Mites.....

them horrid little mites come out at night think there a gray colour but when they done feeding on ya birds they go back into the cracks full of blood they suck
birds will never rest if you get them dam things so any thing anyone adds to rid your loft of them is all good to post

I mix a solution called Chlorcarb in with my emulsion paint and always have some mixed in an atomiser spray.
They are greyish colour but are red when have fed.
These will cause anaemia in youngbirds and will knock your racebirds off form.

i was told about diatomecous soil by a chicken farmer who i did work for a couple of years ago and he swears by it just sprinkle around nest boxes it wont harm the birds as its food grade anyway also deals with worms and worm eggs

is duramitex still one of the best for mites etc .....?

I'll have to look out for that Darren.
Only thing I don't like about Duramitex David, is that horrendous smell.

i just use Harkers Duramitex Plus works fine for me also apple cider vinager in the bath water or garlic i found helps

Gaz b wrote:

I'll have to look out for that Darren.
Only thing I don't like about Duramitex David, is that horrendous smell.

i hate the smell to but if the mites do then so be it i hate them beggers

as chris and others have said, i also add salt and vinegar to the bath water, ive never seen any lice/mites on my birds.......but as graham says, ive never checked at night to see if anything is bothering them......

In the new lofts, we sealed every crack in the nestboxes with a filler mixed with chlorcarb and then sealed with white silicone sealant as this gives them no hiding places and also stops them horrible brown moths as well.
You will see your birds twitching and not resting if they are present.

yes me to david salt and vin but do 1 spot the race birds as the one i use is a wormer aswell but only during the race season

all these little things count and in removing or keeping tics mites whatever away will show come race season cus a bird not resting wont win anything

David wrote:

as chris and others have said, i also add salt and vinegar to the bath water, ive never seen any lice/mites on my birds.......but as graham says, ive never checked at night to see if anything is bothering them......

just go in the loft with a torch david lift a couple of bowls every few nights and check the y/b trust me there will be quite a few you wont miss them if any are present only takes a few seconds to check but peace of mind you to will sleep better

once ordered some of the wormer/mite stuff darren, but it never came.......do you reccommend it ....?

birdy2011 wrote:

David wrote:

as chris and others have said, i also add salt and vinegar to the bath water, ive never seen any lice/mites on my birds.......but as graham says, ive never checked at night to see if anything is bothering them......

just go in the loft with a torch david lift a couple of bowls every few nights and check the y/b trust me there will be quite a few you wont miss them if any are present only takes a few seconds to check but peace of mind you to will sleep better

so would you think the mites play a part in eggs not hatching and/or ybs dying in the nest due to the parents coming off of them during the night.....?

yes david and also when you find y/b dead most are only a few days old the old birds can rest and they stand up in the nest hence the babies get trod on cus they cant see to move off them as we have said they suck the blood then go back to the cracks in the walls only to come back the next night worse than bloody army ants

mmmm yes, sounds right.......this is good advise for new starters or members who over look this unseen enemy.

like i say if you get these you got megga problems they know where the babies are and cus there sat in the nest there easy pickings
ask ya self this could you sleep with a head full of lice i think not. so to all check them regular .

David wrote:

once ordered some of the wormer/mite stuff darren, but it never came.......do you reccommend it ....?

yes definitely david when they are mixing with other birds never ever had a problem with worms or lice or mites touch wood

the mites are only about 1mm in length and are grey when at rest

argh, horrible looking things, no wonder they trouble the pigeons so much.........i think everyone should guard against these things, even as a precautionary measure.

That's the little blighter.
Going back to 2004 season, my birds were on fire, then all of a sudden. They went right off the boil over night. I was out with microscope.
Nothing.
I couldn't figure out what was wrong.
But one night as I was turning the dimmer down on my lights, I suddenly saw my birds, twitching quite frantically. Some were even dancing on the perch. When I went into the loft with a torch. I saw them. The day after I fumigated loft with Chlorcard and dunked all my birds in a solution of it. This was when I started to use Borax in the bath. They came back on form within a few days.

yes gary they come and hit ya birds so fast i think more in summer but like you say these are the first things to look for forget meds look out for these mites first once they start sucking that blood ya birds will go down hill so fast


silly but its normaly the little things that do most damage

My birds went off within days mate.
This is the main thing on my agenda, that's why I have everything white and sealed in the raceloft.

so what is the easiest and simplest way of getting rid of these or treating as a preventative.....?

Seal all cracks and crevices especially on box perches, if this is not possible the a good blow torching on a regular basis. I spray them with a solution on a regular basis.