Encourage regular dust bathing by providing a space for your hens to do this. Adding Diatomaceous Earth into the soil is a great way of allowing the hens to treat themselves for red mite too. Summer is here, which means al fresco dining and beach days for us but, sadly, it brings with it unwanted visitors for our hens. As with any pests, prevention is key, so make sure you take as much action as possible to avoid these little critters making their way into your hen house this summer. We would advise wearing old clothes and washing these immediately after cleaning your hen house, as well as taking a shower yourself. Red mite can remain on you and your clothing for some time, causing irritation if not removed.

Once it is entirely dry you can dust the house with Diatomaceous Earth, a non-toxic powder which will kill any remaining mites. Pop a square of white towelling in the corner of your hen house – if it turns a reddish-brown colour by morning well, yep you guessed it, red mite are the cause. You can also run your finger along the underside of perches, being mindful of splinters. If red mite are present you will either have smears of blood on your hand or live mites. Getting rid of red mite Change your clothes if you’ve been to visit a fellow hen keeper, just in case they unknowingly have a case of red mite. Clean clean clean – sweep out all the bedding in the hen house and strip it of as much material as you possibly can. Remove as many parts of the coop as possible, such as perches, pop holes and anything else that will unscrew easily. Then, power wash the entire house, getting into every nook and cranny as best you can, before leaving it to dry.Now we know how to keep red mite at bay, but if they’ve still worked their way in,how do you spot them? If you’ve got an infestation in your hen house the first sign will be a reluctance by your hens to go into it at nighttime, but there are ways and means of discovering these pesky critters before things get that serious.