Keeping Red Mite Out of Your Hen House
Red mite is the most common pest in backyard flocks. Learn how to spot it early, treat an infestation and design it out of your coop for good.
Red mite are tiny parasites that hide in cracks during the day and feed on hens at night. Left unchecked they cause stress, anaemia and a drop in laying.
How to check for red mite
After dark, run a white tissue along the underside of the perches. Red or grey smears mean mite. In daylight, look for grey "ash" clusters in joints and perch ends.
Treating an infestation
- Remove all bedding and burn or bag it.
- Take out perches and the droppings tray and scrub everything with hot soapy water.
- Treat every joint with a poultry-safe mite spray or diatomaceous earth.
- Repeat every 7 days for at least three weeks to break the life cycle.
Prevention by design
Coops with removable perches and minimal joints are far easier to keep mite-free. Our recycled-plastic Hen Hub has smooth, joint-free walls that give mites nowhere to hide.
