Every morning I de-poop their boxes when Holly and I go down to let them out. I change their bedding every two weeks in winter and weekly in summer when the mites are more active.
Been doing chooks for about 10 years and have become paranoid about bird mites so I dust the bottom of the cleaned out box's before putting in fresh hay. Apparently mites leave their hosts in the morning and retreat into the bedding and other places where they can hide. This is why I only use 'hard surface' coop furniture like plastic boxes and laminated timber. A regular piece of timber is a perfect hiding place for the little buggers.
I take the boxes outside into daylight and hopefully the sun is out - failing eyesight.
I empty most of the bedding into a rubbish bag and check what's left for mites.
If there are bird mites this is where they live during the day, in the bedding and surrounding materials like timber perches etc.
For me Pestene Insect Powder does the job nicely.
The beds are ready to go back into the coop, I just call it the chook shed.
The box's were originally used to feed our horses.
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