stick fasts

what does any one know about stick fasts and how they take hold on chickens. Have read that Maldison 50 fixes them...for a while. Guess a regular spray of their pen and bedding is the go. Their combs are certainly covered in them and they appear to be so annoying. The attach at one end and breath at the other. never to let go till the poor old chook is dead. well I dont think that is a fair go on the chook so have done mine with the recommended strength plus their pen and will do again in a week. Also it has been recommended that I use petroleum jelly on their combs, so tonight when they go off to bed shall take a torch down and smear it all over their legs and combs seeing these things breath out their back end. they wont hold their breath for very long I am sure....and guess they will let go.......then they will have to deal with the pen. What can I keep in their pen to keep these awful things out of their pen....I can fix their perches by adding petroleum jelly on a regular basis that wont be a drama. Short of that can I get away with a suspended pen. say 1 metre off the ground.

am going to build a new pen is this the way to go....would like some answers before today is over as i want to start it this week end.

piggie

I don't have those in my area but read that Vaseline on comb and legs with the help of frontline flea medicine can help. I also read that builders lime around the coop will also kill the larvae. Good luck and keep us posted. The Vaseline is suppose to suffocate them... The frontline is suppose to kill the eggs that are burrowed in their skin.

do they not lay their eggs in the ground?

WHat they look like? do they make chickens scratch and red skin and pull out their feathers?