Tuesday 25 August 2009

Infestation.........itch itch, scratch,scratch.....

We have the dreaded Red Mite. We are infested, stay away if you value your itch free life....... all chickens run and hide!!
The main news today is infestation.........special report from Coco, our reporter in the Eglu.
Seriously though yesterday, I noticed for the first time little clusters of red mites in the White girls house, and because during the day the Brown girls go there to sit on the perches they must have them too.
Let us out of this infested place.....
I have read all the books and articles I have about the dreaded red mite and it all just says to dust the houses and the chickens with Red Mite powder until the problem goes away.
Little Lovely having a stretch.
I have dusted the houses and I have sprinkled the stuff in the girls dust bath area too, so hopefully some of the powder will get on to them, although they do not seem to like the smell too much. Who thought of making it smell like aniseed.........do chickens even like aniseed?
Run for the trees.
I will, when I have Lovely Hubbys help dust the girls thoroughly too, I did try to do it myself, but I don't seem to have enough hands. You need one to hold the chicken, one to spread the wings out (one at a time that is) and one to liberally dust!

I come in each morning after cleaning out the houses with skin itching, I think it's mostly in my mind because I don't see them on me. I have to have another shower and wash my hair and still I'm sat here typing away feeling as though they are all over me....yuk...yuk....!!

Any tips gratefully received from all you lovely Bloggers out there who have kept chickens longer than me and have had to deal with this in the past.

Thank you.

And that concludes the news bulletin from our other reporter Fudge for Chicken World.

Itchy Sue xx

6 comments:

  1. Poor you Sue, I've just got my girls so can offer no help, though I'll be watching how you cope, funny really I think the itching is catching ;)

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  2. Hello I'm getting three hens this week. Help !!!

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  3. Oh dear, I do feel for you but cannot offer any advice on the matter as I do not have chickens.
    It must be an awful feeling knowing that they are on you and around the house!
    I really hope that someoner comes up with a solution for you soon.
    Take care
    Isabelle x

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  4. Eeek red mites suck blood. Hopefully the powder will do the trick.

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  5. So sorry you have this issue too. I've left you an email as it was a bit too long to bore everyone here with my tales of the Red Mite!
    Take care
    Sarah x

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  6. We have been infested with mites too this year. We have been using the powder, and Poultry Shield, and have been recommended something called Duramitex which you can get on ebay. Its yet to arrive, but no doubt I will spend all Saturday stripping and scrubbing the hen house...just like last Saturday! Hopefully with the nights getting a little colder, they will stop breeding quite so rapidly. Urrghh...makes me itch just thinking about my poor birds out there being crawled upon!!

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