red mite infestation - time for a new coop!

[British chicks]

Hi all,

I have returned from a week's holiday, chickens boarded at the kennel, only to find our coop - but not the chickens - are CRAWLING with mites.

The infestation is so bad that we want to get rid of this coop and replace it - a new plastic one is on its way. But what can we do with the infested one? We are not in an area that allows burning, so a bonfire is not an option....and once we remove the old coop, do I need to treat the soil or surrounding areas? Should I set the new coop up in a different place? All advice welcome!

 

[Tanichca]

Well, to get rid of red mites, you can paint a wooden coop with used motor oil. It suffocates the little twirps and keeps them from coming back. Do that, or just chop up the old thing and cart it off to a trash dump.

 

[British chicks]

Many thanks!

 

[jmdarrow]

My question is what do you to prevent them in the first place? My new coop comes next week.

 

[British chicks]

Diamatacious earth - red mite powder - sprinkled liberally over all cracks and crevices in the coop, dust the birds as well at the beginning of the season.....

I don't know what happened to our coop. We were away for 9 days, the chickens were also away. We had no problems with mites up to that point, but when we returned from vacation the bugs were almost dripping out of the cracks and onto our hands ! All were gray, so none had been feeding on anything. I wondered if there were some native birds poking around in the chicken pen while we were away who left some mites behind. I am thankful the chickens don't have them!

 

[sourland]

Red mites hide in crevices during the day and come out to feed at night. One sign of red mite infestation is birds 'tapping' their feet on the roost when roosting. I'm with Tanichca - painting the crevices or corners of the coop with used motor oil or creosote plus periodic total cleaning of the coop has always worked for me.

 

[Folly's place]

I wouldn't paint anything with used motor oil; it's toxic and kills bugs for a reason! Permethrin spray or dust will kill them, and in the USA it's legal to use around chickens. Carbaryl also works well, but it's not approved for use here for poultry. Wild birds will bring mites and lice, and can't be avoided in a small flock setting. My old wooden coop has been treated for these parasites as needed, and I'm not burning it down! Mary

 

[sourland]

I wouldn't paint anything with used motor oil; it's toxic and kills bugs for a reason! Permethrin spray or dust will kill them, and in the USA it's legal to use around chickens. Carbaryl also works well, but it's not approved for use here for poultry. Wild birds will bring mites and lice, and can't be avoided in a small flock setting. My old wooden coop has been treated for these parasites as needed, and I'm not burning it down! Mary

As with anything, it's how things are used. Logically one would not paint the entire coop with anything just as one would not overuse commercial insecticides. Sometimes old fashioned cures are just as effective and safe as modern pesticides.

 

[Folly's place]

So true, and I do remember creosote very fondly! Mary

 

[sourland]

So true, and I do remember creosote very fondly! Mary

Didn't know you were that old.