THERE is one major problem in poultry which is very serious but always seems to be neglected or not spoken of and this is a problem mite infestation. Unless you have actually experienced the havoc and devastation it causes, it is very hard to understand how devastating its effect actually is upon poultry.

The Red Mite is an insect that is so very small to see, the mite who in most cases does not comes out to feed until after dark and which is very small. This makes the insect hard to actually see. The Red Mite leave their hiding places during the night and feed on the animals or birds before returning back to the cracks and crevices where it hides and breeds. When feeding, the mite actually feeds by sucking the blood of the animal or bird and this can and will be fatal due to loss of blood. If the insect is not either eradicated or controlled the situation will get worse and worse.

Be aware
There are so many people who contact us on a daily basis asking why their birds are not healthy, the birds may look lethargic, feathers fluffed up, pale combs and wattles, body appears droopy, the birds stop laying and the birds refuse to go in to the house at night to roost. These are all signs that indicate that the birds are unhappy and there is a problem which needs addressing. They are acting this way, because all of these symptoms are created by the discomfort and the loss of blood that the Red Mite consume each night while the birds are roosting. The mite crawl onto their perching victim, they then bite the bird before proceeding to suck the blood. This must be very uncomfortable for the birds who have no way of stopping this insect invasion - they just have to sit there and literally have there life blood removed.

The inevitable result is the loss of vigour in the birds and eventually the loss of the bird's life. there is no time to leave this problem unattended it needs immediate treatment.

To recap, tell tale signs in the birds are Droopy - Unhealthy - Feathers fluffed up - Crouching Stance Pale wattles - Pale combs - Eyes closed as though very weak Refusing to go to bed in the evening, or just standing around the pop hole looking nervous and quite lost. The birds will eventually lie on their sides as the strength is removed due to them becoming aneamic through loss of blood.

Red mite are a very common reason for a broody hen suddenly getting off her eggs.

There are other signs not relating to the birds. Check the poultry unit thoroughly for any signs of grey dust (looks a little like cigarette ash), this will be very evident around the perch ends and the house corners and joints. Behind hinges and bolts are an ideal hiding place but do not forget to check drinkers and feeders as these also often infested.

To test for mite rub your fingers under the perches to check for the insect, if when you remove your hand there are signs of blood it is a very good possibility that you have an infestation. Red mite who have fed on the poultry will be full of blood and when squashed will release the blood.

You will sometimes experience the mite on your own skin, especially after collecting the eggs or doing the routine cleaning, this is due to the fact that the mite are attracted to your body heat, you may find yourself itching and might even be able to see the mite crawling on your arms. Although this is not pleasant and a little uncomfortable the mite will do you no harm, it is the birds alone which are under a serious threat.

What I do suggest is that if you have a really bad mite infestation then you need to wash your clothes and take a shower, this will get rid of any mite which are on your person and will hopefully help in slowing down the movement of this terrible insect. Remember as you pass from shed to shed you can actually carry the mite with you, this is hard to prevent but with care the problem can be reduced.

Prevention
There is in all honesty no one product which totally eradicates this pest on a permanent basis, there is very little you can do to prevent a Red Mite invasion other than regular preventative treatment to keep the problem under control.

There have been several products recommended for this problem but some seem to be more successful than others.

I have had customers who have disposed of there old shed and bought a new one then to find that in a few days the new shed is now worse the old one. Red Mite seem love new wood and the spread of the mite from shed to shed is as I have already said, is normally created by ourselves, we bring in the problem on our feet and clothes, and there are the wild birds (these seem to get the blame for everything today!). The problem is that the mite seems to have an uncanny way of spreading around and moving from place to place with ease.

Creosote treatment was the tradional cure but now it is apparently not an acceptable product with today's rules and regulations. Even so, recent reports suggest that even after using creosote the mite return quite quickly. With the original creosote product not being readily available due to its chemical content the new replacement which has a slightly different spelling seems to be really of no use whatsoever against Red Mite, a good preservative it maybe, but a pest controller it is not.

Cure and control
As said earlier total cure is virtually impossible as this is due to the amount of insects which breed and survive in a very short breeding cycle.

Controlling the insects is of the utmost importance and really needs to be your main aim, spraying the shed must be done on a very regular basis and that is possibly every 5/6 days. By doing this there is a good chance of keeping the pests under control. Another problem is that most of us these days do not 'in and out' our chickens. Years ago a small poultry keeper would have say a dozen laying hens every year and replace them, liming, creosoting and thorough cleaning between 'batches'. These days people, your editor included, get quite attached to their hens and keep them well past their laying best thus providing a perfect cycle for the mite to live on and on in the house.

Products for Red Mite
There are many products; these are a few that I have found useful. If you have a product that has worked for you then please do email or write to Smallholder so we can share it with other poultry keepers.

POULTRY SHIELD. Poultry Shield is possibly one of the best known products on the market, it has been very successful and has been well tested over the last few years, the liquid cleaner is diluted in water at a rate of 20 parts water to one part Poultry shield for use a protection but this dilution can be increased to 10 to 1 if you have a severe infestation. The product works on the basis that the insect has a wax coating on the body which is dissolved by the cleaner, when using Shield you will see a greenish liquid coming from the areas treated this is the mite being dissolved.

The Poultry Shield can be used with the birds in residence but is not actually recommended for use on the actual birds.

When using any liquid product you have to make sure all the joints and crevices are well covered and soaked to ensure as much penetration into the housing as possible.

The cost of Poultry Shield can vary but it is around the £20 price range for 5ltrs, when purchasing makes sure that this is the genuine product undiluted.

BARRIER RED MITE CONCENTRATE. Barrier Red Mite concentrate is another well tried and tested product for pest control. This company is a well established organic approved supplier, all there animal products are in my opinion excellent and very well proven.

The concentrate comes in a standard 500 ml size container which dilutes 20 parts water to one part concentrate, it is used in the same way as other spray products but barrier concentrate can be used on the actual birds, therefore it is totally safe for use with the birds in residence inside the unit when you are carrying out the treatment.

There is a growing demand for all products organic but what you have to take into consideration that products which are non chemical do sometimes take a little longer to produce the desired results, they do get the results but the safety factor makes them slower to react.

The price of the 500ml which actually makes 10ltrs when mixed is around £12.50 but there is a 5 ltr container available for anyone who needs a larger quantity.

BARRIER RED MITE POWDER. If wetting the birds is not the type of action you prefer then Barrier also produce a dry Red Mite Powder especially designed for use on the birds, this is a very good product with a reasonably long action life once used, it suggests that it keeps working for up to six weeks per application.

The product comes as a 500grm shaker with a twist top very similar to a talcum powder shaker, you just sprinkle the powder onto the birds vent area and under the wings and any other area that you consider being a feeding place for the mite.

Cost is around the £8.00 for the 500grm but there is a large bucket available for the larger poultry keeper if required.

There are several other products on the market but these are the ones that I have tried and tested myself.

DIATOM (Diatomaceous Earth). This is a product which is produced by the same company who created Poultry Shield, this comes in a powder form which is totally safe and organic but destroys insects and red mite. Tests have proven its effectiveness and I include a recent e mail we received from a delighted customer.

'In Terry Beebe's article on broody hens and chicks, he mentions the dreaded red mite.

I have ex-battery hens and my girls were plagued with Red Mite in last year's heat wave. I used various powders and sprays but all to no effect. The things made an appearance this year as well, but, thanks to an on-line forum I belong to, www.ex-battery-hens.com, I found out that Diatomaceous Earth gets rid of red mite.

I immediately bought some, and can confirm it really works. My hen house is a small converted shed with lots of crannies for mites to hide, but, in just a couple of weeks, they are almost all gone'.

Red Mite is a serious problem for all poultry keepers around the world but although it is hard to keep on top of the problem it can be done by a weekly management of control, spray and treat if possible ever 6/7 days as this breaks the breeding cycle of the insect. If left the eggs just keep on hatching and the problem increases in alarming proportions.

We can help with advice and products if needed and all products are now available mail order, and are in most cases next day delivery.