Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[ChaosMom]

Mites will find their way into a Nestera, like any other coop of course, and typically I find them hiding where sheets meet: between the covers of the circular vents and the side panel they rotate upon (I leave the covers off now, and find no mites there anymore); on the few-millimetre strip on the side wall that is covered by the ends of the 3 sides and bottom of the nest box, where it touches the main body of the coop; in the square holes where the roosts sit; on the back door where it covers the back wall; on a narrow band round the nest box roof where it sits on the side walls of the nest box; and occasionally on the underside of the poop trays. The last four are easily exposed, but where the nestbox meets the main body requires a little disassembly to get at, so whatever you do, when you add on, keep in mind that you will be wanting to take it apart periodically for a thorough wash, and make your fixings accordingly. You will find small round holes already drilled through the plastic walls for attaching a run, so I assume they are well placed for easy disassembly, but I haven't had occasion to try them out. Ditto hardware cloth, so can't advise on that either.

If you have a jet washer, that works well to dislodge mites and eggs even without partial or total disassembly, though my coops are normally located too far from taps and power for that, so I remove the nest boxes to expose their edges and hand wash with hot soapy water and a plastic scourer. Usually that's enough to remove them. And the whole job takes about half and hour once you've learned by heart how to disassemble and reassemble the nest box And no nasty chemicals or dusts needed

Oh thanks, that's very helpful indeed! So basically junctions, of any sort of material. Nestera-type coops' advantage is that the junctions aren't permanent (as they can be quickly disassembled), so you don't have to approach Armageddon-levels of mite-killing after infestations. Good to know.

And I hadn't even thought about the underside of poop trays!

So where do red mites (and others) come from, if the run is on land where poultry hasn't been, at least since the 1940's, and the flock is brand new and clean? The top of the run is hardware cloth, and we do have songbirds, crows, and hawks in the area. Are they a source for mites?

I might not be focussing on all this quite so hard if it weren't for the fact that the girls are still determined not to be caught, apparently seeing me with a chainsaw and hockey mask. It's hard inspecting them if you can't catch them.

- and wow, I hadn't thought about the vent covers AT ALL! I'll take them off and park them in the shed for a rainy day.

 

[Perris]

So where do red mites (and others) come from

They can come down from trees for sure. Ultimately from wildlife and other natural reservoirs I guess. I still place the coops under trees for shade in the summer, but up my mite vigilance when I do so.

 

[Perris]

the girls are still determined not to be caught

this is a positive from the predator evasion perspective, if you let them range.

It's hard inspecting them if you can't catch them

again personally I think this is a good thing. If they are really ill then you can. I see a lot of people on BYC imagining a lot of illness in their birds via inspection, especially when they're newbies and barely know a chicken's anatomy, never mind physiology etc. And then, with the best intentions, and on the basis of some solid and some dreadful advice found online (but they're new, so they can't tell the difference), start messing with their birds' diets or environment or whatnot, and basically create a problem where there probably was none to start with, or make a little one a lot worse.

 

[Perris]

So basically junctions, of any sort of material.

yes, but most junctions on a Nestera don't get any at all. The mites concentrate around the nest boxes.

 

[Perris]

found this on mites, which is useful
https://www.the-piedpiper.co.uk/th5i.htm#birdmite

 

[L-plate chicken mum]

found this on mites, which is useful
https://www.the-piedpiper.co.uk/th5i.htm#birdmite

Thanks Perris, it’s very informative - had come across it previously but it’s been a while since I read it.
Re read the bit about chiggers too, oh how they bite! Can’t see the little blighters but they bite prodigiously and the bites itch intensely for about 2 weeks!! Working on chalk downland in the autumn is sooo itchy & my sister got covered in bites clearing a bramble patch in mum’s garden last year .

Have huge sympathy for birds & keepers that have to cope with infestations. Thank heavens mine haven’t had one (never say never).

Tax for human mite talk:

 

[Perris]

what a handsome chap!

 

[BDutch]

The nest is constructed well enough. Bird spent at least a week sitting on it diligently and then just gave up I guess.

I would have thought the nest was predated. We have cats and big birds around here who do this.

Early days yet. There's been a little more bickering than usual but otherwise nothing unusual.

They don’t seem to mourn much. Do you have the idea the ladies knew he was going to die and the said farewell in the week before he died?
Nice to know his genes are still with you.
Any ideas about looking for another rooster to fill the gap?

 

[Shadrach]

Would it be worth putting up a trail cam to identify the culprits? And perhaps printing out and posting up publicly those images caught?

Probably not. Expense, maintainance, no electric at the field, the theives will probably have the usual hoods etc.

 

[ChaosMom]

found this on mites, which is useful
https://www.the-piedpiper.co.uk/th5i.htm#birdmite

Ugh, I’m glad that I didn’t know this when starlings built a nest in our attic when the kids were young.