Comments on: Ooops,

By: grannieannie

grannieannie — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 21:25:20 +0000

Hi Nikki, so pleased we have another layer! lol hope you get some more eggs soon! We've got about 8 laying now but only one of those is still with us! Someone is coming tomorrow for his 4, so wonder if I can catch the one that is laying for him!!!! lol. I hope you get loads more pleasure from them in the years to come Nikki. Hope to see you all again soon!!!

By: Nikki Holden (Wigtoft)

Nikki Holden (Wigtoft) — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 18:23:32 +0000

Hello all, we picked our Babcocks up just over a week ago and now have our first eggs. One of our 4 chickens has started laying and we are getting into a routine of 1 egg a ay, just waiting for the other 3 to catch-up. Our chickens have a definate pecking order and enjoy the rosemary and other herbs in the garden. The kids love them and we have not had any problems with our 2 dogs….Chickens do not stand for any nonsense! Ours like sweetcorn and follow us around the garden waiting for the corn; we cannot wear flip-flops in the garden any more, the toes are too tempting for our ladies..
We will keep a look out for any mite but will be in touch for some advice if we think we have it; our coup was treated with something before we got it?
Once again, thank you for the Chicks, we are enjoying watching them and now have the eggs to go with it..Nikki

By: grannieannie

grannieannie — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 08:10:41 +0000

Hi Amanda, I'm sorry you've got the red mite, they really are little blighters! If you've creosoted (was it real creosote or the new fangled one which doesn't seem as good?) there shouldn't be any redmite where you creosoted. My method is that I wash everything with Jeyes first, wait until it dries, then spray with Poultryshield. (I've also heard that Milbenex from Bowden & Knights is good too, and Duramitex made up stronger than instructions!). The big house I creosoted last year is still good, apart from a few that got on the perches that aren't creosoted. But we've had it in the layer house for just over a week now, and I think I'm nearly there! Yes they do drive you nuts, blooming things! They multiple very quickly though Amanda, and get into the tiniest spaces imaginable! We've got some nice new metal nestboxes with plastic inserts, but they even got into the tiny spaces where the rivets are and the metal brackets that hold the perches. I washed them all down and sprayed with poultryshield, but when I looked yesterdyay they are still there, or rather their babies were! Is your coop house roof covered in felt? They love the big space under there! Can you take the felt off and have a look? then when you put the felt back on, cover teh roof with that black bitumen stuff old by places like Wickes, then put your felt back on. Until I get the layers house sorted properly, and it can take 1 or 2 weeks to get rid properly, I've put 2 small nest boxes in there, but one I dusted with red mite powder, the other one I have smeared cheap petroleum jelly into all the little cracks as its made of plywood, so lots of room for tiny mites to hide. On the large house I also smeared the jelly down all the joins in the ply. the mite can't get into that. The other thing to think about is that when you are spraying mites, they can fall off the house into the grass, then get picked up by other hens and taken back into the house, so yesterday I gave the surrounding area of ground a spray too, and a dusting of mite powder!!! They will NOT defeat me! lol Mites can live without a host body for 38 weeks, and yes, a bad infestation can kill your chickens as they make them anaemic with all the blood sucking, and can make them lethargic and off lay! They do bite humans, and are nasty crawling all over you, but I put on my oldest clothes to go and treat the coops, then come in and throw all my clothes into the washing machine then go and shower. As they get everywhere!! I hope this has helped, let me know how it goes!

By: Amanda Forbes

Amanda Forbes — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 21:32:28 +0000

Hi just to say i have already had some advise from you via another kind lady. I have recently discovered red mite (I think) and its driving me crazy, have cresoted and jeyes and even bleached the windows, but still i am crawling with them when i come out of the houses, poor chickens, it must drive them crazy! What else can i do to get rid im at my wits end, also, what damage can they do to the chooks and can they live on humans like head lice would?? Help please!!