{"id":591,"date":"2021-04-07T14:17:14","date_gmt":"2021-04-07T14:17:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.citrus-lime.com\/spee\/?p=591"},"modified":"2021-12-17T14:17:59","modified_gmt":"2021-12-17T14:17:59","slug":"pesky-pests","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.citrus-lime.com\/spee\/pesky-pests\/","title":{"rendered":"Pesky Pests"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
As the weather improves, the risk of parasite infection increases<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

There are a number of Pesky Pests that can live on your chickens or in their housing, and can be a real problem for your flock – it is essential to identify, tackle if necessary and help deter future infestations. Nettex explains…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Types of Pests<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Red Mites –<\/strong> These are extremely resilient and live in the crevices of the housing and emerge after dark to feed off the chickens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lice & Northern Fowl Mites –<\/strong> These live on your chickens at the base of the feathers and are transferred from wild birds in your garden.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scaly Leg Mites –<\/strong> Particularly nasty mites that spend their entire life cycle on the chicken, burrowing under the scales of their legs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Signs of Infestation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

– Grumpy and irritable birds<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– Birds stop laying or eggs have blood spots<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– Avoiding the coop at night<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– Sore, raised scales on the legs<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– Pecking at legs<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– Mites or eggs on the feathers<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Prevent Them<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
  1. BE VIGILANT –<\/strong> It is easier to deal with an infestation when it is caught quickly. Pay attention to the nooks and crannies in your coop, and give your birds a monthly health check so you can spot unusual behaviours. Use Scaly Leg Spray<\/a> on your birds to suffocate mites and bring relief when they are present.<\/li>
  2. CLEANING –<\/strong> Deep clean your coop every week, then spray with Total Mite Kill Solution<\/a> (a powerful disinfectant and insecticide). Liberally sprinkle some Total Hygiene Powder<\/a> to absorb moisture and deter pests. You should completely strip down your coop once a month using Virocur disinfectant<\/a> for total protection.<\/li>
  3. BEDDING –<\/strong> Mites and lice love heat and dampness so bedding like newspaper is not ideal. Hay and straw can also harbour mites in the stalks and can contain dust spores.<\/li>
  4. DUSTBATH –<\/strong> A dustbath in your run encourages social behaviour, and sprinkling some Total Hygiene Powder<\/a> in it will prevent unwanted pests.<\/li>
  5. SUNSHINE –<\/strong> UV light is a natural disinfectant that can kill of red mites, so it is a good idea to lay panels out in the sun whilst you clean the coop.<\/li>
  6. SUPPORT –<\/strong> Mites can cause stress in your birds, but you can support their health and vitality by adding a supplement such as Vit Boost Tonic<\/a> to their water.<\/li>
  7. ENVIRONMENT –<\/strong> Whilst your coop should be kept extra clean, don’t forget about their wider environment. Using Ground and Bedding Sanitising Powder<\/a> in their run will help maintain a healthy environment and keep the ground clear of eggs and bacteria.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
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    As the weather improves, the risk of parasite infection increases<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":593,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_price":"","_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"0","_ticket_start_date":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":false,"_tribe_ticket_use_global_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_global_stock_level":"","_global_stock_mode":"","_global_stock_cap":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_going_count":"","_tribe_ticket_not_going_count":"","_tribe_tickets_list":"[]","_tribe_ticket_has_attendee_info_fields":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-591","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-birds"},"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/blog.citrus-lime.com\/spee\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2021\/04\/chiken.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"speedgateadmin","author_link":"https:\/\/blog.citrus-lime.com\/spee\/author\/speedgateadmin\/"},"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t