Freaking out about red mite horror stories on the Internet... please reassure!

[RebsChooks]

Into my fourth week soon of battling red mite. The wooden coop still has them in, though vastly reduced in number. I have ordered a plastic coop today to stay on top of it better, but it doesn’t arrive for 10 days. When it does, I will have to somehow get rid of the wooden one (how?! I can’t burn it as nowhere to to it, and can’t put it in the car to take it to the dump or the car will be crawling?!) and then repeatedly treat the ground in the run while the chickens sleep in their new coop at the end of the garden. Unless I feel it safe to put the plastic coop in place in the walk in run.

Despite coming in and bagging up my clothes and having a hot shower every time I do anything in the walk in run, I am still finding the odd one on me. My poultry place have been great with advice, and have told me that having the odd one on me doesn’t mean my house is infested and that they cannot bite us. Three weeks in, I have no bites, to be fair.

But I keep reading horror stories about home infestations, including people who have lost everything and had to move out after uncontrollable infestations. But surely people would not keep chickens if that were really possible and red mite is a coming problem for chicken keepers?!

After another hour reading crap on the Internet, I appeal to my fellow chicken keepers on here.

Has anyone on here ever got a serious problem in their home? Has anyone on here ever lost everything because of their chickens?!

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I wouldn't waste time going plastic (or ummm can't afford to)... I use permethrin... they (red mites) are in the stumps of my yard, and under other things, even though my wood coop is clean (inspected regularly). I won't spray my whole property because we drink our ground water and it kills indiscriminately...

Sorry you face this... what have you been using to treat them? They are a hassle... but I don't know of anyone who has lost everything.

 

[RebsChooks]

Smite (which is permethrin), red mite powder, DE, every three days. Hot hair dryer over every crevice. Ivermectin and mite powder on the hens.

Yet i still get them on me even when I just go in to remove an egg or pick up the waterer. They are on the ground, I think.

Do you find them on you in the house too? I have never seen a fed one in the house but it makes me panic so much. Just found two on me sitting on the sofa, and I showered after shutting the girls in.

 

[RebsChooks]

How long have they been on stumps/ground? Do you shower every time you go out there?

 

[PirateGirl]

As far as I know my mites didn't make it in my house. The coop had millions. When I sprayed there would be piles of dead ones for me to sweep up. My human house is still clean and standing and neither I nor the dogs shower after every visit to the coop. Once again, good luck.

 

[RebsChooks]

But you must have got them on you once or twice throughout it all?! Despite my best efforts they still get on me. How did you avoid it?!

 

[PirateGirl]

But you must have got them on you once or twice throughout it all?! Despite my best efforts they still get on me. How did you avoid it?!

I'm not saying I never had a mite on me, I'm just assuring you that you can have an infestation in the coop that does not spread to your human home!

Also, my understanding of it is that the mites that live on birds are generally specific to birds and not mammals, and vice versa. At least believing that helps me sleep better at night

 

[RebsChooks]

So when you found oneon you you just squished it and never worried it might take hold? I find them on me several times a day.

 

[PirateGirl]

So when you found oneon you you just squished it and never worried it might take hold? I find them on me several times a day.

I didn't worry they would take over my house.

Maybe the mites you have in the UK are different?

Maybe I didn't worry enough.

Or maybe you are too worried.

I don't have the definitive answer. I'm just trying to reassure you that it's possible to get rid of mites in your coop without them infesting your human home. I am living proof as are many others on BYC.

 

[bigmrg74]

I'm a couple weeks into treating a mite infestation on my flock as well. I think I caught it early when I noticed mites jumping on me, and my Mom had noted it as well, just that she didn't make the connection like I did about it. I've been hitting them with a combo of things, spraying down the coop with a spray containing Permethrin, and dusting the girls with a combo of dusts containing Permethrin and DE as well. also set up a kiddie pool with some of the DE and Permethrin dust in it to allow them to self treat as well.

I've also been using a spray with a bunch of assorted essential oils in it that is supposed to repel the little buggers as well. Figure if any of them are getting past the DE and the Permethrin, if a whiff of that stuff can point them in a different direction, then its worth using it.

So far we haven't seen any adult mites on the girls or felt any of them on us, but from what I can tell, it's the eggs that you really gotta go after and get those mites as they hatch before they can lay more eggs.