farm grade disinfectants and red mite attack

[hedgerow pete]

At the chicken pen I am going through a massive red mite attack, at the allotment. Now at the moment I have been doing the general weekly wash down with standard Jayes fluid but its not seaming to doing the job.
Been looking through the general disinfectants at the local farm suppliers. does anyone have any prefferences and suggestions.


Virkon S
Sorgene 5
Antec farm fluid HD
Antec Virudine
Hyperox

I am also looking through general insecticides as well, but still undecided.
Tyrant and Stingray

I do not wish to be rude, but no herbal remidies please.

I have also just started using Ivermectin at 1% at one drop per 500gm per bird, on the birds

Ant powder with 0.8% permetharine as a dusting on the clean saw dust shavings

Any suggestions for any thing I have missed

 

[enrico]

We have been using CV mite powder, which we get from BHWT.org.uk/shop.
It has been working really well this year and is allegedly natural organic. It isn't cheap but it's worked well for us.
E

 

[Oscarmonster]

Limewash. Buy a bucket of lime Putty.
http://www.ecolime.co.uk/index.php
Mix with water and paint inside your chicken house. Kept mine mite free for 12 months(its a shed with a felt roof too).Needs doing again now.
It's what they used to use in the old days for all animal housing.

 

[hedgerow pete]

my shed is wooden but has a gloss paint internal finish, i do like the idea of the lime putty, i can make it rather than buying it, i do like that

 

[pargyle]

I use this ...

http://www.regencypoultry.com/heathcare/redmite_and_Lice/smite.htm

I keep a garden sprayer with the stuff made up and when I do a weekly clean up I spray the whole of the coop inside with it ... the dilution ratio is small and the pump dispenser makes it easy so it last for ages. It's a disinfectant as well. Weekly is more than is recommended by the manufacturer but as the maintenance dose is only 3% I figure it won't hurt.

Never even SEEN a red mite, let alone had an infestation. Works for me and a lot less smelly than Jeyes fluid.

One of the few 'chemical treatments' that I would thoroughly endorse.

 

[victor meldrew]

Limewash. Buy a bucket of lime Putty.
http://www.ecolime.co.uk/index.php
Mix with water and paint inside your chicken house. Kept mine mite free for 12 months(its a shed with a felt roof too).Needs doing again now.
It's what they used to use in the old days for all animal housing.

All our yesterday's
Whitewash also used in outside toilets!
A dolly blue bag was dropped in the bucket, this used a trick of the light to exaggerate the whiteness
Long before 'Daz' with it's little blue flecks!
VM

 

[Oscarmonster]

my shed is wooden but has a gloss paint internal finish, i do like the idea of the lime putty, i can make it rather than buying it, i do like that

Our shed was painted with one of those coloured shed paints. The limewash won't stick to it very well, but it still works.

 

[Greatbigchicken]

Best thing to get rid of red mite is creosote (not the water based stuff). I painted the inside of our chicken shed when we were over run and your could see them all coming out the cracks. The whole shed needs a good coat, and chickens will need a temporary new home whilst drying.

Then when they are under control regularly use the standard brands to keep them down.

Not sure this would work if the shed is glossed inside though.

 

[mhill20]

Red mite

Hi Hedgerow
I've had the same issue,I resolved the horrible little demons.
Go to the pound shop or 99p shop and purchase some greenfly killer or ant+ crawling insect killer, spray that on them and that has the desired effect.
A couple of sprays sorts them out.

 

[Bee-Key-Pur]

Pm sent...

 

[mcfletty]

red mite

chlorocarb great stuff get it of ebay

 

[hedgerow pete]

whats chlorocarb, when its at home and what does it do

 

[mcfletty]

chlorocarb

used on racing pigeons mix in a bucket, spray the shed and dip the birds £6-7 a pack twice a year will kill all the mites.

 

[Headnavigator]

Limewash works fine for us - so cheap and easy I wouldn't consider anything else. Slop it on all over the washed out hen-house once every six months (I was told once a year but I'm fussy) and let them back in later the same day. No problem, little effort. happy hens.

 

[The Drone Ranger]

Hi Pete
Deosect is used for horses we got ours from the vet
(you can get it from agricultural suppliers I believe)
if you put 10 Ltr of warm water in a container of some kind
Then some Johnson's dog shampoo
2 ml of Deosect goes in and then mix it well
Dip the hens in the shampoo mix and get all the feathers wet
Dry them off a bit with an old towel or kitchen roll
No lice or mites can attack them after that
2 ml doesn't seem like much but it is plenty and does the hens no harm
You will want rubber gloves as it smells a bit strong

Blowtorch at the ends of perches and any cracks will help sort out the house

 

[Hombre]

I should do it before the first hard frosts though as frozen chickens ain't happy chicks!

 

[ichbinpaul]

My stepson has had real trouble in the past with red mites in his fancy breed chickens and Quail, he now goes through the coops with a small domestic steam
cleaner in all of the nooks and cranies! and dusts the birds with Diatomacious earth all periodically, and has no longer got any mites from what he said.

 

[porterswoods]

Farm disinfectants will only work against red mite if they can dissolve wax. Red mite have a waxy coating that can be dissolved with detergents to dehydrate them.

Poultry shield is the most popular and most effective of the detergent options, although it is just fairy liquid in a posh bottle. Detergents need direct contact with mites to work, hence I rarely use them. There are several things that you do and use to keep control of red mite.

firstly check routinely for any mites. Do this by using a standard white business card and pushing it into any gaps where it will fit. If the card goes in so will the mite. When it is pulled out look for any brownish red marks. It will be bright red if the mites have just fed. Only when you know the extent of the problem can you tackle it.

1. When the shed is empty pressure wash into all the cracks with detergent, I use ecofoam which is slightly corrosive, followed by superkill for disinfection. If you have car shampoo I suppose that will work.

2. after everything is clean use a chemical to dissolve the mite eggs, the shells are resistant to most chemicals. A specialist cleaner like Interkokask will be powerful enough to dissolve eggs, apply with the washer.

3. whilst the birds are not housed use a knapsack to apply Ficam W. This is residual and will kill the mites for a few weeks after it is applied.

4. Use Hemexsan powder mixed to a light slurry, like muddy water, and paint onto every surface in the house. I apply it using the washer. You can also add Ficam W to the mix for good measure.

5. grease all the areas that you can, nest roofs, roll bars, ends perches ect. It is much easier to stop the mites getting to the birds.

6. During production it is much harder to treat, most chemicals cannot be used with birds present. If you have no scruples the it is not an issue. During production I use elanco elector or Littac. When you notice mites during routine checks treat every 3 days for 2 weeks. As red mite has a short life cycle, this will catch the eggs as they hatch.

7. Create areas that are kept dry and filled with hemexsan for the birds to bathe.

Never use the same chemical for more than 2 consecutive treatments, the short life cycle means they soon build resistance. Most mites are already resistant to permetherins. Diesel and creosote work well but are not cheap options considering the volumes needed, it can also taint eggs.

This advice will make more sense to those that have seen my setup.

 

[Itchy]

I suggest you call a professional in.
Ficam W and Stingray are expensive and dangerous chemicals to use.
Creosote, diesel and anything else not approved for the control of mite will have adverse effects. Disinfectants used to control, viruses are also not going to work

 

[dpearce4]

we use diatom and this stuff http://www.sprcentre.com/Online-Shop-Categories/Poultry-Parasite-Control-Products

not seen any mites in the last 6 months and before that we lost a few chickens due to the infestation getting really bad when using just poultry shield.