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[CCUK]

Spider mite???
My 8 week old girls have taken themselves to bed every night since I got them last week but last night they were in and out of the coop several times then finally snuggled up on a high roost in the run. I had to lift them off to put them in the coop and they eventually went in.
I’ve checked under the roost in the coop and no sign of red spider mite. How else would I know if I have them? I’ve cleaned the coop with poultry shield when I got it and again when I cleaned it out after the first week and sprinkled DE everywhere and in their dust bath.
Could they just be starting to want to roost at night (they don’t roost in the coop they huddle in the corner) and maybe looking for the highest place?
The roost in the coop is only a few inches off the ground. The roost in the run is 5 ft.
They snooze all day in the coop so they must like it but spider mite come out at night??

It's red mite that live in the coop. They come out at night and feast on the birds and go into hiding during the day. They live in the cracks and crevices in the coop. I have just had a bit of a redesign inside one of my coops and found them inbetween the wood that I had screwed together. When I clean mine out I spray nettex total mite all around the corners and edges of the nest boxes and the sides of the coop. I have found that the mites tend to leave a whitish speckly sort of residue around where they are. I also mix a poultry dust into the shavings in the nest boxes. It goes someway to help prevent them. It could also be that you girls just want to perch outside. They do normally look for the highest places to roost at night. I let mine roost outside in the enclosed run at night in the summer if they want but you must make sure your run is absolutely predator proof. When it starts getting colder in the autumn I start making sure they go in the coop and start locking the pop door again.

 

[CCUK]

Your better of using a permethrin based dust and spray. DE doesn't seem to be all that effective.

 

[JemimaP]

Thank you x

 

[beans2]

hi, I'm from Skye and Peebleshire.

I've got 2 Gold Tops, 1 welsummer, 3 cream Legbars and a Scots Grey rooster.
i had a few more welsummers but they were killed by a neighbours Labrador so I'm looking to breed more flightiness into the girls, doing pretty well so far.

I'm planning on getting silver appleyard ducks soon.

i've hatched all my own except the rooster.

 

[boskelli1571]

hi, I'm from Skye and Peebleshire.

I've got 2 Gold Tops, 1 welsummer, 3 cream Legbars and a Scots Grey rooster.
i had a few more welsummers but they were killed by a neighbours Labrador so I'm looking to breed more flightiness into the girls, doing pretty well so far.

I'm planning on getting silver appleyard ducks soon.

i've hatched all my own except the rooster.

Welcome! Shame about the Welsummers they lay such beautiful eggs.

 

[CCUK]

hi, I'm from Skye and Peebleshire.

I've got 2 Gold Tops, 1 welsummer, 3 cream Legbars and a Scots Grey rooster.
i had a few more welsummers but they were killed by a neighbours Labrador so I'm looking to breed more flightiness into the girls, doing pretty well so far.

I'm planning on getting silver appleyard ducks soon.

i've hatched all my own except the rooster.

Hiya! Sounds like you have a nice flock there. I have some whitestar hens which are pretty flighty. And you get a lovely big white egg from them!

 

[Aerliss]

Hi folks, I could do with some UK based input on feeding a skinny hen; Helping a poorly hen gain some weight.

 

[JemimaP]

Hi folks, I could do with some UK based input on feeding a skinny hen; Helping a poorly hen gain some weight.

Sorry I’m a newbie so I’m no help whatsoever but I hope you find a solution and she gets better. Hope she’s ok.
Could I just ask why dry mealworms aren’t good? Just that I’ve bought some from the garden centre, my girls don’t like them yet but I didn’t know there was anything bad about them?

 

[Aerliss]

Sorry I’m a newbie so I’m no help whatsoever but I hope you find a solution and she gets better. Hope she’s ok.
Could I just ask why dry mealworms aren’t good? Just that I’ve bought some from the garden centre, my girls don’t like them yet but I didn’t know there was anything bad about them?

Thank you. She's a bit perkier today, and we're going to the vet to get another injection.

With mealworms it's two things. Hedgehog rescues discovered that mealworm heavy diets were causing bone deformities in hedgehogs. They have a lot of phosphorous in them, which prevents the body from absorbing calcium. Phosphorous is needed for other things, so a balance is required. With a varied diet, and mealworms only as a treat, a healthy adult hen will be fine. I dust them with limestone or cuttlebone when I put them out for the wilds, to up the calcium. Daryl isn't eating well, and laying shell less eggs, so mealies are a no for her.

Secondly, in the UK and I think the rest of the EU, it's illegal to feed dried mealworms to food producing animals, even backyard hens. This is because most of the mealworms come from China where they have no regulations on what mealworms can be fed. The fear is that they'll be fed diseased meat, which will then pass the disease on to our farm animals through the mealies. It's a microscopic chance, but after BSE and foot and mouth DEFRA went OTT on precautions. Foot and mouth was linked to ONE farm feeding kitchen scraps to pigs and it was nationally devastating. So I do see where they're coming from.

I'm still not certain, because the regulations are written by lawyers who only speak legalese, but I THINK live mealworms are okay. They'll have been produced here in the UK, or at least not outside the EU. You can get them online or from most pet shops. I've been thinking about breeding them, for the chickens and the wilds... but I HATE THEM WITH A PASSION. So... *shrug*

Someone suggested crickets instead of mealies, which you can also get from pet shops.

And if you didn't know; it's illegal to feed kitchen scraps unless they're from a vegan kitchen. I know plenty of people who break both of these rules regularly because DEFRA are not watching, let's face it. I'm mostly worried a neighbour will fall out with me and dob me in if I did the wrong thing. Especially as Daryl is currently waking up the whole city when she struggles with her shell less eggs. The. Whole. City!

 

[CCUK]

Hi @Aerliss. I just read your other post. You've had some good advice there. Not much I can add. But with rescue hens they can be in a very poor state and can take a while to adjust to there new environment. Are you feeding them the same mash as they had before. It could be she doesn't like the change. I agree with giving natural yoghurt it's great for there immune system and digestive tract. Could you try and make a wet mash and mix some in? You could also try and chop up some pork and add that for extra protein. Your right about the mealworms. I couldn't believe it was illegal either. I had been feeding them to mine. I don't now. The mealworms can also be fed faeces.  I wouldn't touch them with a barge pole now.