Red mite and compost?
 

I keep chickens and use their spent bedding to add to compost heap. I have
an infestation of red mite in the henhouse at the moment so they are present
in the chicken droppings/straw bedding mixture.

Is it safe to add this manure to the compost heap? I guess the compost heap
gets quite hot but red mite like the warmth.

Any advice/comments would be appreciated.

Jx

-- "jewels" wrote in message
...
I keep chickens and use their spent bedding to add to compost heap. I
have
an infestation of red mite in the henhouse at the moment so they are
present
in the chicken droppings/straw bedding mixture.

Is it safe to add this manure to the compost heap? I guess the compost
heap
gets quite hot but red mite like the warmth.

Any advice/comments would be appreciated.

Burn the little barstewards.

purebred poultry
www.geocities.com/fenlandfowl

"pammyT" fenlandfowl @talktalk.net wrote in message
...


-- "jewels" wrote in message
...
I keep chickens and use their spent bedding to add to compost heap. I
have
an infestation of red mite in the henhouse at the moment so they are
present
in the chicken droppings/straw bedding mixture.

Is it safe to add this manure to the compost heap? I guess the compost
heap
gets quite hot but red mite like the warmth.

Any advice/comments would be appreciated.

Burn the little barstewards.

purebred poultry

I'm gonna get'em, they don't know it yet but I'll get'em!

Seems a shame if the droppings etc are no good for the compost heap :(

Jx

jewels wrote:
"pammyT" fenlandfowl @talktalk.net wrote in message
...


-- "jewels" wrote in message
...
I keep chickens and use their spent bedding to add to compost
heap.
I have an infestation of red mite in the henhouse at the moment
so
they are present in the chicken droppings/straw bedding mixture.

Is it safe to add this manure to the compost heap? I guess the
compost heap gets quite hot but red mite like the warmth.

Any advice/comments would be appreciated.

Burn the little barstewards.

purebred poultry

I'm gonna get'em, they don't know it yet but I'll get'em!

Seems a shame if the droppings etc are no good for the compost heap
:(

Whatever kills the mites won't stop the good stuff from composting,
surely?

--
Mike.

In article , jewels
writes

"pammyT" fenlandfowl @talktalk.net wrote in message
...


-- "jewels" wrote in message
...
I keep chickens and use their spent bedding to add to compost heap. I
have
an infestation of red mite in the henhouse at the moment so they are
present
in the chicken droppings/straw bedding mixture.

Is it safe to add this manure to the compost heap? I guess the compost
heap
gets quite hot but red mite like the warmth.

Any advice/comments would be appreciated.

Burn the little barstewards.

purebred poultry

I'm gonna get'em, they don't know it yet but I'll get'em!

Seems a shame if the droppings etc are no good for the compost heap :(

I've no idea what these things are, but what is the problem of
composting them? If they are a problem for chickens, then are they
likely to be a problem for plants? Or is the problem that composting
them and then spreading them around the garden will mean that you will
maintain the infestation in the chickens?
--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"

In message , Kay
writes
In article , jewels
writes

"pammyT" fenlandfowl @talktalk.net wrote in message
...


-- "jewels" wrote in message
...
I keep chickens and use their spent bedding to add to compost heap. I
have
an infestation of red mite in the henhouse at the moment so they are
present
in the chicken droppings/straw bedding mixture.

Is it safe to add this manure to the compost heap? I guess the compost
heap
gets quite hot but red mite like the warmth.

Any advice/comments would be appreciated.

Burn the little barstewards.

purebred poultry

I'm gonna get'em, they don't know it yet but I'll get'em!

Seems a shame if the droppings etc are no good for the compost heap :(

I've no idea what these things are, but what is the problem of
composting them? If they are a problem for chickens, then are they
likely to be a problem for plants? Or is the problem that composting
them and then spreading them around the garden will mean that you will
maintain the infestation in the chickens?

I think they need to find the chickens at night to feed - they live on
blood if I remember rightly.
Spread the compost far enough around the garden and they will exhaust
themselves trying to walk home for supper :-))
--
Sue
Remove the puppies to reply

"jewels" wrote in message
...
I keep chickens and use their spent bedding to add to compost heap. I
have
an infestation of red mite in the henhouse at the moment so they are
present
in the chicken droppings/straw bedding mixture.

Is it safe to add this manure to the compost heap? I guess the
compost
heap
gets quite hot but red mite like the warmth.

Any advice/comments would be appreciated.

Burn the little barstewards.

purebred poultry

I'm gonna get'em, they don't know it yet but I'll get'em!

Seems a shame if the droppings etc are no good for the compost heap :(
Use the ash it will be fine.

"Kay" wrote in message
...
I've no idea what these things are, but what is the problem of
composting them? If they are a problem for chickens, then are they
likely to be a problem for plants? Or is the problem that composting
them and then spreading them around the garden will mean that you will
maintain the infestation in the chickens?
The latter. They are bloody dreadul mites which are hard to get rid of.
They live in nooks, crannies and cracks in the coops, not on the birds. They
come out at night and feed on the birds blood and are perfectly capable of
killing adults and chicks.
Burn them and use the ash on the compost. Redmite are the poultry keepers
enemy and are a constant source of worry for us.

The message
from "Mike Lyle" contains these words:

jewels wrote:
"pammyT" fenlandfowl @talktalk.net wrote in message
...


-- "jewels" wrote in message
...
I keep chickens and use their spent bedding to add to compost
heap.
I have an infestation of red mite in the henhouse at the moment
so
they are present in the chicken droppings/straw bedding mixture.

Is it safe to add this manure to the compost heap? I guess the
compost heap gets quite hot but red mite like the warmth.

Any advice/comments would be appreciated.

Burn the little barstewards.

purebred poultry

I'm gonna get'em, they don't know it yet but I'll get'em!

Seems a shame if the droppings etc are no good for the compost heap
:(

Whatever kills the mites won't stop the good stuff from composting,
surely?

In a compost bin with no food supply and winter frosts, the mites
will be compost long before they meet a chicken again.

You need to sort out the problem with the chickens though. Dust the
chickens with an appropriate powder (RTFM beforehand!!!!) and
thoroughly scrub rinse and diinfect the chicken shed, then dust it when
it's dry. Burn all nest-bedding straw, and pay particular attention to
cleaning the ends of perches etc. To avoid re-infestation, keep the
chicken shed clean and make sure the birds have clean soil to dust-bathe
in. It's also useful to get your chickens well used to being picked up
and handled calmly and their feathers stroked,, so that you can turn
them over and examine under their wings without distressing them. Their
baldy little "armpits" are the commonest site to spot signs of mites

Janet