Red (Black) mites

[Bramble-Poultry]

***** Fluid is quite good actually for lots of things. Its even licenced under DEFRA (sorry to swear guys) for use in bird flu as it is known to actually kill it!!

As for frontline - it is not licenced for use on chickens in the form labelled as frontline - however the active ingredient is fipronil - which IS recommended for use on poultry. Buying a product designed for chickens with fipronil in it is twice the price of Frontline. The spot on does not work due to the way is is distributed around the system but the spray does work very well, it works for lice, mites and scaley leg. if you ask your vet he will recommend it. there is no egg withdrawl on frontline.

[di]

I've always used it for the weekly clean,just never thought to put it in a spray bottle.
It's wierd,I can't stand the smell of most household cleaners but I actually really like the smell of *****!

[Hans Mum]

I've always used it for the weekly clean,just never thought to put it in a spray bottle.
It's wierd,I can't stand the smell of most household cleaners but I actually really like the smell of *****!

Di, what sort of ratio did you dilute it to in the spray bottle? Ta

[di]

....a splash!?...
I don't overdo it,almost fill the bottle with water & then tip just a little in.
a lot less of a faff than measuring out the PS!

[MaureenHall]

You can buy it in a spray bottle from B&Q, I use it on the perches when I'm scrubbing the poo off I've been doing a "belt and braces" then, cleaning with ***** first then spraying with Poultry Shield!

[Flummery]

I use the 'ready to spray' stuff to Mo. You can squirt it in all the cracks and scrub with a brush. I quite like the smell. Then when it's rinsed and dried I use a mite power to dust everywhere. That smells rather nice too. People are going to think it's me new perfume!

[SuzyB]

Red Mite

Ive just started cleaning out the hen house, lifted a perch and found an infestation of red mite. I poo pick daily, and clean out weekly, dusting with red mite powder each time. Last week, no signs, this week, millions of them! Ive ordered some poultry shield and will dust the girls later, in the meantime is there anything I can disinfect the house with that will be safe to use.

I dont understand how they can have firstly arrived when the whole place is dusted with powder and secondly, so many of them in such a short space of time. Girls are fine, no signs that they are uncomfortable, they havent been avoiding the house or anything, how could I not have noticed??

I feel like a bad mum

[MaureenHall]

Don't feel like a bad mum, it happens to us all!! There's already a thread on this, I think it's the one about "Black mites and Bubbly breathing"

[SuzyB]

Thanks Maureen, Im just making my way through that thread now - its VERY enlightening! In the meantime Im off to get some *****!

[frias]

First don't feel bad Suzy as I think this year is a very bad one for red mite. Last year I used Virkons to wash out and red mite powder around the coop and never saw a sign. This year I've added Diatoms to the dust bath and in the bed and on the perches. I still check every day and night with a torch just to be sure. I will am not complacent though that I have them beat and have tried to find local supplier for Smite and in the meantime am going to use ***** fluid. Belt,braces and suspenders! These nasty critters are airborn and living on any wild birds so it's really hard to keep them at bay. We can only do our best.
Charlotteschickens, what is right dilution for ***** please?

[RichmondHens]

Don't feel bad Suzy, everyone has them this year, even us! As I've mentioned on other threads Creocote is very good. I found a load in our biggest and oldest hen house this week, but ONLY on the parts that we hadn't Creocoted this year. The bits we had treated earlier were fine. We whipped everything out and painted all the slats, perches etc and all the corners and crevices. The birds had to go back in with nothing to sit on that night except the floor as we left the perches out to dry off properly but they survived. No further sign of mite since treatment.

[Polly Fouracre]

As, I think, I said on another thread, beg, borrow, hire or buy a steam cleaner. It will kill mites, larvae and eggs11

[frias]

I must have been asleep that day! Brill, I've got a steam cleaner. Never even thought of using that.

[SuzyB]

Ive squirted and scrubbed everything with ***** today, could have cried when I took bits out of the house that I didnt until now realise came out and found tonnes more. Ive puffed and puffed powder everywhere, its like christmas has arrived early, but dont hold out any hope of that being effective seeing as Ive been using that weekly already! Ive used just newspaper under the perches now instead of wood shavings and have cut out straw completely in the nesting boxes. I read somewhere that neat dettol does the trick, has anyone tried it?

[MaureenHall]

Just seen an advert in a catalogue/leaflet thingy for a hand held steam cleaner for £24.99, think I'm going to get one!!! Never thought about using steam, but now thinking about it it sounds a brilliant idea