Here at FSF HQ we've put our heads together, formed a vast pool of chicken knowledge and then compiled a list of the top ten ways to identify red mite, and then how to eradicate them.
1: Anne's top tip; put a collar of Vaseline around the end of all your perches. Then in the morning shine a torch on it and if red mite have been active during the night, you should be able to see them trapped within the Vaseline.
2: Are your hens reluctant to go in to their coop at night. If they are, it's usually because they know the little vampires within are waiting for their dinner.
3: If your hens are very lethargic, not laying during a known laying period and have a pale comb it is probably due to them being anemic. This is due to red mite feasting on them every night. The answer, apart from eradicating red mite, is a tonic like Life Guard, which with its iron supplements will help boost them back up.
4: This is what a red mite swarm might look like in your coop, in this instance it was under a perch.
5: The way we recommend to all our customers for getting rid of red mite, is to use Poultry Shield and Diatom in conjunction. Using Poultry Shield on your hen house will remove the organic layer of matter which the mites live and thrive in, it also penetrates the protective coating of the mites and their eggs causing them to shrivel and die. Following this up with Diatom, sprinkled within the hen house, but most especially in the corners, any cracks and by the perches, will result in residual mite control. It really does work, and you'll find many places over the web singing its praises.
6: Another great option we mention in our leaflets (and someone on our Facebook page validated awhile ago) was to make a Diatom paste, by mixing Diatom and water, and painting it on the inside of the coop. While it might not look pretty its very effective against red mite and can easily be washed off later.
7: Diatom is a completely natural product and as such can be directly applied to the bird with no negative affects. The best way to do this is to put a handful or two into your birds favourite dustbathing spot, they will then naturally work the powder through their feathers themselves.
8: For serious infestations, using a Fumer might be the best way of clearing the coop. Let your girls out in the morning, once they have all laid, then shut up the henhouse tight. Let off the fumer in the coop, it will smoke for about thirty seconds to a minute and then leave it for two hours. Open up the coop and clean it through using Poultry Shield and Diatom.
9: In the right conditions red mite can go from an egg to a fully grow adult within seven days. This short cycle means that swarms grow rapidly. Make sure to clean your coop so that you break this cycle. Red mite can survive up to eight months without eating too, so even during the winter it is still a good idea to clean and protect your hen house with products like Poultry Shield, Net-Tex Total Mite Kill or the Poultry Keeper Range.
10: Red Mite can infest any kind of hen house, be it plastic, metal or wooden. So constant vigilance is always needed, regardless of the type of hen house you have.
If you've got any questions, need to re-stock on mite busting products or are currently trying to fend off a swarm using nothing but quick wits and a sharpened stick, give us a call on 01300 345229 or visit the website and we'll help as best we can.
In other news, the arrival of three Guinea Fowl keets (and what looks like more on the way) last week and with our Silver Hamburg and Gold Hamburg chicks both at around 14 -18 weeks, we have had many welcome new additions to the Flyte so Fancy flock.
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