[egglady]

checked the coop tonight and we have zillions of the little bu88ers!  no wonder mypoor broody left her days - she must have been getting bitten alive and just couldnt stand it anymore - i feel awful.

so have read lots on the internet about how to treat them, but i am also interested to hear what you lot do please?

[jameslindsay]

That's crap Laura, touch wood so far we have never been bothered by the buggers.

[egglady]

i thought we hadnt either!  has broody not gone off her eggs last week, i probably still wouldnt have thought we had them..only by reading my replies on here i even thought to check.....and was 'getting round to it'...lucky observant 14 year old son decided to check tonight himself! 

[doganjo]

See the other thread - diatom earth sprinkled everywhere after cleaning out and disinfecting your shed.(Poultry Shield)

[egglady]

thanks Annie, i read that thread and have ordered both products, but i was interested to hear of any other treatments folks have tried over the years that they think work.  like read somewhere, somone paints the inside of their coop with creosote and they swear by it for instance...

[doganjo]

Yes, I saw that, but you'd need somewhere else for the hens to sleep until it was bone dry - it's lethal stuff, and bloomin smelly .  I wouldn't touch it myself.

[dixie]

If you have a spare shed, move them, and creosote it! Failing that its its very hard to completely get rid of them, They live in the crevices and come out at night to feed off the hens whilst perching, thick cream ie sudocrem or washing up liquid squirted on the ends of the perches each evening helps prevent them feeding, diatom earth is supposed to be very good, also steam cleaning the shed every week. We had them and never completely got rid, so we got a upvc shed! the other is now creosoted and used as a spare or broody shed.

[Castle Farm]

Get the birds out at all costs and rehouse,even if you have to catch them up and put then in a large cardboard box and I mean large, over night for a few nights (afterwards burn the box).

There are 3 things that will work but you must really soak it in to the house.

1. Old fashion Creosote. Your unlikely to find the real thing, so thats out.
2. Red diesel. You may have to buy 5 ltrs, but it's very handy stuff.
3. Parrafin. Most diy or farm supplies sell it.

All contain oil and thats what kills not only the adults, but the eggs.

Put a spare set of clothes somewhere outside the house, as the last thing you want is to have red mite in the house carried on your clothes after you paint the shed.

[fifixx]

You can get creosote if you have a holding number at agricultural stores.  How long should you wait after creosoting before the birds can go back in?

[doganjo]

Put a spare set of clothes somewhere outside the house, as the last thing you want is to have red mite in the house carried on your clothes after you paint the shed.

Wish that had been posted before I cleaned my duck and chicken sheds out yesterday!  Hopefully I didn't have any beasties anyway.  I didn't see any.............................

[dixie]

I have heard that the substitute Creocote also works!

[Anke]

You can still buy the old type Creosote for "fencing" purposes, we got a big can from our local timber merchant/fencing supplier.
Yes it smells and I would do it in batches if you need to do a lot (and the normal this gloves that I wear get dissolved by it, so a pair of thick old gloves is needed) , we now do our sheds before the hens move in, let them dry out completely. Not had RM for the last two years, but big problem before!

Also we use plastic boxes for next boxes, easier cleaned and again shouldn't harbour RM.

We did try originally some spray or other but even hoovering the shed out every week and using that stuff was not enough, in my opinion only Creosote or similar works.

[egglady]

hopefully my 'stuff' arrives tomorrow but today i took great satisfaction in getting the blow torch out and doing as much as i could - i know i have hardly scratched the surface but at least it should help a wee bit.  have also left the pop hole open tonight so that if it gets too much for them they can escape for a bit.  they have a fence so should be safe from foxy loxy.....i hope!

[andy harris]

So ive been told powder dont work that well....BUT a friend told me to use plain old cheep vinegar in a spray bottle and that kills em instantly but you do have to leave the coop open after ofcorse cos of the smell. I hope this helps

[Sylvia]

If your houses are near enough to a power supply use a steam cleaner and boil the beggars to death!