Red Mite

I have suffered a great deal with this horrible little critter!  Although technically its the chickens that suffer but you know what I mean.

I have used loads of products.  I would suggest you need a variety of products and cleaning methods to keep it under control.

First of all if you are not sure what it is, here is a picture.  Skin crawling time!

Red Mite

They are tiny little things, really difficult to see. They're white until they suck blood at which point they turn red.
Yes, that is right they suck the blood of the chickens.
They live in the cracks can crevices of the hen house walls, roof, perches and nest boxes and venture out at night, feed on the hens and then return to their hiding place to lay more eggs.

Red mite has a 7 day breeding cycle so you need to treat the house at least every 6 days if you have a really bad infestation to try and beat it.

Signs to look out for:

• Grey to red coloured mites up to 0.7mm in size – looking almost like dust
• Reduced egg production
• The comb looking less red
• Spots of blood on eggs
• Your hen's not wanting to go in the coop at night

There are masses of forums you can visit and web sites you can get advice from but this is how I controlled it.

Jet washer

I have a pressure washer.  If you can take your house apart, do this and jet wash everything for a good 10 mins.  Leave for 15 mins and then return to the house - you thought you had blasted all the little critters away?  Nope, there will be loads more now "crawling out of the woodwork".  Best you jet wash everything again.
I did this in May/June time in 2012 but you may find if you have a bad infestation you have to do it twice.

Poultry Shield

This is a cleaner but it also dissolves the waxy coating on the outside of the mites causing them to dehydrate and die.
After jet washing first time I spray this in all the joints and cracks.  I then re apply during the week if I feel necessary and use it you clean the perches and droppings board/floor of the hen house.

Diatomaceous Earth

This is a great produce.  It is the fossilized remains of deceased diatoms, a type of ancient algae. It is effective at killing red mite, because it absorbs lipids from their waxy outer layer causing them to dehydrate and die. You can also add it to the feed as a wormer.
Best to note, it is no good when wet.  The coop must be dry otherwise it is not effective.
I dust this in the house.  On the perches, ends of perches, nest box, floor of the house, cracks............absolutely everywhere!  Its not instant but you will find over a day or two there are dead mites.  I would recommend you keep using this all throughout the year as a preventative.

Between April and September I have been dusting the hen box daily with Diatomaceous Earth (after cleaning it out) and weekly cleaning all bedding out and using minimal wood shavings and absolutely no hay or straw as the mites love it!!  It has worked to keep numbers down and now in October I have no active red mites, although you would not expect them to hang around this time of year.

I hope this helps.  Send me a mail if you want to discuss anything, always happy to help.

Andrew :o)