Chicken_man 1,651 Posted May 15, 2015 Report Share Posted May 15, 2015 Watch out for mites at this time of year Ladies & Gentlemen! They can be a real problem, causing sluggishness, drop in eggs, real uncomfortable for bird's, and even death! Check out there sleeping quarters at night with a torch, see if you can see the little buggers crawling about on the bird's. Make sure if your bird's don't have access to a dust bath, you provide them one, or dust each bird individually. Spray out the living quarters regularly. If you do have an infestation, any shavings cleaned out, burn if you can. They like dark cracks to live in and moist, powder these areas, and make there life he'll. Lot's of stuff on the market, I use smite for spraying, diatom powder to add to dust bath, and duramitex plus, garlic in feed or water. Housing, I fill any cracks I can with silicone. A good regime of treatment, and prevention is best. Any other treatments or ideas? Atb 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
David K 172 Posted May 15, 2015 Report Share Posted May 15, 2015 We use the Diatom powder on the birds and in the dust baths, regular Jeyes fluid washing of the housing plus a good going over wth the blowtorch in all the cracks and crevises. had one really big infestation in a tongue and groove coop a few years ago, little b*****ds were impossible to get rid of so ditched that type of wooden housing, too many places for them to hide and breed. Mites are probably one of the most unpleasant things about keeping poultry, it really can make you wish you never had any chickens if you get an infestation, as you say its best to be preventative and not let them get a hold on your birds. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
taz2010 1,297 Posted May 15, 2015 Report Share Posted May 15, 2015 you cant beat duramitex imo 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jeppi26 1,855 Posted May 15, 2015 Report Share Posted May 15, 2015 Did mine yesterday and giveing the red stop drops in there water aswell 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
budharley 945 Posted May 15, 2015 Report Share Posted May 15, 2015 I've got them in my serama pen piss me [BANNED TEXT] off ficam the b*****ds 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tuzo 251 Posted May 15, 2015 Report Share Posted May 15, 2015 You've got the right idea Bud 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
neil cooney 10,415 Posted May 15, 2015 Report Share Posted May 15, 2015 Two Christmas's ago I killed and cleaned 7 turkeys for a man. The unfortunate birds were bad with mites and I was covered in them. He paid me 70 quid for the job but I went straight home and threw all my cloths in the bin, so it wasn't a profitable job. He asked me again the next year. I made excuses, never again. They're horrible things. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Chicken_man 1,651 Posted May 15, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 15, 2015 Had them in my beard many yrs ago :-) Horrible feeling, scrubbed, and shaved it off lol :-) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
taz2010 1,297 Posted May 15, 2015 Report Share Posted May 15, 2015 i found 2 years ago when i finally stripped my sheds down after 3 years of been over run with them, most mites were under the felt on the roof and was absolutely covered sprayed the whole shed inside and out with duramitex twice replaced the felt and have never had a prob since,tried fitcam and many others but it took the duramitex to get rid totally now spray early may inside and out and september and like i say never seen them the last 2 years 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Chicken_man 1,651 Posted May 15, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 15, 2015 Yeh felt is bad for them. Last time I put felt on, I sealed round edges with silicone. Atb Quote Link to post Share on other sites
budharley 945 Posted May 15, 2015 Report Share Posted May 15, 2015 Can you still get duramitex I thought they stopped it Quote Link to post Share on other sites
gnipper 6,087 Posted May 15, 2015 Report Share Posted May 15, 2015 Can you still get duramitex I thought they stopped it They changed it. The stuff they sell now is absolutely crap but I bought some proper stuff off a lad on here and it's good stuff and worth buying if he still has any. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MoChara 1,600 Posted May 16, 2015 Report Share Posted May 16, 2015 Great thread CM...... Although I'm now crawling from reading above posts I use diatomaceous earth in dust baths etc but that stuff is said to be not great for their lungs, and mine for that matter. I got the human grade stuff just incase. I lift my birds everyday at some point to check them making sure no fighting going on etc, I've not seen any YET. I'm still itchy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bobcullen79 1,495 Posted May 16, 2015 Report Share Posted May 16, 2015 I FCUKING HATE MITES. They are the main reason I got rid of the birds. The amount of time and money I spent trying to get rid of them is unbelievable, from treatments, pour on`s, various dusts, ficam w, blowtorch, then new smaller sheds all 18mm ply built, then proper creosote, then creosote mixed with oil(straight on top of my lovely brand new coop and paint job)... All my birds were in big sheds so it wasnt a 10 minute job. It was a total walk in in boxers and paper suit job in the two big hen houses. Nope, I`d never get that many birds again. Anyone ever had to climb in to a large coop, thats not quite large enough for a 5.11 bloke to climb into full of mites? Sweating your bollocks off in a confined space with a blowtorch and then creosoting, with mites crawling all over your face wasnt fun. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
neil cooney 10,415 Posted May 16, 2015 Report Share Posted May 16, 2015 You make it sound like fun though Bob, LOL. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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