I have always painted the inside of the coops, I seal all the joints with liquid nails and then paint the inside and outside with "Solargard" exterior paint (best exterior paint EVER). I also keep a tin of "crawling surface spray" (like the fly spray for spiders/cockroaches etc) and spray under the mulch everytime I clean out the poop whilst the chicken are out free ranging. By the time the chickens come back the smell has gone. Since I started doing this I have never had a mite problem ever again. (over 2 years now)
I made a paste from food grade diatomaceous earth and water. Painted it all over the inside, when it dried the DE was back to its silica form. Worked so far, and it's been about 5 years since I did it
Brilliant! That's a great idea. I am going to try it. Every morning I wipe the perches down and spray everything with a concoction of vinegar, neem oil, peppermint oil, lavender oil and lemongrass oil. They say that helps too.
@@faltio69 haha! Yes, it's not too bad. It only takes me about 20 minutes. I scrape the poop into a bucket, and then spray and wipe. The girls seem to poop all in one area, so it's pretty quick to do.
people say often: you see the dirt on plain white... I'm thinking: exactly, and you also see when that dirt is gone when you clean it. I spent about 5 hours looking at diy-plans for a hen house, and then I realised I'm all thumbs and the mites exist, so it's not just about looking good and being sturdy, it also matters if the house is easy to clean while still well ventilated, so we bought a recycled plastic one, happy with it, chickens are also pretty happy with it, there's something wholesome about checking on them in the evening and seeing them get in the coop and get comfy, usually the last one pushes another one off the perch.
@@chickensinmygarden that's a 36mm pine wood stick, square, rounded edges, the coop itself is not very pretty (nestera) but it ticks all the boxes, chickens are very ok with it, sleep on the perch, nicely next to each other, just enough place for three.
I watched a video by a RU-vidr who said that he uses a double-sided sticky tape at each end of the bar the chickens roost on. It traps the mites as they travel to and from the walls to the chicken at night. He said after there are no more mites on the tape he doesn't need to use the tape again for a while but every once in a while put it on again to check for their presence -- and leaves it until there are no more on the tape overnight.. He said he gets sort of an industrial tape somewhere online. I haven't looked for it yet but I'm going to and try to use that also along with my white painted walls with caulk at every seam.
Congratulations on being Best Chicken RU-vidr Ever..a title I created just for this great channel😊. You do a great job and I really do appreciate you sharing all of your great ideas.🏆
Hi, again a top Video 👍 I also painted my henhouse white inside for many years now and I never had big problems with the red mites 😊. All the best, Peter from Germany 🐓
This video just came up on my newsfeed. This is exactly what we've done to out coop. The mites were out of control. We purchased Elector psp (bloody expensive stuff), treated the coop, and a month later, they were back. We stripped the coop, drenched it again, and I bought a vapouriser. I poured 30ml in the vapouriser and left that steamer in the coop for a couple of days. Closed the door as they were just coming out of a brood session. Painted it white and siliconed every nook and cranny. Crossing my fingers. The vapouriser is fantastic. I'll be using that from now on as a preventative measure. The vicks vapouriser allows you to put the liquid in the actual container. Cedarwood oil also paralyses their mouths so they can't eat. DE their laying boxes with wormwood and catnip as well.
So you put the Elector in the vaporizer and leave it running for how long? As a preventive you'll be using it how often? When you said you close the door because they were just finishing brooding Do you mean that you close the chickens out while it's running or do you leave the chickens and doors with the vaporizer?
@amel2784 until the water runs dry. It turns itself off when it's empty. So far so good. But geez, have we had it bad. Poor girls...I love them so much, and we were going to get rid of the coop and start again, but it's worked so far. In saying that, there must be a better way to treat these nasties.
@amel2784 yes, close the door to them. It's been months now, and the buggers still haven't started laying again. Imagine, I'm paying Australia $14.00 a dozen for organic eggs. I like boiling 4 eggs and mashing them for the 6 girls for added protein. I think I need more girls.
Brilliant! I am going to try it. Every morning I wipe the perches down and spray everything with a concoction of vinegar, neem oil, peppermint oil, lavender oil and lemongrass oil. They say it helps.
Wow. We built our own coop and throughout the vuildt, I kept insisting to my spouse that I was going to paint every piece of wood white and caulk every joint for this exact reason. And I did, despite the constant snorting and laughing at how fancy it was for the chickens, etc.. Our chicks are still too small to go in the coop yet, but I'm anxiously hoping this is going to work. I knew I needed to do something when I was standing underneath the large tree, where the coop is going to go, with two doves on a branch overhead, duking it out and flapping their wings at each other. I looked up at them and then looked down at the wood that I was working on and saw a red mite climbing on the wood. I figured it fell off of the birds as they were flapping their wings overhead.
Thank you so much! Do check out some of my other videos (although there's not so much singing - maybe that's a good thing! ) 😀 youtube.com/@chickensinmygarden
I painted my coop inside with solarguard exterior paint so that it would be easier to wipe clean. I used leftover paint from the house... mixed with a bit of white - it turned out a nice pale lime green !
@@chickensinmygarden Don't let your chickens smoke cigarettes. At least until the linseed oil drys.......seriously tho. That's the old time way to seal the wood. Much cheaper than paint. No more flammable than oil base paint.
@@chickensinmygarden Yes, I do not let my chickens to smoke in the coop. The mix dries fast in hot weather, I would treat the coop in early morning and keep the chickens out until completely dry. Boiled linseed oil is used on antique furniture and is safe with the caveat that soaked rags can combust. The kerosine is like a clean odour free diesel and diesel does not ignite like gas, it is much harder to ignite. But considering that coops are made of wood and that wood shavings and straw are popular in coops, good fire safety is a given. Really, with any wood farm building, fire safety is important. No candle light diners for my chickens!
Made a pallet coop and run then soon as my hens were old enough to lay I added a rooster someone was giving away. Big mistake! I lost 2 hens and had an infestation of mites before I even knew the rooster had them. I'm now gathering material to make a new coop.They'll kill your chickens if you don't act fast. I'm using permethrin in the coop & run & painted it with white wash.I'm giving my chickens Ivermectin orally and keeping oil on their legs.Painting their perches with turpentine & neem oil.I'm burnt out.
I too caulk all joints of the coop and paiinting as you, I have also started raping double sided tape carpet tape at the ends of the roosts, not only does catch red mites but its a visual sign if you have any red mites, at first daily changes of tape is needed but soon the numbers go down. then it is just there as an indicator. I tried fly paper on roost 1st. but a very messy job as it sticks on your hands, what a mess i got in! so if there is a wall that chickens roost next to I put a petroleum jelly on the wall to prevent the mites getting that part of wall to birds i use the jelly to smear on any cracks or rough surfaces screw holes or even screw heads! that mites my hide in. another way i am going to try is 3 drops of oil of oregano to a jam jar of cooking oils or linseed oil, and paint bush it the hole coop in spring I'm told this kills mites dead! we shall see Great video
I just love your channel! So useful, informative and charming. I have a feeling you were a piano teacher when you were younger. I lined the inside of my coop with white linoleum. Never saw a mite. But there are plenty of predators you don’t deal with in NZ here in northern WI. Wolves, bobcats, coyotes, eagles and more. Plus -20 below zero temps. New Zealsnd sounds so idealic. Thank you so much for your educational channel. It is tops!!!
Thank you so much! No I never was a musician nor a teacher (I was a laboratory scientist but now retired). Yes we are exceptionally lucky here in New Zealand. I have utmost admiration for those of you who battle so much greater challenges. Best wishes 🙂
Leg mites cause swelling under the scales on their legs. It's quite likely that chickens who live in a hen house that has red mites (Dermanyssus gallinae), also have leg mites (Knemidocoptes mutans) and possibly other parasites as well.
Thank you for a brilliant idea. My five ladies are in lock-down at the moment due to bird flu so I have time to get painting before they get their freedom. By the way, Polly (the hen who had a prolapse ) is still doing well. X :)
Thanks. I designed it specifically for me and my circumstances but I think there are several aspects that are applicable to many people, so I made a whole series of 5 videos about the design principles. You might have seen them. The first one is this ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-3VeMh2b-Sos.html And the final build is here ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-lqK1OTAqQAs.html
Is it possible to paint a hen house, between egg laying time and chicken bed time? I’m concerned that excluding my hens from their house for a night would upset their routine too much and I’d hate for them to be uncomfortable with nowhere to lay their eggs. My five hens have a problem with something causing them to loose feathers from under their tails and down between their legs and on their necks. Three of them have really large bald areas. I’m getting worried as I don’t know what is causing it. I did find evidence of these mites and thought I’d cleaned their house enough to eliminate them, but the bald patches are getting worse. The feather loss is like a moult, but without the fallen feathers lying about like there is when they’re moulting.
That definitely sounds like mites to me. But maybe not red mites.If you can't remove your perch, wrap the ends with corrugated cardboard or similar multi-layered material. Then each morning inspect under your perch or in the cardboard for evidence of mites - like grey dust or black dots that go red with blood if you smear it. That will tell you if there are red mites in your hen house. Alternatively it might be fowl mites - you can see these clustered around the base of the feathers. Or scaly leg mites. These will cause raised scales on the chicken's legs. If it's fowl mites or scaly mites you treat the birds. If it's red mites you treat the house.
I could paint it also but so far haven't done so. The perch is smooth with no cracks to hide in so any red mites on a chicken would keep going to find a crack such as under the perch. I also coat it in Neem oil which helps repel insects. Neem oil is sold in garden shops. I mentioned it in one of my earliest videos, which is still popular ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ba22zDllKUc.html.
I used a low odour low VOC water-based acrylic house paint. It's safe for interior use such as children's bedrooms and tough enough for exterior use. And the low VOC (volatile organic compounds) which makes it low odour means there's much less paint smell or fumes. I used a New Zealand brand called Resene but I expect low VOC paints are available elsewhere. Good luck. I'm sure your chickens will love it 🙂
Very similar feather patterns. The Wyandottes will have rose combs whereas the Barnevelders have single combs. The Wyandotte lacing often looks clearer because it's single lacing. My Barnevelders are double laced, which is intricate up close but gives a generally darker appearance. I'm sure you'll love the Wyandottes
@@chickensinmygarden great! Yeah, they're supposed to be a bit cold hardier; it's gets a bit cold here in the winter - but I also watched your video on Ventilation and it helped confirm some of what I'm thinking. I also love this painting idea. Both for the light, wood protection, and obviously the mites. Thank you!
After watching this video, I got a little creeped out and had to go clean the henhouse. When I built it in 2007, I remember I caulked the interior plywood as I installed it because mites. But today I sprayed clorodane on all the seams....suspenders and a belt can't hurt.
I think the color doesn’t count, the paint itself is important as it is filling all the pores of the wooden panels , so the mites can’t lay their eggs Some people just use mineral oil to impregnate the pores of that wood. Congratulations for the video
Thank you. Yes you're right the paint is filling the crevices so mites can't get in. The light colour just makes it easier to see them if they arrive. So far so good - no mites 🙂
I live in Ukraine and since very old times people who keep hens painted chicken’s house in white by lime (my dictionary translated so “вапно” I hope you understand ) It also makes disinfection. Please excuse me if I made mistake.
so just wondering why you don't paint the perch white too? wouldn't that help show up the red mites too? that was an excellent video by the way, thankyou
Thanks for asking. There's a couple of reasons - the mites won't be on the top of the clean perch, they'll be hiding in a crack or under a blob of poop. And because the perch is scraped clean frequently, the paint would be scraped off by that, as well as by the claws of the perching chickens. I mention in my original video about perches that I work Neem oil into the perch to discourage mites ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ba22zDllKUc.html
I’m building our first chicken coop. We were just talking about painting the inside of hen house. So will definitely do that. Quick question. What kind of paint did you use? (Indoor or out door) (flat or gloss) Thank you in advance
I doubt if it matters. I happened to choose water-based enamel satin finish because that's what I had. Water-based is easy clean-up for painting. A gloss or semi gloss finish, or bathroom-kitchen scrubbable paint would be ideal for later when you need to clean inside the house but I don't think it makes a lot of difference. My hen house is 3 years old now and I've scrubbed it down a few times and the paint is holding up well.
I have an idea for a video topic. Molting!. This is my first year of having chickens and am starting to observe molt….. I think! Two out of three are off the lay and the ones behind ( which is bare of feathers (due to some bullying that I managed to stop about three months ago) I think is starting to have quills appear. Ew it seems like a really annoying thing for chickens to have to go through!! I need help and I suppose the chickens would like some help too! Should I give them a warm soak?
Molting is a really good idea for a video. I've tried a couple of times to get some good video, such as one hen over several weeks to show the whole process, but for different reasons I haven't yet got a good set. Yes chickens get quite grumpy when they're molting. And often fall to the bottom of the pecking order too. How obvious the molt is varies a lot from chicken to chicken but there's usually a lot of feathers in the hen house, which along with the time of year (Autumn/Fall) is a good indication that they are molting. No, they won't thank you for giving them a soak. As much as possible avoid handling them - new feathers are prickly as they come in. The best thing you can do to help them is to make sure their diet has plenty of protein - feathers are made of protein. A few treats like mealworms will be very welcome and good for them 🙂
Sheryl gave you great advice (of course). They definitely won't want bathed (though I think it's awesome that you care enough abt them to want to soothe their discomfort!). It's actually painful to them to be handled while molting. When mine are molting, I refrain from any big changes in their environment, provide even more water and food stations so they're not as tempted to take out their grumpy frustrations on each other, give them lots of protein treats (bc they're using so much protein to grow new feathers), & try to keep stress as minimal as possible. It can be distressing to see how terrible they look while they're molting, but don't worry. Those feathers will be back before you know it, and they'll look beautiful! Some breeds even develop more pronounced patterning with the new feathers (Speckled Sussex for instance, gain more white spots with each molt). It's perfect that they molt in the Fall, if you live in a cold climate. All those lovely warm new feathers just in time for Winter.
Thank you for the encouragement 😊 my chickens are still going through feather loss. They don’t seem too grumpy. I continue to spoil them with a lovely environment, piles of compost and dirt and my kitchen when they feel like visiting. I am a bit worried about Valentine who has a bare butt from the bullying. It has to grow back it’s feathers cuz Minnesota is cold and her behind will freeze. However I do keep their coop at 40 degrees F . I know this is a controversy amongst chicken owners too. I take my chickens into the house if I can’t keep their coop above freezing. This means it is negative 10 or lower outside. Even if a chicken can live being in 20 below temperature I CAN NOT. So they come inside with me which they seem to enjoy.
I have to tell you my chickens experience both Minnesota And Wisconsin environments. I have a home in Mn. And a “vacation” (mostly just work actually) home in northern Wi. I bring my three chickens up north with me and they seem very cool with going off on vacation. Their are many more predators in the WI home so they sleep inside the house porch and don’t free range unless I supervise.
The color is very important The red might show up super easy so you can see them. Imagine painting the inside of your coop red and trying to see red mites.
@amel2784 I see. So if you have the sense of a carrot what I should have said was the color is irrelevant because yer plugging holes but don't be stupid and use red paint. Yer either 12 never been on a farm or just have no common sense.
@amel2784 I see. What I should have said was the color is irrelevant cause yer filling holes but don't be stupid and use red paint. You must be 12 never been around a farm
I just used ordinary water-based acrylic house paint - safe enough for children's bedrooms and toys and also rated for exterior use. (No paint in New Zealand has lead in it.) These days acrylic paint is low odour but anyway the paint was well dry before I let the chickens in. It's been nearly a year and so far the chickens haven't pecked at the paint anyway 🙂
Not crazy at all, Crazy world be building a Steel reinforced block and concrete chicken bunker with a 6 inch thick steel reinforced concrete roof...Wait...I'm building one of those, and I'm painting the inside lol
@@chickensinmygarden I'm not kidding, I'm building a hurricane proof chicken coop that can stand up to a category 5 hurricane, search chicken bunker roof up
@joannmccaffrey822 I have my chicken bunker videos, it's a hurricane proof chicken coop ,I have videos from start to finish, but it's not hurricane proofing, it's hurricane proof 200+mph
