The Poultry Keeper

And - bedding is important - do not use hay! wood shavings seems to be the best. When we had some large round bales delivered to our barn (for the horses), OH had put a large piece of ply on top as there was nowhere else to put it.... within a day, the wood was covered in the little blighters.

What about straw, is that as bad as hay?

I've not had a problem with straw myself... but anyone else got an opinion on straw harboring red mites?

Now I'm not 100% about this, but I think if they were crawling about on wood in the day time, they are not the red mite that we are on about here. The ones that feed on our chooks are nocternal, the ones that run about on warm wood, walls and window sills in the summer are red spider mite.
I have never heard that red mite lives in hay and straw.

Mites that live in hay are not the same as poultry mites. Hay mites crawl all over you (and hens) but I don't think they bite or suck blood like poultry mites do.

The bright red mites that walk about in the soil and on walls etc don't do anything harmful as far as I am aware. They are red all the time.

Poultry mites are only dull red when they have recently had a feed of blood from a chicken. (They can't get their teeth into humans ) The rest of the time they are grey or brown.

Kated

kated wrote:
Poultry mites are only dull red when they have recently had a feed of blood from a chicken. (They can't get their teeth into humans )

Kated

I was just reading this link which states that they can bite humans.... I hope its you thats right and not them!!!

Red mites (Dermanyssus gallinae):







Red Spider Mites (Not to be confused with Red mites above)


http://tinyurl.com/4w7dlj

Thankfully, there has never been a case of red mite on fair isle, its always been a fear that new hens coming in might bring it with them, but its never happened.

And now that we've been asked to produce POL's for folks, there is no need to bring in live hens to the island.


Angela

and red mite bite humans!tiny red dots appear and also they get in human hair...........use kids antinit shampoo to clear them............... a french chicken producer kids got covered when they knocked down old wooden barns

I have just ordered from the same peeps as Nanny P recommended http://www.sprcentre.co.uk/ they are sooo nice and are sending it to me today!! what service!

AC

just wondered as breifly remembered seeing this stuff its the substitute of creosote would that kill red mite?Item number: 110161736539 on e bay

i think we have had a pretty good run with our chooks as the most i have ever found was lice on ours we are bound to get them at some point though i feel i may of been a bit stupid last year when i done their new house as we converted a caravan for them but i am seriousley considering building a new shed instead for them to live in as if we did get a problem with red mite we would never get them out of the caravan unless he ripped the wood floor out as that would be the only place other than nest boxs and perch corners that they could hide i can see him now with a weed killer flame thrower lol

Creosote never killed mites in my experience, though I've never tried the substitute. Mites just do the breast stroke in the liquid . I had no idea that mites could bite humans, I have never been bitten myself and have kept hens for almost 50 years now. I found this interesting:
http://www.moredun.org.uk/feature-article.asp?ref=278

Don't forget the most obvious: Give your Chooks access to a dust bath... I always add diatom to this anyway but even without, this allows them to clean themselves and rid themselves of some of the other mites that are resident in their feathers...

I haven't heard of mite powders being banned in France. What type of powder - have you got a name. I'm sure that's not right but will investigate further!! I keep chickens and always use deosect which I brought with me from the UK.