Mites

[fumanchu]

I havent got hens yet, but was wondering how you prevent your hens getting this red mite that I've heard about?

[fumanchu]

Is it easy to dust hens and where would I get the powder ? Sorry for pestering but I want to get everything sorted out before I get my hens

[oldjerry]

Hi' you can get most of this sort of stuff from an agricultural suppliers eg. Countrywide etc.
I've had a fair few laying birds over the years ,and in all truth i've never had a real prob with red mites.Dunno why,but here's a few ideas :
Once a year,get a pressure washer(preferably a steam cleaner,£20 a day) and give the house a good blast.
Then blag ,borrow etc some creosote from ag. supplies (stll available) and do all the inside,big style.
Let it dry then put the birds back.
Get a wooden box 2 by 3 by 3 ins high,fill with dry sand,and leave in run as a dust bath(change sand regularly)
Sounds a bit complex,but really it aint. best wishes.

[fumanchu]

Things aren't complicated when you know how, that's why I'm asking Many thanks !

[little blue duck]

Diatom is good ... most agri suppliers & online farm/smallholder places will stock this.

[JulieSherris]

Yep, I use diatom as well. I have LOTS of nooks and crannies, but maybe once every 2 months, when I have a clean up, I dust the whole insides of everywhere with it, and then when the young ones have all gone to bed & it's just turning dark, I go in with my talc bottle filled with diatom & wave it like a maniac, dusting all the birds!! I come out just as white though!

I also use Diatom in their feed as a wormer & I buy it in the 5kg tub direct from the website - www.diatomx.co.uk.

Also - timely reminder: If your chooks are busy eradicating the slugs in the veg patches right now, don't forget about Gape Worm - carried by crows & magpies, it's passed to the chooks via slugs & worms, so make sure your wormer covers those too, else you could have some poorly birds on your hands (As I discovered last year)

[fumanchu]

I've now ordered a coop, from a local place who will make it up and deliver. Can you get Diatom in a spray or aerosol? How easy - or hard - is it to get into the nooks & corners of a smallish coop? ( esp if you're as stiff and decrepit as I am )

[JulieSherris]

Fumanchu - it's a silcate powder. If you have a look at the website, it will show all the different sizes & explain how it works. If you have it in a puffer bottle (I use an old talc bottle) then you just puff the powder around - if you have a coop that you don't actually go into, it's a lot easier.... if you have the back room of an old derelict cottage & you stand inside, then, like me, you come out looking like a ghost!!

[fumanchu]

Oh ok I see. Ta