BDutch's bantam flock & natural breeding projects #5 🪺 🪺 and #6

[MaryJanet]

I’ve been meaning to make some of the cardboard traps to check for mites. We end up with tons of cardboard!

Me too! There are always several boxes lying around waiting for the day they'll fit in the recycling bin. Mite traps are such a good way to use some of it up.

 

[BDutch]

Great idea! I like this.
This looks like a good way to monitor. By checking every so often you might could catch it before it got so bad.

Yes. I discovered a beginning mite problem twice now.
The first time (8 years ago) I could eliminate the red mite with one cleaning action and the use of DE. Hopefully it wil work this time too.

When its freezing cold you dont need to monitor. But from spring till late autumn it’s best to check every week. And double that When its getting really warm.

 

[Sequel]

Me too! There are always several boxes lying around waiting for the day they'll fit in the recycling bin. Mite traps are such a good way to use some of it up.

Ok let’s try a couple!

 

[BDutch]

Ok let’s try a couple!

The trick with the carton is only useful/ can only work if you have an infested coop of course.
It flabergasted me how many mites this guy had on the wrapped cartons.
It’s worth a try if you gave up cleaning and search for another method to eliminate the red mite. But I surely hope I never get a huge infestation like he had.

Yesterday I was so busy cleaning and altering the roost area that I forgot to take pictures.

After cleaning and painting with DE, I made the bedding in the nest boxes with a firm layer of sand mixed with DE and just a rather thin layer with shavings on top.

Because the hens couldnt lay in the nestboxes yesterday I think they might have laid an egg somewhere in the garden.

At roost time there was a lot of fuss because of the changes. 2 mama’s decided to roost in the extension (larger roost space) and 6 chicks roosted in the small coop. Only one mama with 3 chicks slept in a nestbox.

 

[NanaK]

At roost time there was a lot of fuss because of the changes.

My chickens always let me know their disproval of any change I make.

Their coop has windows all around it. Some are left partially open year round. Some are closed in the coldest part of winter. When I opened them all up in early spring, I had one young hen spend the day staring at them. She walked around the coop jumping up on stuff and squawking, just to take a closer look at each one! After 2 days her inspections were over. No one else paid them any mind.

I wander what she called herself doing?

 

[Sequel]

This morning I did the regular poop scooping and picked up the roost bar to scrape some poop off, and noticed one end was crawling with red roost mites! I was and still am horrified! I smashed and smeared them into the poop bucket and dusted all the places where roosts attach to supports with poultry dust.

I pick up that roost bar almost every day, so they couldn’t have been there long, could they? Anyhow I’m going to make some rolled cardboard things and see if they attract anything.

 

[MaryJanet]

It's winter where I live, so there's not much point in looking for mites, but I'm definitely going to try the cardboard traps once the weather warms up. Hopefully they'll be empty but if not, I'll do a daily trap and burn like the chap in the video.

Or I might apply Coopex for a quicker remediation.

 

[RoyalChick]

There are several videos on YouTube dealing with red mites.

This guy is my favorite!

This video is great. I am definitely going to give it a go.
One question, why do his cardboard wraps have to be at the ends? Do the mites only live at the ends? I thought they lived in any nooks and crannies. I use tree branches so I have crevices all along its length.

 

[MaryJanet]

This video is great. I am definitely going to give it a go.
One question, why do his cardboard wraps have to be at the ends? Do the mites only live at the ends? I thought they lived in any nooks and crannies. I use tree branches so I have crevices all along its length.

I was pondering that too and thought I might try wrapping most of the length.

 

[Sequel]

This video is great. I am definitely going to give it a go.
One question, why do his cardboard wraps have to be at the ends? Do the mites only live at the ends? I thought they lived in any nooks and crannies. I use tree branches so I have crevices all along its length.

Probably if his roosts are smooth the end is where the trouble will come from.