RED MITES - had to condemn coop... questions, please help!!

[technodoll]

Stupid owner (me) failed to recognize the signs of red mite - we now have them crawling over us, in our house, it's a nightmare.

Found the poop boards in the main coop covered in mounds of millions of the little red things this morning, I panicked and pulled out the boards, threw them in the compost bin in back of the barn - covering myself with hundreds of bugs in the process.

Fast-forward to later today after lots of reading and crying and migraines - we condemned the infested coop, treated all the birds with Ivermectin and moved them to another coop that is clean (did the paper towel test).

My questions:

1 - what are the chances of red mites having traveled on the birds we just moved and treated - will this new coop be infected too? if so, what should we do to pro-actively try and stop the infestation before it gets too late, like in the condemned coop?

2 - now what we've removed the red mites' food source (and there are millions in there - HEAVY INFESTATION) - will they migrate out of the condemned coop to find other food sources, ie my banty coop that is about 15 feet away? the banty coop is up on metal legs but the birds have an outdoors pen for free-ranging during the day (9am to 7pm). How "at risk" are my banties that their coop is next in line to get infested? I threw the heavily infested poop boards about 15 feet away from the banty coop this morning (I panicked!!), on a pile of dead branches and junk - I'm terrified the pests will locate the new food source and then I have two nightmares on my hands :-(

3 - can we fumigate the condemned coop to try and kill as many mites as possible, until it gets bulldozed and burnt next spring?

4 - is the mite test effective? paper towel rubbed on the perches and undersides of poop boards, if you see red smears there are mites present?

Thank you for any information you can give me...

I've been googling all day, my brain is full but some questions remain unanswered - WORST. PLAGUE. EVER.

 

[1livelychick]

That is terrible! So sorry you and your birds are going through this. I've never dealt with this situation before but I'd certainly spray the heck out of that coop with liquid permetherin...I'd do 1.5 oz to a gallon of water. You can buy the 2 gallon garden sprayers any hardware or garden center. I spray at least once a month to keep on top of all the bugs here. You'll have to respray every two weeks until it's all under control. I would definitely spray the new coop as well. Mites are bad here in Ga , too. Good luck!

 

[Elite Silkies]

I do believe they will start traveling to the other coops in order to find a new host. I would mix up a gallon of premethrin and douse the condemned coop. I would burn anything that you can burn now, including all shavings.

I would also treat all birds with Sevin/Poultry dust as well. Or you can use Adams Flea and Tick spray. Ivomec will not kill all of them.

 

[P-Funk]

Bulldozer, wow

When I thought there was a lice/mite problem I emptied the converted stall and run in the barn and went to town with a pressure washer. I laid all the pieces out in the driveway and sprayed every square inch. Then filled the tank with bleach and did it again. Then washed every piece again with 1800 lbs of pressure, again. Then dried. Then re-assembled. Then soaked every bird with poultry spray as they entered the coop. Wouldn't you know it, all their feathers grew back. Granted it was a 12 hour day, but it beats moving everyone to a new home. Hope that helps.

 

[technodoll]

Quote:
the coop is over 100 years old and has so many layers of wooden nooks and crannies... layers of mice-and-rat poop insulation... it leaks and is moldy...

and now millions of red mites in it??

so. disgusting.

there is no, no way of ever being able to spray every inch of cracks and corners to eradicate the mites

it's going to get flattened next spring, but in the meantime we need to limit the number of bloodsuckers in there or it'll explode everywhere when we take it down...

i'm tearing my hair out.

now I have two other coops and a giant barn to worry about since the mites have been traveling on my rubber boots, gloves and clothing the past few days without me noticing it, hence spreading the infestation. so now they are for sure absolutely everywhere, even if the other coops don't show signs of infestation yet.

so tomorrow i have to treat all remaining birds with ivermectin...
call around to find chemicals to start the warfare against these terminator vampires...
then empty all the coops of bedding, spray, spray, spray and then pray it kills any bugs...
and hope the coops don't get re-infected because the land around is chock-full of them.

should i shoot myself now, or later?

 

[Imp]

OK, this may be a dumb idea, but would it help to get like a dozen bug bombs and set them off in the coop. The fog will get into all the cracks.

Imp

 

[P-Funk]

Please don't shoot yourself just yet. If you're going to burn the coop anyway, why not do that now? Send us some pics!

 

[BlackBrookPoultry]

I had my mom "babysit" my week old Cochin chicks while I went on vacation and found out her chickens had red mites and they got on my babies! I have treated them with Ivomec pour-on and dusted their bedding with diatomaceous earth. If it were me I would burn that building! Is there a way to knock it down, dissemble and burn it now?

 

[Elite Silkies]

You can also use wood ashes for red mites. When I have it, I put it in their dusting holes that they dig.

 

[mulewagon]

I have read of people controlling mites by thoroughly painting the inside of the coop, to fill all the tiny cracks - one person hung the roosts from metal brackets, because mites love that crevice next to the sleeping birds.

You might want to use sand on the floor, instead of organic bedding. There's several thread in the Coop section about sand. Get metal nest boxes instead of wood - basically eliminate all possible organics.

And like others have said, I would burn that old coop on the spot, and bulldoze later. Those gazillion mites will be latching onto every animal that passes, looking for food. Ugh!

Good luck!