Months preparing for chickens - now put off by mite horror stories, help!

[Hollibee]

Hi all, new member from the UK here. I have dreamed of having chickens since I was a kid and finally having a garden with space to accomodate them we decifed this was the year to finally get a few. We have been preparing since January (yes it takes us ages to get things done ) and now have a large run built into a corner of our garden and coop installed, I have been getting all the various things I need together to feed them, even growing tasty veg for them and building a grazing frame in their run. We are basically ready to go get them once the last bit of roof is screwed onto the run...

Then I started to read in depth about red mite, figuring I should be prepared and have any medicine, treatments etc. On hand in case we get mite at any point. I already knew a tiny bit about them, but have now read some absolute horror stories that have almost entirely put me off my chicken dream forever - people saying that after a coop infestation their house and themselves are infested and they cannot get rid of them. I didn't realise they could live on humans but apparently they can, whats more they can survive 7 months qithout feeding?? What are these creatures? I am extremely phobic of parasitic things generally but could cope if they only lived on the birds (would get hubby to treat them and coop) but the thought of them on me or my daughter is really freaking me out. We also live in an old house with wooden floors and old timber beams, I don't know what we'd do if they got in the house. One person even told a story of having to live ina hotel to escape the red mite in their house.

Is this real? It seems incredible that anyone ever keeps chickens if this is really the case. Or have I been terrified for no real reason? I keep wondering if these people have been infested by some other mystery mite and just think its red mite from their chickens. My husband thinks it can only really happen if the birds aren't free ranged (which ours wouldn't be the majority of the time though they would have some garden time each day.)

Any opinions gratefully recieved. At the moment feeling a bit heartbroken at the months planning and dreaming of chickens but I know I couldn't cope with a mite infestation in my home...

 

[JaeG]

Red mites are transferred by carriers such as rats and wild birds. If your birds don't free range (mingle with the wildlife) and are confined to a fully secure, roofed run the chances of your birds getting them is lower. But there's still a chance. Mites are the kind of thing you can go for years without having a problem then one year they'll turn up, or you may never have to endure the annoyance of trying to get rid of them.

I had a bad outbreak of mites last summer and the bird that alerted me to the problem was a broody I had in my laundry! It was horrible but I did not end up with an infested house. We have wooden floors with gaps between the boards, but a bit of fly spray in there, and a follow up a week later just in case and it was fine. I read the horror stories too and worried myself sick!

It took me ages to get rid of them from my coop though. I'm in New Zealand and there's very little available here to treat with. I ended up getting badly bitten by mites during clean up but, other than being incredibly itchy I again did not transfer them to the house. I would strip off, wash my clothes and shower immediately. I thankfully was careful enough not to transfer them to my aviary either (that would've been a nightmare). Also, don't waste your money of diatomaceous earth - I found it was of no help where mites are concerned.

Chickens are a lot of fun. Don't let something you may not have to deal with put you off.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Mite infestations are not the end all in poultry keeping. In agriculture even hobby farming there is a concept of severity or pest management as opposed to pest control. A few mites are A-OK but when the mite numbers increase to a level where it the costs to feed the mites is higher than the cost of treating for them then it becomes economical to just kill all the mites and let maw nature sort out the innocent from the guilty.

The best way to keep red mites at bay is to make the cracks, lap joints, splits, and knots in the wooden parts of your coop unwelcoming to red mites. A can of before said "fly spray" followed by a couple of Liters of used or discarded motor oil painted on the wooden parts of the coop will keep red mites from ever getting a toe-hold. Problem solved.

 

[Folly's place]

Welcome! Don't let our venting about bad bugs get to you! It's really not going to be a big deal, if you take our advice and check your birds while they are roosting, at night, with a flashlight, every week or three. You will be out there anyway, and it only takes a few minutes to look. Horrible infestations happen because of that learning curve; not paying attention until it's a mess. (Ask me how I know this!). The birds are too much fun to be put off by this. It's predator protection that really matters. Mary

 

[janz70]

Redmite can be serious in a very large infestation but if you keep on top of things this will never happen.
I personally use ordinary ant powder in nest boxes but have now gone old school and use lime powder in the coop. I have only had them once (came in on new hen) but Diatomaceous Earth (DE) is supposed to be very good.
Put it in the nest boxes and all over the interior of the coop. I generally get a few had fulls and throw it in and up to the roof, close the door and let it settle, just make sure no hens are in at the time.
Pay special attention to the ends of the perches - some people vasalene the ends to catch them but I just cover the ends in powder.
Poultry shield is also a good disinfectant but it has the added bounus of killing red mite. so once a month with that pretty much sees them off.

dont panic about them, your chickens will always have some, its just a case of keeping the numbers down.

PS A dust bath for them is a must, they love it and it gets rid of mites - wood ash is the best thing so it you have a log burner your sorted but dont use coal ash it not the same.
John

 

[Chickassan]

It's not so bad! We've had mites, lice, and lord knows what else after dusting and spraying everyone comes out unscathed. Just really and I cannot stress this enough have dust bathing stations, not just one set up a few and keep them dusty so when it rains your chickens can still do their thing. This will save you so much buggy trouble! Don't let bugs scare you off chickens they are awesome little creatures .

 

[Cindy in PA]

Quit reading this forum & you will have a easier time raising chickens. I have said many times if this forum had been in existence 24 years ago, I would have probably not started raising chickens. You just need the basics. Good food, clean water & enough space & you will be fine. I haven't had a mite infestation in all the years I have raised chickens. Now that I've said that, I am sure they are invading as I type! Good luck & have fun.

 

[hannahsflock]

Mites are something you will probably have to deal with at least once when keeping chickens. It shouldn't put you off though! Mostly it can just be prevented by making sure the coop is kept clean, they have adequate place to dust bathe and applying a mite prevention powder once every month or two.

 

[MageofMist]

My two starter silkies had a bunch of mites and feather lice when I got them, I got some DE dust, pretty much dry fossilized algae, and dusted them both and their nesting material every few days and they vanished within a week. I stopped dusting them after I couldn't find any creepy crawlies.

As mine free range on the yard and it has been hot lately, the rooster ended up picking some mites up, just little slow yellowish ones which I read are fairly harmless if managed, after 4 months of having the birds and being mite-free. It seems they are only on him and not on any of the others, probably since he has more full feathers instead of being all floof, so I dusted them and put some DE dust in their favourite dust and sunbathing spots as well as replacing and dusting their bedding and the number of mites has dropped down a bit since last time I dusted. So far there's no signs of the common feather lice making a return though!

DE dust is also good against fleas, my cat loves her 'massages' she gets whenever I spot a flea on me. She turns from a purring brown tabby to a purring grey tabby.

Also, I think the local sparrows have been enjoying the dustbaths also to get the little itchy bugs off them, caught one rolling around in the chicken's dustbathing spot which I believe is how the rooster got the mites to begin with.

 

[laney7]

new to this but I seem to have small grayish bugs all over me when I feed or water my chickens. I don't know if they are lice or mites, not sure of the difference, but can anyone advise what to do?