The Dreaded Red Mite

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Durham Hens was asked to call at a customer's home to treat a red mite infestation last week and it was one of the worst we've ever seen. The bedding was crawling with mites. The coop was dismantled and the photos show what we found!

What are red mite? They are small mites that live in chicken coops. They hide in the crevices and creep out at night to feed from the chickens. The chickens often become ill and can die if the mites are not eliminated. Adult mites are grey and turn red after feeding on blood. Immature mites are white. No matter how well you clean your coop, you can still get red mite.

So what can be done about red mite? Prevention is better than cure. We use Smite Powder in all our sheds at Durham Hens and very rarely see mites of any type. We clean them with Poultry Shield several times a year and between batches of hens. Both of these products kill red mite.
If you discover red mite and react quickly, they can be treated successfully. Our Red Mite Smite pack includes everything you need.

Once red mite get established, it's much more difficult to eliminate them. The owner of this coop decided to burn it and buy a new one – a Durham Hen House. Plastic coops are much less likely to attract red mite and they are much easier to treat too.

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