tin over the top.

And an horrendous red mite problem, despite regular use of TotalMite and diatomaceous earth.

The mites are not in the rooves though, but in the tongue and groove, so I don't think onduline will help.

Presumably those of you using real creosote have enough houses to close up the treated one for a while? How long? I used diesel a couple of times, which was amazingly effective, but I couldn't use the houses for about 3 months.
What do folk make the sides of your chicken houses out of? I think I could do with starting again and burning these......

[Clansman]

I use Cresote jaykay and have two chicken houses and one for turkeys (they are actually garden sheds)

I cresote the outside every year and go round the internal joints, perch mounts, cracks, twice a year, usually early spring, late summer while the birds are still in situ with no problems.

I'm not splashing it around inside though, just covering the likely mite spots.