Hi I'm new here

[Adds001]

Hi I am new to this forum. I live in England and I keep 10 ex battery chickens mostly as pets but they lay well. I am currently doing battle with redmite and I have considered a new strategy I want to run it past experienced chicken owners.
I have tried various chemicals etc and frequent washing down of the shed I am starting to win now but I wondered if anyone has ever applied spraybooth tacky coating to the walls of the house as I thought I might turn the hen house into a giant sticky trap.
has this been done before and was it successful?

 

[sunflour]

Welcome to BYC!

I'm sure some of the experienced flock owners can help answer your question, but would suggest you post the question on the mites to one of the other forum categories - emergency/diseases or predator/ pests.

Good luck with your problem.

 

[Adds001]

Thanks I am still finding my way round this forum.

 

[TwoCrows]

Hello there and welcome to BYC!

I have never tried this method. You might want to ask about this in our Predators and Pest forums for more info on this...https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/13/predators-and-pests

However I would imagine if you are on the winning end of this mite situation, and you do get them all cleared out, using DE on the floors and nesting boxes will help to prevent future infestations. DE is a natural product that won't hurt the birds but will stop the mites in their tracks before they get out of hand.

Great that your battery hens are doing so well! Enjoy your journeys with them and welcome to our flock!

 

[rebrascora]

Hi and welcome to the forum from the North east of England.

There are one or 2 threads specifically for those of us in the UK who are interested in forming a more local community within the forum. I will post a link when I remember how to.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/655508/uk-member-please-say-hi

Hopefully the above works.

My next door neighbour and I have both also been battling red mites, so can sympathise with you on that score. As TwoCrows says, Diatomaceous Earth(DE) or Smite powder which is a common brand name here in the UK is proving quite effective. I dust the roost bars and drop boards with it every other day at the moment and I also sprinkle it into the nest boxes each time I clean them out.

My mother studied poultry at agricultural college before the war and she recommended painting the ends of the roost bars with Stockholm Tar, but I don't know if you can get that any more. It was the "cure all" product in farming at the time, and works like the product you are suggesting by creating a sticky barrier that the mites can't cross. I imagine the stuff you mentioned would be fine painted/sprayed on the ends of the bars too although I'm not familiar with that product. Red mites crawl, they don't jump or fly, so preventing them crawling along the bars and onto the hens at night when they are roosting is the key. They hide in dark crevices during the day, so cracks and joints in the wooden roosts are the place to target.

Anyway, hope you are over the worst of the infestation and find something that works for you.

Best wishes

Barbara

 

[Wyandottes7]

Welcome to BYC!

We're glad to have you.

 

[ronmauldin]

Welcome from the Ocean State!

 

[Mountain Peeps]

Welcome to BYC! Please make yourself at home and we are here to help.

 

[BantamLover21]

Glad you joined us!

 

[Kelsie2290]

Hello and Welcome To BYC!