Red mites!!!

[L Home Farm]

I haaate them… I want to build a new chicken coop but….
Is it possible to have a wooden chicken coop without red mites??? How?? What do you do?? Is it climate related?? Help!

 

[Shadrach]

Do you need a wooden coop? That would be my starting point.
It is climate related. Warm and dry is ideal for red mite. Cold climates don't tend to get red mite because they die off in the winter months.

There is a thread here that is relevant.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/bio-security-and-mites.1589475/

People will insist on building wooden framed, oversized coops with human convenience in mind rather than trying to provide an easy to clean, parasite unfriendly design that can be cleaned with a blow torch. Nope, I haven't lost my marbles. If one is going to build a wooden coop in an region that is prone to mite infestation then this above all should be the primary consideration when designing the coop. The chickens don't care what the coop is and don't care much how big it is in temperate climates. They would much rather have the keeper spend the money on the run if kept confined.

Have you considered a recycled plastic coop. I use one these days having built numerous coops in the past and wouldn't consider anything else now.

 

[L Home Farm]

Do you need a wooden coop? That would be my starting point. I guess not. I’m considering using a dog run with a tarp/corrugated iron on the sides/top as a coop. What do you think? All metal, not many hiding spots etc. but I think I might be hard to clean.
It is climate related. Warm and dry is ideal for red mite. Cold climates don't tend to get red mite because they die off in the winter months. We are warm and wet, but I guess they still like it here.

There is a thread here that is relevant.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/bio-security-and-mites.1589475/
Thanks, I’ll check that out.

People will insist on building wooden framed, oversized coops with human convenience in mind rather than trying to provide an easy to clean, parasite unfriendly design that can be cleaned with a blow torch. Nope, I haven't lost my marbles. If one is going to build a wooden coop in an region that is prone to mite infestation then this above all should be the primary consideration when designing the coop. The chickens don't care what the coop is and don't care much how big it is in temperate climates. They would much rather have the keeper spend the money on the run if kept confined.

Have you considered a recycled plastic coop. I use one these days having built numerous coops in the past and wouldn't consider anything else now. That’s what I’m using right now but it’s about to be way too small (and it’s the largest size i can get) plus the ventilation is crap. Not saying they’re all like that but the only ones available to me are.